Creation:
Dynamic Action Group was formed on January 12, 2006 to address the ever increasing problem of poverty; its causes and effects on the underprivileged.
Reasons of Creation:
Unemployment has been on the rise in Cameroon since the early nineties with the emergence of the economic crisis and resultant evaluation of the FCFA Francs. These have had devastating effects on the citizens basically in the forms of reduced disposable incomes with varied manifestations as falling living standards, corruption, high crime waves, school drop out and what have you. These effects hit hardest on women and children who can hardly escape the outcome making them vulnerable, hence the target population of DAG.
Women are the majority gender accounting for over 51% of total Cameroon population but they are relegated arising from traditional customs and practices.
With limited finance at their disposal; their subordinate positions in homes, work places and society; limited water supply facilities in rural areas and given their roles as main breadwinners ( in single mother homes) and support positions ( in marriage) they are forced by all means to improvise in order to provide basic needs to the family. This efforts are hampered by lack of required resources thus leading to malnutrition, poverty, lack of education, death, ill health, increased crime wave and underdevelopment all reflected in issues DAG seeks to address as specified in its Aims. All, in line with the UN’s millennium development goals. Dynamic Action Group therefore sets in to penetrate into rural and urban communities which government or other Civil society Organisations have dared not to explore so far or are yet to be enslaved; as well as providing financial and moral assistance to all those in need-the underprivileged irrespective of their location or status in the broades sense.
It is disheartening to note that the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) further re-iterated by UNIFEM, UNESCO, UNID, etc in relation to our most target groups of women, youth and children yielded insignificant results by late 2005 in Cameroon. Given this sour situating, the Breton woods Institutions was already short listing Cameroon in its highly indebted poor country initiative scheme in line with thje observations of DAG. The elevated poverty level therefore of majority Cameroonians was no news. They dwindle in abject poverty. Most local schools of thought held that it was because women were paid little attention as they who constituted the breadbasket of Cameroonians economy through agriculture were ignored in many perspectives. They were relegated when it had to do with taking decisions affecting the family and national life, lacked access to institutional finances, spent much time on household chores, were looked upon as second class citizens etc. Many schools of thought believe empowering the woman is empowering the family, community, and the nation at large and therefore shared the mission of DAG. It was therefore clear that Beijing declarations were implemented to a little extent even though such laws existed on paper. They were respected minimally by all stake holders.
Madam Takang Pamela Manyo therefore decided to form an association to propagate the Beijing declaration to all especially those that could not be easily reached. Madam Takang Pamela Manyo has a soft spot for the underprivileged as she lived the experience given the generosity and attention of many contributed to her livelihood given her childhood experience when Mama’s ill health kept her away from home for a while and many people lovingly and generously attended to her and kindred on papa’s arrangement. Pamela promised to give back this love to those in need and has always manifested a human touch in executing her professional career as Tax officer, Marketing Research Executive, Lecturer, Farmer and business woman and in her daily interaction with people she comes across in her daily activities. She has always been reminded by colleagues and friends that he missed her nursing vocation due to her caring nature. On her part she has always been haunted by the need to extend her largesse in the humanitarian domain to public level. On January 12th after listening to a radio talk on women and their plight she finally resolved to make a move to contribute to their wellbeing and to all the underprivileged. This was further cemented by a Sunday church announcement requesting those who could give up themselves for the needy to indicate. She therefore projected the idea of forming an organization to aid this vulnerable group including their children who are their direct responsibility. This idea was highly welcomed by other members. On January 12, 2006 she and the founding members named the organization as Dynamic Action Group (DAG), and subsequently decided on the activitiess required to attain such goals and the regulations binding the association.
