Ida Tolefac Ngufor

Education - Cameroon (West Africa)

In Cameroon, Ida says, “the issue that needs to be changed is poverty and hunger.” She believes that community-based education and financial assistance will lead to the betterment of the rural poor and alleviation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Working as a youth project officer for the Benevolent Community Education and Rural Development Society, Ida has pinpointed the causes of extreme poverty and hunger as, “a lack of knowledge and initiative, resistance to change, traditional beliefs, poor management and services, and a lack of cooperation.” To combat this she has been involved in educating rural youths about applying for loans of seed, a process known as “microfinancing.” From the initial loan, Ida says the profits of crops can be kept by the youths and repayments go back into crediting others. Ida says microfinancing “economically empowers the poor as greater resources are channelled towards them.”

Ida’s action plan for OIYP2004 involves the creation of co-operative groups and the development of a sustainable HIV/AIDS awareness program.