Marthe Wandou

Marthe Wandou (born 15 October 1963) is a Cameroonian lawyer and women's rights activist. Quotes My colleagues were very happy. Then my family and our partner organizations. I received calls from everywhere. Within minutes, it was as if someone had sent the message over the airwaves. Caritas International First and foremost, the trauma and psychological consequences are relevant. Many women have witnessed attacks. They watched their husbands murdered and their children killed in front of their eyes. They had to witness their children or themselves being kidnapped. This traumatic experience overshadows everything. Furthermore, the economic losses are enormous: many women are displaced, and if they fled the war, they did so with nothing. It is not easy to return to life traumatized and empty-handed, with children to constantly care for. Caritas International I chose the term " self-determined" because our role cannot be one of definition or direction. We accompany, support, and encourage, but there comes a moment when a woman takes on personal responsibility, formulates her own interests, and represents and defends them to society. With our work, we open up the opportunity for independent and self-determined development for a person who has suffered violence and is traumatized “Psychosocial support must be at the forefront of humanitarian aid.” Child marriage is a big problem in Cameroon, and I think it is necessary to have more significant support from the government and international actors. Not just in terms of policies. Policies are good. But also in terms of their implementation. We need to make sure the governments everywhere are aware of the necessity of protecting children, especially girls, as they are being dropped from schools. In addition, accessing birth certificates and child marriages are also critical issues. Caritas International I primarily work in the far north of Cameroon, where we also face the Boko Haram crisis, which was still going on even when people talked only about the Anglophone crisis because this is maybe a very advertised crisis, but the Boko Haram crisis is still going on. Caritas International Yes, especially for children. Sometimes I feel frustrated because all the children globally should be treated the same concerning their education, protection, health... So, I believe organizations and international actors should focus more on Africa's children's situation, especially in areas like my region, to address issues like child marriage. Caritas International Being the Right Livelihood laureate gives me the strength and courage to do more what I have been doing, also more effectively. Because I feel like I'm now having more support for what I'm doing for women, girls, and children in Cameroon. Wandou: Cameroon needs to move from policies to action,By Leonard Proske, retrieved on , December 1, 2021. “The Right Livelihood Award will give us the courage to continue what we are doing.” Right Livelihood “Even if they have lived through this situation and been traumatised, they can still rebuild themselves.” TV5MONDE “We train them so they understand that nothing is lost and that, even after what they have experienced, they can rebuild their lives.” TV5MONDE External links Category:Women from Cameroon Category:Activists from Cameroon