SEEPD rounds up Evaluation for third Phase of activities in Cameroon.

The Socio Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Programme SEEPD has carried out an evaluation exercise following the end of the third phase of its activities in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. This presentation of its evaluation report took place on February 6, 2018 at the Cameroon Baptist Convention premises, Nkwen Bamenda.

CBM Australia, funding partner of the SEEPD programme of the CBC Health Services carried out this evaluation exercise from the 25^th of January to the 5th of February 2018. Its main objective was of course to measure the degree to which it had improved the wellbeing of persons with disabilities by promoting inclusion in the Northwest Region of Cameroon from 2015 to 2018. It also gave attention to understanding the underlying factors underpinning the successes recorded.

Julie Smith Clad in Cameroonian Traditional wears

This disability inclusive development programme has the mandate to mainstream disabilities in development for the improvement of quality of life of persons with disabilities and those at risk of acquiring disabilities. The programme equally seeks to contribute to development from a poverty alleviation perspective by breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and disability in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

The SEEPD programme currently supports development actors including the government to adopt a disability approach in their development plans and actions. To achieve their objectives, interventions are aligned under six main components namely the Medical and Rehabilitation, Inclusive Education, Livelihood, Social, Gender and Child Protection. It should also be noted that Advocacy, Research and Communication are cross cutting elements in the programme. It is a cluster of recognised and reputable disability service providers based in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is designed and implemented by the CBC Health Services.

Julie in the heart of presentations

In the words of the Programme Director, Professor Tih Pius, “It is the Socio Economic Empowerment of people living with disabilities and we are working in partnership with CBM Australia and CBM Germany and today we are at the end of phase three and the evaluation has been done so we are looking forward to the next phase of the project. Today we have stakeholders that have come to listen to the presentations made by the evaluation team that actually has taken about 12 days in the field visiting all the sites and communities. They also listened to beneficiaries of the project to see what they have gained after these years of the project. My words of appreciation to the funders cannot be fathomed. I really appreciate the funders that have partnered with us…to provide essential services to people that live with disabilities in our midst.”

The representative of CBM Australia Julie Smith who headed the evaluation team expressed her take home impressions in the following manner: “I have seen so many changes with regards to disability inclusion. I am sure if I came here ten years ago I wouldn’t have seen them among people living with disabilities. Because of the work of CBC and the work that SEEPD Programme and other organisations have been doing we now have people living with disabilities in schools and in many other activities. People with disabilities now have access to many facilities like wheel chairs and other mobility aids. We have strong people with disabilities advocating in their communities. We’ve also got councils and parents associations who are doing a lot to think about how we make sure that we change our attitudes and make sure that our policies are disability inclusive.”

Meantime, Awa Jacques Chirac, Programme Manager for SEEPD said any evaluation exercise is “an opportunity for a programme to go out of their perspective as those who implement and zoom closely to see what they do and criticize their actions and also do very constructive appraisals so I think this evaluation has served such an opportunity for the programme team which is involved on daily bases in the implementation of the programme to look closely at the level of their engagement, what the implications of their actions are and what the effects have been on the wider population.”  

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