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GIDICOM ACTS FOR PEACE AROUND THE FIRESIDE.


During happy moments or sad ones, grand-ma will always gather her grand children around her during full moon or by the fireside, to tell them nice stories or discuss the differences some of them might have had during the day. GIDICom is the grandmother. Women, the grand children. Their differences, the ongoing  Anglophone crisis.

The effects of the Anglophone crisis has buried so much hatred and pain in the minds of many and women are not exempted from this. Such pain and hatred has been manifested online and offline in hate speeches and violent attacks. Women have sometimes been the oppressor or the oppressed.

It is against this backdrop, that Global Initiative for Digital inclusion and Communication GIDICom, as part of its #Act4peace237 Campaign which is a defyhatenow initiative organized a fireside chat with women, particularly women with special abilities. Their stories have gone unreported and GIDICom felt like including these set of women around the dialogue.

Rose Obah, Moderator
Madame Rosaline Obah Akah, who moderated the session, used the opportunity to call on the women to engage in the discussion. She told the women that it was a heart to heart talk and that they should feel at home.

Pedmia Shatu. Directress GIDICom

The Executive Director of GIDICom applauded the efforts made by the women to come particularly at a time when there is insecurity. She explained the concept of #DefyHateNow and #Act4peace237 Campaign which is geared towards taking small but hygienic steps towards a #HateFree online and offline space. She urged them to begin by advocating peace in their small spheres of influence by solving little misunderstandings around their communities. 


Women during the chat shared their pain most of which included losing loved ones, property, teenage pregnancies, lack home comfort, lack of assistance, and inability for persons living with disabilities to run when there is a shootout.



Women with special abilities frowned at all organizations carrying out humanitarian assistance and government for no one has done assessment needs for them and most explain that they have registered, struggled to even reach some of the distribution sites but collected no item. They live with this bitterness but thank GIDICom for listening to them at least they go back relieved.

At the end of the chat session Madam Pedmia Shatu echoed that 15 women was a good number to start with to monitor impact. "Their stories simply tells me and my team that we don't need to sleep but work double to see that we impact lives because these are just a few of such women going through trauma but I believe with God on our side, we shall hold on firm and bring the desired impact" GIDICom's Executive Director added.

The women left happy to have had a shoulder to lean on which is @GIDICom through its #Act4peace237 Campaign under the banner of #DefyHateNow and promised to take small significant moves to #DefyHateNow in their various communities. 

#Act4peace237 
#DefyHateNow 
#spreadlove 
#HateFreeCameroon

At the end of the fireside session, the moderator of the day, Madam Obah Rose, made saliant points to the press. "Women need to be listened to. You will not know their pain until you engage them in a chat.
As Communication and Gender Expert of the Global Initiative for Digital Inclusion and Communication GIDICom, I facilitated this session which ended with revealing statistics and issues regarding persons especially women with special abilities.Women with special abilities have had their own share in this current war yet their stories haven't been heard.  A lot is going on within their circle that goes unreported and unattended. Humanitarian agencies as well need to think of extending a hand to them as a special group of persons going through untold challenges as a result of the current crisis. 
Talk with them and you will know their pain". Dixit Rose Obah.

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