Back-to-School Pressure: SMAT Supports Single Mothers In Bamenda
By Raymond Dingana For many single mothers in Bamenda, capital of Cameroon’s North West Region, preparing their children for a new school year comes with serious financial pressure. But for more than 50 single mothers, some of that burden has been eased following a support initiative by the Single Mothers Advocacy Task Force International (SMAT) . The organisation recently provided school materials to the women at the Bamenda Handicraft Centre to help their children return to school. SMAT Managing Director, Nsah Beltila, said the initiative was created after the organisation observed that single mothers were often left out of support programmes targeting vulnerable groups. “We decided to embark on this journey because we noticed that many organisations focus on widows, orphans, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, but single mothers are often neglected,” Beltila said. She said this situation inspired the creation of SMAT, with a focus on empowering single ...