Project Proposal Drafted By: • Akshita • Odette • Sophie • Vasundhra 1. GENERAL INFORMATION “IDENTIFYING AND IMPLEMENTING INCOME GENERATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG MOTHERS AND SCHOOL DROP-OUT YOUTHS IN CAMEROON WITHIN THE HAIRDRESSING, BEAUTY, AND MAKE-UP INDUSTRY.” Summary The project proposed will focus on generation of income opportunities for targeted communities specifically in the hairdressing, make up and beauty industry. This industry is recession proof. It is also said to have,” Lipstick Effect” in layman language means, that when one goes through an economical difficulty, they find inexpensive measures to pamper themselves. It is also stated by the LA times that the beauty industry is expecting substantial growth in near future despite the upcoming ongoing crisis. This programme will not only allow the kids to make a living for themselves but will also provide them with psychological benefits Project Theme To identify how the hairdressing, beauty, and make-up industry in Cameroon can be used to generate financial opportunities and increase the standard of living of young mothers and youth dropout of the school who are suffering all the more due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis. Objectives To help young mothers and dropout youth to learn various skills like entrepreneurship, management so that they can generate income for themselves in hairdressing and beauty industry. Donors for materials and finances • Goodness and Mercy Missions • (Boyo region in North-west Cameroon) • The Turing Foundation • Advance Africa.Com • Special Self Help Fund (SSH) • MissBlizzers • (k&f cosmetic company in Cameroon) • Longrich International • RED.Esthetics • Universal Beauty Salon by Belinda at Bamenda • Plan International • African Women Development Fund • B. J. Cosmetics. Company Limited • Doyin Industries Limited • House of Tara • Zaron Cosmetics • BMPRO Makeup Partnerships • Enkindle Cameroon • Free a Girl and its local partner ASSEJA (under The Turing Foundation) • Cameroon Youth Partnership • UN Women 2. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SITES AND TARGET POPULATION ❖ Geography. ➢ Described as an “ethnic crossroads,” Cameroon is located in both West and Central Africa. It is bordered by a number of countries; to the west and north it borders Nigeria, to the northeast Chad, to the east it borders Central African Republic and to the south it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo. ❖ Population and Demographics. General view ➢ With a population of 25.9 million, Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic groups, Cameroon’s diverse population is among the most urban in western Africa. ➢ The north is inhabited predominantly by Muslims (Sunni Muslims account for about one-fifth of the population). ➢ Finally, the south is inhabited by both Christians (nearly two-fifths of the population is Roman Catholic, and more than a quarter is Protestant) and traditional African religions In general, education and literacy rates in Cameroon do vary between males and females. • over 15 years old 77.1% of the population can read and write - 82.61% male and 71.6% female . Similarly, school life expectancy • Males at 14 years compared to females at 12 years.1 As seen in the Age Structure and Gender Breakdown in Cameroon, 2019, infographic, the majority of Cameroon’s population (42.3%) is under the age of 15, with 20.04% of the population aged between 15-24 years old, and 30.6% of the population aged 25-54 years of age. There is a significant decrease in population over the age of 55 years, with 3.87% of the population aged between 55-64 years, and 3.11% of the population aged 65 years and over. W.R.T The Proposal The target population for this project is young mothers and dropout youths in the 15-20 year old demographic, who are suffering due to the Anglophone crisis a breakdown of the population into age and gender has been provided. 1 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/print_cm.html 1. There is almost a 50/50 split, with almost as many females as males across the age groups. • This is of particular interest to our project as the impact of training young mothers and dropout youth can not only have a significant impact on the country’s economy across the ethnic groups but will also have staying power, being able to match, if not exceed, the contribution of males in Cameroon as the women age. • the figures show that females may slightly outnumber males from the age of 25 years up. This is of particular interest, as women who are able to earn an income from this project would be able to continue earning and would not be affected by the slight drop in the male ppopulation, perhaps from death of illnes of males who they may have been financially dependent on without having the earning potential which this progam hopes to provide. 2. Finally, more than half of Cameroon’s population lives in urban areas. This would increase the participant’s ability to increase their income, with increased access to business infrastructure, from increased access to a banking system, internet, materials and equipment, access to transport hubs and increased access to a potential client base. Additionally, it is widely accepted that urban populations, especially the female demographic, are less likely to be constrained by traditional cultural roles, with urban populations being more internet, media, fashion, and trend savvy than their more rural counterparts. The Anglophone Crisis; Overview A poorly conducted re-unification of north and south Cameroon in the 1960s has led to feelings of political and economic marginalisation which have continued to escalate, particularly among the Anglophones minority. To date the Anglophone crisis is responsible for more than 3,000 civilian deaths and ongoing social problems (including the boycott of schools, increased childcare demands on women, increased juvenile delinquency, increased teenage pregnancies, and increased school dropout rates). 3. CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION The aim of this proposal is to identify areas of opportunity that can be developed to generate income opportunities, in particular for young mothers and school-dropout youths. ➢ As seen above, the Anglophone Crisis has had a significant effect on the future available to this particular sector of the population. Women in general are less advantaged in the education their education and subject to cultural expectations. However many positives do exist and it is the intent of this program to identify and implement a program which can provide significant areas of opportunity to develop individualised business prospects within the beauty industry. ➢ This program intends to create these opportunities by combining the earlier mentioned “ethnic crossroads” and “Lipstick effect”. Taking advantage of the continuous business opportunities that the Lipstick effect provides, regardless of the political climate, identifying locally and ethically sourced products, identifying ethnic hair and beauty trends that may be used in to create an entirely new product line, which allows these women to be proud of who they are, manage their education and income streams in the short, medium and long-term, all while overcoming the societal effects of the Anglophone Crisis. ➢ While the project is initially aimed at young mothers and school-drop out youths it also has the potential to grow. In addition to the effects of the Anglophone Crisis, attacks by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram in the Far North, and causing a worsening humanitarian crisis. At the end of 2019 it was estimated that Cameroon hosts more than 350,000 refugees and asylum seekers2. Not only are the numbers of displaced persons significant, if they are taken into consideration with Cameroon’s population numbers, 2 https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/cameroon the scale of the positive impact which this program may have on providing individuals the tools to direct and manage their futures become clear. Currently the beauty industry is experiencing a change in ethos, with customers calling for products to be increasingly ethically sourced and, where possible, benefitting the communities who are sourcing ingredients and packaging, making the products and selling them are prices which allow for communities to receive a portion of the financial profit. To put the benefits and possible scale of this project into context, the beauty industry is a multi- billion dollar industry with huge potential for growth and increasing revenue3. Calls have been made for cosmetics companies to increase the range of products which meet the skin tone, and geographical retail availability for Africans. In response, a handful of African entrepreneurs shave risen to the challenge of creating African cosmetics brands, which address public demand and also present a “game changer “to the beauty industry, producing skincare solutions with minimal or no artificial ingredients and chemicals. Not only is the beauty industry changing, it presents numerous areas of opportunity, including the opportunity for companies to assist this project’s demographic with training and business opportunities, while growing their African skincare ranges, and finally by increasing meeting their ethical objectives. Theoretical learning, with practical training in the field of makeup, beauty, and hairdressing will thereby give our targeted population a source of livelihood, hence improving their standard of living and hence, improving the future of the country. 4. OBJECTIVES The main objective of this proposal is