Pictured: Flaubert Djateng, Zenü Network Coordinator, and Roeland Monasch, CEO of Aflatoun

Zenü’s mission is to provide a shared space and a “community breadbasket of knowledge” where development actors can meet, work together, share ideas, and capitalize on one another’s expertise to improve the conditions of Cameroonian people. They focus on building broad collaborations with civil society actors, community-based organisations and decentralized authorities to reach out to more young people, regardless of sex or religion, in and out of school. Together with Aflatoun, the Zenü Network have begun working together on the St-Antonious funded project aimed to help improve the future prospects of Cameroonian youth and prepare them for complex labour markets.  

Zenü‘s Efforts in Cameroon

The network has been increasing its efforts towards helping Cameroonian youth to navigate the transitional periods of their lives. A large percentage of the Cameroonian population is made up of young people aged 15 to 24, yet many face uncertainties when it comes to their future. According to the International Labour Organization recent estimates, 17% of Cameroonian youth are not participating in employment, education, or training. This indicator remains weary for Cameroonian girls: 2.3 in 10 girls are indicated to not be participating in the labour market or formalised training in comparison to 1 in 10 boys. 

Pictured: Participants in the St-Antonius Project in Cameroon

In order to bridge this gap, Zenü has made measures to make greater contributions to the youth employment gender gap in the region of Cameroon. Zenü will continue to bring the St-Antonious project to scale with the implementation of Aflateen+, Aflatoun’s curricula focused on social and financial education through a gender lens, to help educate young Cameroonians on the tools they need to navigate their futures. Aflateen+ is localized and contextualized to fit the needs of Cameroon youth in secondary schools, according to the St-Antonius project’s objectives. Lesson will help youth understand labour market prospects, important budgeting and savings skills, and understanding the social world through the circumstances of girls who face different hardships.  

With the support of Zenü Network, the programme is being implemented to reach 6,000 children in more than 262 schools and clubs within 3 regions (West, North, and Adamaoua) of Cameroon by the end of the year. The programme is expected to be scaled up to reach the other 7 regions with the support of the Ministry of Secondary Education in Cameroon (MINESEC). 

Interested in reading more about the work of our partners? Read more about Partners of the Week.