Global Vision Institute Interview with Mrs Tamssam Florence,
Regional Delegate for the Woman and the Family, Douala – Cameroon.
GVI: You are actively involved in the fight for a better future for the Cameroonian woman and the family. How has this battle been going so far?
TF: Well, it has been very challenging given the fact that the woman in our community is still regarded as a secondary being. Plus, we need more tools to aid us in the fight.
GVI: When you say “tools”, in what area exactly?
TF: Oh, well, we are really lacking in terms of communication. We still rely on traditional media, which most people use today in our communities. However, the world is changing, and we need to get this information about the importance of the woman and the family to the world. Sadly, most of our own women and their families don’t have access to new media facilities.
In fact, 80% of them are ignorant of the power of online media. Sensitization does not only end on the TV or newspapers. There are young girls today who need to know more, and they are on social media groups, so we need to target them. Also, some of the staff are not online media oriented, and they need to be trained on how to use the different social media platforms.
GVI: As a woman who is actively into the promotion of the woman and the family, how do you think the Post-2015 Development plan will help your activities?
TF: Well, it is my prayer that the Post-2015 Development plan emerges to fill the loopholes I just mentioned. We should not only focus on politics and other aspects and neglect our families. They plan should aim at progressing the digital industry and grant access to the public so that they could be more exposed to online media. These young ladies today will have families tomorrow, so, we should target them and start preparing them for the future.
We help them in times of crisis, and they need to know how and where to get assistance while avoiding fraud. They need to learn from the experiences from other families. We don’t even have a fully functioning website, talk less of social media presence. So it is my hope that the Post Development plan will address this issue because media is a great tool in our fight.
GVI: Thanks you very much for your time and I also hope the plan helps your cause.
TF: You’re very welcome.