Banoukou-Bwapaki — CERAC handed over farm tools and learning material to the rural women and school children on Saturday.

Rural women from several local localities in the Moungo Division of the Littoral Region have called on First Lady Chantal Biya to continue her efforts to boost the capacities of rural women to participate fully in the country's efforts to attain the status of an emerging economy by the year 2035.

From Bomono, Souza, Penda Mboko, Nkapa, Bona Lea, Mbanga and other localities of the Moungo Division, the women, from several common initiative groups, gathered at the Government Primary School in Banoukou-Bwapaki village on Saturday November 24, 2012 to receive farm tools, inputs and equipment as well as improved varieties of seedlings from First Lady Chantal Biya's emissaries of the Circle of Friends of Cameroon (CERAC). The Government Primary School in Banoukou-Bwapaki village also received textbooks, exercise books, teaching manuals and other learning material from CERAC.

Mrs Chantal Biya's personal representative and Vice President of CERAC, Marie Prudence Dipanda, hailed the First Lady who is also UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador, for her tireless efforts to support vulnerable people throughout the country. "For 17 years, CERAC has demonstrated inclusive solidarity," she told the multitude of women. She said the First Lady's gesture shows her will to support rural women in a bid to boost their yields as well as improve their living standards. She urged all supervisory structures for rural women and educational stakeholders to concretise the First Lady's will.

In the presence of Littoral's Governor Joseph Beti Assomo and other administrative, traditional and religious authorities, the Mayor of Bona Lea, Nkotti François, expressed the community's gratitude to the First Lady. He said the 70,000 inhabitants in 57 villages that make up the Bona Lea council, live essentially on agriculture, livestock and business. "CERAC has come to help our women win the fight against poverty," he concluded.

The event that was punctuated by musical performances of Misse Ngoh François, Guillaume Tell and his plus-size dancers as well as other traditional dance groups, also had as major highlight, the handing over of Mrs. Chantal Biya's special gifts. These comprised a television set for Bona Lea Council and two brand new computer sets plus printers for Government Primary School Banoukou-Bwapaki.