The minister of women empowerment and the family has acknowledged a high rate of illiteracy and poverty amongst girls in the South West region.

According to Minister Marie Therese Abena, over 34% of the female population in the region lacks access to secondary education.

She was speaking last Saturday October 25, at the Buea council hall while chairing the launching ceremony of the Anne Mojoko Musonge Memorial Trust Foundation for underprivileged girls in the south west.

Going by the minister, lack of education, poverty and stigmatization compromise the opportunities of the girl child to contribute to the advancement of their communities and society as a whole.

The girl child as presented by the minister possesses lots of potentials that often go unexploited due to the hostilities in the environment she finds herself.

Describing the trust fund as a lofty idea, Minister Marie Therese called on all Cameroonians to contribute to the betterment of underprivileged girls in the South West, citing the UN Charter on human and people’s rights and other international conventions signed by the government of Cameroon for the protection of the girl child.

In several presentations at the ceremony, the girl child was portrayed as a unique individual full of talents and skills, but challenged by fears and stigma.

Lauding the support from all stakeholders, Senator Peter Mafany Musonge said the trust fund will go a long way to complete the unfinished work of late Mrs. Anne Mojoko Musonge. As leader of the board of trustees, he promised to ensure better educational opportunities for the girl child in the South West region and Fako division in particular.

“Our objective is to complete the work that she started in this world. The family decided to honour her memory by continuing with the work she would have loved to do here on earth. We believe it is going to be a very easy task given the support we have received from well wishers and friends of the family.” Musonge intimated.

As regards the criteria for the selection of beneficiaries, the senator said one of the duties of the board of trustees is to conduct studies on the beneficiary children.

Some of the objectives of the foundation, as identified during the event include provision of scholarships to underprivileged girls between the ages of twelve and twenty two, creation and running of schools for underprivileged girls and the distribution of books and other didactic materials to underprivileged but deserving girls in Fako.

Profiling the deceased, veteran journalist, Peter Essoka described Anne Mojoko as a woman who always had the interest of the stigmatized and abandoned children in society at heart, a loving wife and very friendly woman.

The 5-man-board of trustees of the foundation headed by Musonge included the regional delegate of secondary education for the South West, Francis Ngundu, WCPDM section president for Fako and principal of GBHS Bokwaongo, Hannah Etonde Mbua amongst others.

For his part, peace crusader, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle called on God to bless the project and ensure that it attends its desired objective of “putting smiles on the faces of underprivileged girls in Fako division,” describing the late Anne Mojoko as a loving type and very hospital person.

Also present at the occasion were the minister, assistant secretary general at the presidency, Peter Agbor Tabi, minister in charge of special duties at the presidency, Victor Arrey Mengot, vice speaker of the national assembly, Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, former minister, Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, moderator emeritus of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Nyansako Ni Nku, Senator Charles Mbella Moki and a host of other dignitaries.