Greetings my dear friends and audience of this our dear Community space. Today I would like to share with you a pathetic and success story of an Internally Displaced person ( IDP) in the city of Bamenda, who despite the storms she passed through, she never lost hope. Let's see what happened in what I titled " Never Say it is over, until it is really over".
° I happened to meet this internally displaced woman today who shared her ugly and pathetic story of herself and family that never made her lose hopes. "Mami boy" the nickname they use to call her is a mother of seven children and married to her husband who lost his job at the unset of the crisis in their Country Cameroon, that displaced them to the regional headquarters, Bamenda in the restive North west region of the Country.
° Before the unset of the crisis in 2016, Mami Boy and her family were doing so well, with the children schooling and scoring good grades. They wouldn't have asked for anything more, because the husband was working in a good company and also operating a good business. She herself was operating a very successful restaurant business that brought in both indigenes and foreigners ( tourists that came visiting) to her hotspot. This was a lucrative business that she had wished for, and she established it with her savings and hardwork. She recounted how she sold even up to almost midnight, and at times go home very exhausted but happy of her sales for the day. She didn't have time to waste, as her business meant a lot for her. The demand for her services were high and she made much gains everyday. She couldn't do this alone, her children joined her after school at the spot to assist her with the services. Her husband usually joined later in the evening due to the nature of his work. Her business was expanding, until the unset of the crisis in 2016, where the separatists demanded for an autonomy from the other divide of the Country. The events that followed suit were not favourable for the business again. Businesses and Companies started shutting down, curfews, ghost towns, and regular road blocks became the order of the day. Schools also started shutting down, with direct attack on education as a means to compel the government to give in to popular demands of secessionists. In all these happenings the steady flow of customers reduced drastically and the worst came with the onset of attacks on the civilian population, burning of houses, killings, kidnappings, parading and unlawful arrest and torture, settling of scores. In the midst of all these, her husband lost his job, as his Company was forced to close down for security reasons, and her business was also shut down. The children stayed out of school because sending a child to school was a provocation to the separatists and you could go down for, as an enabler or "blackleg". This ugly situation brought untold misery to her family. To have food on the table for eleven people ( her husband and their seven children and two depending children ) was not easy to come by, and the house rents became overdue. And two years had passed by after the unset of crisis that seemed to have no ending. It was already 2018, and nothing good was in view. She and her family decided to raise money by closing their credit union accounts to retrieve their life's savings in order to relocate to Bamenda, the regional headquarters where they thought there was relative calm and security.
° The nightmare journey to the regional headquarters The journey from their resident in Kumbo to Bamenda was such a nightmare that one would never have gone in for under normal circumstances. They were regular stops and checks, financial support to the armed groups, ransacking of belongings, and many other unpleasant activities meted on the travellers. However, they reached Bamenda, and moved in with her kid sister who chased them out, even before they could get their own accomodations. They had no option but to look for a space, and considering the influx of many internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the City, houses were very expensive, and the standard of living was very high. After a week's search, they finally got a house though very expensive and they advanced it for six months, and moved in, only with their clothes. Leaving Kumbo was not favourable to come along with any other things, it was risky and dangerous because life was very unpredictable, so they left everything behind, till date. However, some people of goodwill helped them with some few items to use. Meanwhile they bought some pots, buckets, toiletries, food, and beddings with a little of their remaining savings. She and her family did some maniac work just to survive. Humanitarian assistance barely came their way, though they hear from the radio how the internally displaced persons are being helped regularly. Sometimes they are lucky to get registered for some humanitarian assistance but at times they don't come back, but at times they are lucky to have food assistance for those who might come back. At times it gets rather unfortunate that non internally displaced persons get assistance while they don't due to familiarity and friendship.
° She decided to seek the face of God, but no church in her quest for peace and love gave her that. Instead they gave her pains, rejection, name calling, hatred, back biting was all she got. However she decided to let it go and focus only on her God, and family. And remained good and selfless even to those who gave her pains instead of love and peace she needed.
°✓Their children's education remain stagnant because they could only afford public schools that were often attacked by the armed groups. However they decided to teach their children at home following the official school program. The children were aging and they risked being overaged for the academic levels. God being by their sides, they got access to online studies and made it despite the huddles. And now with the relax on attack on education, her children can attend regular school sometimes at a risk of insecurity. Stray bullets most often fly here and there, kidnaps for ransom, only God watches over them.
√ She recounted how she and her husband were taken to the Police station due to unpaid house rents after paying regularly for three years, and things became rough for them and they could not pay . She was put in the cell for non possession of national identity card. And could only be released on bail. Her husband was subjected to pressure, as he was to procure the rents and bail money. After the bail was paid with the help of a family friend, they were given a month to pay the house and vacate the house at the stipulated timeframe of one month. This became a hard nut to crack, as they were also compelled to go in search of a new house and to provide an advance of not less than six months. And God smiled on their face as they were able to procure a new house even before the expiration of the time of quit from the former house.
✓ Their new residence brought peace and she could have focus. She became over zealous to learn a trade meanwhile her husband started an online business though still low but not too bad.
So she remained hopeful and a neighbor came by one day and asked her if she was interested in learning how to knit traditional caps she will teach her for free provided she will be passionate enough to learn and make money. Luck of course felt on her and she she started the lessons, and did it passionately and today she is able to earn a little income from it. Hoping that one day she will be able to do it on large scale and even supply nationally and internationally. She could go back to her hometown Kumbo when the crisis must have been over one day, hopefully. Maybe she could remain in the City, when the crisis are over, only time will tell.
✓ Despite the untold hardship caused by the crisis, Mami Boy and her family remained hopeful. So Never Say it is over, untill it is really over! Even though the crisis is persistent but that has not dashed away her hopes or shattered her dreams of a better tomorrow. She prays every blessed day and Her only prayers is to see the crisis come to an end soon!
