Stories of rape, exploitation, trafficking, forced displacement and years of silent suffering are emerging as survivors of gender-based violence gather in Bamenda for a three-day psychosocial and economic wellbeing training organised by the Community Women Peacebuilders Network (COWOPNET), a brainchild of the Centre for Advocacy in Gender Equality and Action for Development (CAGEAD).
The training forms part of the project "reinforcing conflict resolution mechanisms and strengthening GBV prevention and protection of survivors in crisis-affected communities of the North West Region of Cameroon," funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through ALVF Association.
Thirty survivors from Mezam, Momo and Boyo Divisions are participating in the training, which entered its second day this Thursday, 6 August 2026, with sessions centred on protection and economic empowerment.
While the programme is designed to equip survivors with practical livelihood skills, facilitators say healing from trauma remains the first and most urgent step towards rebuilding their lives.
Over two days of engagement, survivors have shared painful experiences that mirror the reality faced by many women and girls caught in the North West crisis.
"Behind every survivor is a burden carried in silence. Our role is to help them begin unloading that pain and realise they do not have to carry it alone." Nsono Josephine, one of the facilitators said
Some accounts speak of young girls lured away from their homes with promises of education or employment, only to face exploitation, abuse and forced domestic labour. Others recount escaping abuse only to encounter further violence before finally returning to communities carrying deep emotional scars.
There are also stories of women who endured sexual violence while fleeing insecurity, elderly women assaulted at gunpoint and survivors who continue to live with the physical and psychological consequences of conflict-related gender-based violence years after the incidents occurred.
Many never accessed emergency medical care or psychosocial services in the critical hours and days following the attacks, leaving them to carry the burden of trauma largely alone.
To help survivors begin that healing process, the training has adopted a survivor-centred approach that combines psychosocial support, group therapy, individual counselling and economic empowerment.
One of the most distinctive features of the workshop is the creation of a "Healing Village" inside the training venue, a quiet, safe space where participants can temporarily withdraw whenever discussions become emotionally overwhelming.
"Healing does not begin by asking survivors to relive their pain. It begins by creating a safe space where they can gradually let go of the weight they have carried for months or even years." Nsono noted adding "Healing is a journey. That is why we created the healing village, a space where survivors can pause, breathe and regain emotional strength whenever they need it."
Facilitators have also introduced group therapy sessions that encourage participants to gradually release emotional burdens they have carried for months and, in some cases, years.
Beyond the group sessions, individual therapy has already begun, with plans being explored to continue psychosocial support after the workshop due to the depth and complexity of many of the cases.
COWOPNET-CAGEAD officials say participants are also receiving guidance on safety planning while developing business ideas and livelihood plans that will prepare them for microgrants expected after the training.
The intervention is anchored on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, with particular emphasis on the pillars of protection, relief and recovery.
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By combining psychosocial healing with economic empowerment, the project seeks to ensure survivors regain both emotional stability and the means to rebuild independent lives.
"These women did not choose the crisis. They did not choose the violence. They deserve protection, support and the opportunity to rebuild their lives." Nsono Josephine told the unknown pepetrator
The concluding sessions on Friday' will focus on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business development, providing participants with practical tools to transform livelihood ideas into sustainable income-generating activities.
For COWOPNET and CAGEAD, the objective goes beyond helping survivors cope with trauma. It is about restoring dignity, rebuilding confidence and ensuring women affected by conflict can recover, thrive and contribute once again to the wellbeing of their families and communities.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
Tel: +237 694 71 85 77
BAMENDA, Cameroon
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