Maniqueen Empowerment is rekindling potentials of boys and girls.
Maniqueen Empowerment is currently training hundreds in multiple areas. “Two weeks ago, we empowered close to 600 teenagers in an All Girls Conference which lasted three hours. The focus was on girls because of their vulnerability and continuous reports on abuse in matters of reproductive health. We intend to empower and follow- up 50, 000 of them within five years using our online and on-site space”
On maniqueen Empowerment, we run a live talk show every month where resource persons and well-wishers are invited to help fund economic projects of young people. What we expect from young people at this juncture is to carefully defend their well written projects in the present of juries and if eligible, they’re granted small funds to start up a business. This business will be followed up and monitored from time to time by Mani Queen Empowerment team to ensure consistency and productivity.
In all of our programs, we believe that education is key to every fruitful venture. This could be done formally, non- formally and informally. My team and I have in the past two years use CBC radio( confessional) and CRTV( national radio) to educate, inform and sensitize Parents and Youths on issues pertaining to their livelihood and welfare.
Education gives knowledge as we cannot expect people to thrive without proper knowledge. Knowledge builds capacities and Competences and for education to be effective, all stakeholders must be get on board. A Holistic approach is necessary for sustainability and productivity.
Young people will become what they aspire once this knowledge is properly dished out and at the right time. Their dreams would no longer be an illusion but a reality; Maniqueen Empowerment CEO told Cameroon Infotrend.
Through online and onsite Platforms, Maniqueen builds youth capacity in Kitchen Gardening and Small Scale Farming, Computer and Digital Skills, training on Counseling Skills and Techniques, training of institutions and individuals on Psycho-Social Support activities and training on Conflict-Risk Reduction Strategies.
Maniqueen also provides counseling and guidance services in the areas of teenage sexuality and deviance, Increase School and work place Performances, School Related Gender Based Violence, cultural heritage and identity, individual and family therapy, career guidance counselling/orientation and
psychometric analysis.
Apart from regular online and onsite training, Maniqueen Empowerment does monthly live talk shows/caravans and public speaking workshops from time to time.
Shiwoh Queentar is the Chief Executive Officer of the not for profit organization known as “Maniqueen Empowerment”.
She is a certified and professional Guidance Counselor, an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, a Researcher and speaker. The CIG with headquarters in Bamenda is orientating and rehabilitating the most vulnerable in the community.
Queentar is turning youths to icons. She helps young people acquire life skills, set meaningful goals, and realise their dreams. She educates them to radically troubleshoot in order to edify the society. This too is yielding fruits with evidential testimonials.
Maniqueen’s vision is to construct a
productive, responsive and safe society with young people at the centre of development. There is high level of perversity including sexual immorality, illicit drug consumption, laziness, idleness, fraud, internet scam, violence in all forms, irresponsibility and dependency amongst her target population.
In a chat with Shiwoh Queentar( Mani Queen) on the reason for taking up a program to empower youths, she said “We have a lot of young people becoming lazy with no zeal to labour. They want to get rich quick. They’re not in competition with themselves but with others. When we educate we empower, we rekindle we rejuvenate; motivation and inspiration is instilled when we educate. When we educate, we impact knowledge that will be applied. Ignorance has sent countless souls into their early graves for lack of knowledge. Many young people have fallen into the ditch as a result of ignorance. How can the blind lead the blind? Young people are on a journey of no where. We cannot expect people to thrive, to be responsible, creative and innovative without knowledge. Knowledge acquisition and application is everything. We’re interested in helping youths to ‘DO’and not ‘BECOME’. And when I keep taking about knowledge and education, it involves all stakeholders in the lives of children. All stakeholders in the lives of our young people, in the lives of young girls. It is not just about parents and teachers. We need the global community to passionately champion the course of our children in order to preserve the generation that is loading. What does the school curriculum address?
Do they address the physiological needs of the children they teach?What is their VISION for these children? Mani Queen reiterates that, the only way in which we can effectively empower young people is to equip them with knowledge through conferences, workshops, seminars, exchange programs and continuous media education.
Maniqueen encourages contemporary youths to get skills which are in high demand especially looking at the digital world. Examples of such skills are: Data Analysis, Content Creation, Videography, STEM, Editing, Sales, Cloud Computing, Coding, Block Chain, Creativity, Sound Engineering, Collaboration( teamwork), Mind and Time Management, Persuasion, Animation, Digital journalism, Webography, Graphic designs, Artificial intelligence, Robotics, Report Writing, project proposals, Speaking, Social Influencing, Translation and Interpretation, Leadership Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Creative writing, Home Economics, Fashion design and engineering of all kinds”.
Maniqueen holds that “the young people’s ministry is the most neglected and the least funded in this part of the world. Preferences are given to infrastructural development and military mites at the detriment of our young people who if well empowered and equipped will turn out to be great resources to be used. We mortgage and sacrifice the future whenever we fail to pay attention to children. Reason they have become sexualized and actively engaged in all societal vices. Parents are more negligent about the well being of their children. They really don’t care. There is no follow up. We really don’t know our children.
We have to know their strength. We need to be able to make a SWOT analysis inorder to know their strength and weaknesses and be the parents that we ought to be. When we have done these analysis we can capitalise on their strength by building their capacities more. We continuously encourage, inspire and motivate them to be best versions of themselves. Parents expect a lot from these young people but hardly give them enough. We hardly give our children attention. They need our time, they need our trust. We can always give them our confidence and a shoulder to lean on. They need us more than they need everything in the world. Are we available? Sometimes when they misbehave its not because they are bad or promiscuous. It may simply mean that, we are not present. Children learn more from what they see us do and not from what we tell them. We sometimes neglect their needs and continue to pursue our dreams and careers. We forget that they too have positive dreams that needs to be nurtured by us. Out of twenty four hours in a day, how many hours do we dedicate as parents to our children? We need to be able to address or handle their needs. Yes! Their needs must be taken care of as a matter of urgency and priority. We cannot mistake “needs” for “wants”. When we fail to meet their needs, ‘ well-wishers” will do. Guess what? The outcome most often is catastrophic. Our young people cannot effectively function without these needs. It’s not just about paying school fees and buying books. It goes far beyond that. We need to address their social needs( relational needs), spiritual needs, emotional needs, psychological needs and economic needs. It all matters! All of the above should be well catered for if we want to have balanced and responsible Children or young people.
Maniqueen Empowerment seeks to reorientate young people with regards to the times.
Concerning the youths of today, Queentar notes that “They are like sheep without shepherd. Their consciences are dead. They want to live comfortable lives without labour. They don’t believe in hard work, neither do they see hard work as a value. They’re not preoccupied with work and that’s the reason you see them in the early hours of the morning in beer palours sharing testimonies or strategizing on how to target the next victim. How did we get here? Food for thought! Work is not a value to the young people of this generation. The girls are up to no good, likewise their male counterparts. This genders are never willing to do anything positive or fruitful. As a matter of fact, A GENERATION IS AT RISK!
My advice to young people and singles with regards to sexuality is that young people should delay gratification for success. We are there to help them suppress their ego and embrace their super ego. They should be able to exercise self control and discipline in oder to focus on developing their capacities. There’s no pleasure derived from engaging in premarital or teenage sex. It damages beyond measures.
Talking about her motivation, Queentar says
“Personally, What gives me pleasure is when I’m living a purpose driven life. When I’m doing what I was created for. And that is exactly what I’m doing, with or without money. I move on and on with or without appreciation. I am on a journey of no looking back. I look only forward” and it gives me great Joy and pleasure. I mentor young girls in the medical schools and other fields who are well focused and determined to make strides. There’s HOPE!”
Queentar further warns youths not to run into sexual relationships without the ability to manage or sustain such relationship. Managing relationships is one of the most difficult things in life.
“Children are becoming sex toys and mothers. Children/ youths are becoming too wayward with little or no virtues. Children are giving birth to children. How sad! Some have become sex toys and baby making factories. Its really unfortunate. They should delay gratification and do the needful. Those moments will always be there, but as a teenager, it’s not worth it. Delay all what you call “pleasure”. There’s actually no pleasure in them.
Secondly they should strive at writing their names positively in the history records and not be a liability to their community. Let their names be worthy of mention even when they’re out of this world. They should be an asset. No one is comfortable when their name is part of a bad list. How do you feel when your name is not part of a good list? You feel terrible, demoralized and rejected” she exclaimed.
Maniqueen Empowerment maintains that there is need for a multi sectoral approach or a holistic approach to be able to address and effectively empower young people socio economically and psycho emotionally.
Youths need guidance and economic empowerment to adequately prove that they are the future leaders of tomorrow, they need to be inspired and integrated in daily life activities.
Maniqueen is open for Counselling and offers expertise through the phone number +237673432933, 677787066 www.maniqueen.org
Info@maniqueen.org
maniqueen1234@mildredwung19
PHOTO: Youths empowered by Maniqueen
PHOTO: Shiwoh Queentar and collaborators
By Mildred Ndum Wung Kum
Howdy
Millions of people are educated, informed and liberated through news.
We rely solely on goodwill donation.
Support Cameroon Infotrend to go wider. Your minimum contribution matters a lot.
Tell: +237651041509