Cameroon : Service d'Appui aux Initiatives Locales de Développement

The context: Often called “Africa in miniature”, Cameroon has many assets which should enable it to become the economic driving force in this Central African sub-region: relative stability on macroeconomic level, propitious conditions for private sector initiatives, young, relatively educated population and relative political and institutional stability.
However, a majority of Cameroonians still have great problems with overcoming their poverty.

4 out of 10 Cameroonians have to live for less than a dollar a day;
Human development indicators have been drastically falling over the last years;
Great regional discrepancies persist with a risk of tensions between ethnic groups;
Corruption is still a problem which undermines the efficiency of public and private institutions.

Grassroots support: In such a difficult context a group of Cameroonians rolled up their sleeves and created SAILD (organization supporting local development initiatives), an NGO helping the rural population. SAILD’s mission is to develop a strong and independent farmers’ movement in Cameroon through diversified and complementary actions. In a country where state authorities’ backseat approach has particularly affected farmers, SAILD plays a paramount role in supporting local initiatives.
Today SAILD provides its services through various departments and decentralized agencies:

Building up capacities, supporting sustainable and competitive agriculture as well as microfinance and micro business (currently it provides assistance to 4 regional farmers’ organizations, FO);
Promoting health insurance schemes;
Editing and publishing a bimonthly magazine “La Voix du Paysan” (The Farmer’s Voice);
Running the CDDR (Rural Development Documentation Centre).

Support activities in favour of the FOs have a twofold dimension: political (enhancing their advocacy capacity) and economic (improving management capacities in various sectors of argiculture).

A sustainable partnership: SAILD is a traditional partner of SOS Faim and a major civil society actor in Cameroon. For the sake of mutual partnership its Secretary General is a member of both SOS Faim organizations and he was even the president of the Belgian SOS Faim. Moreover, he is the chairman of ACDIC, a young civic association, also supported by SOS Faim (see ACDIC), who receives a massive social response to its campaigns.