#MEET Community Action for Poverty Alleviation (CAPA)

#MEET Community Action for Poverty Alleviation (CAPA)

This is a short interview we conducted with Achanyi Andre the creator of Community Action for Poverty Alleviation (CAPA). If you like this project and would like to vote for it, click here.

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1. Please, tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from and what is your background?

I am called Achanyi Acharngwi Andre from the South West Region of Cameroon.I have a Degree in Computer Engineering and Diploma in Project Writing. Life to me has been a great school. Born to a neither wealthy nor poor family as well my self and my 5 siblings move from Buea which is a major city in Cameroon to a remote village as my Dad was sent to serve as a Social Worker. I must say that it radically shaped my thinking and the way I looked at Life. The Community was predominantly a farming community but I would say they lived on basically less than $2 a day. When I got to the University there was never a day I stopped thinking about them as we lived there for 8 years. This prompted me under the banner of a Community Driven Association to write a project to set up small school libraries in over 12 primary schools in these Community. My ever first project was premature but these local book publishers were able to offer me over 3000 copies of Math, English, French, Literature and General knowledge books and with these, we successfully set up those libraries.I would say my development as a person up to this point has been driven by many factors which I can't point out but I would say the communities in Cameroon has an integral role to place in its development and emergence and us, its members are the starting point.Currently, I join an NGO which is carrying a massive HIV/AIDS sensitization campaign this month of August and I was sent to a locally which all basic social amenities from light, water, roads, hospitals, network and internet connection.My 3 weeks in this Community has further given me the drive not to give up with my aspirations in CAPA.

2. Can you describe your idea or project in two sentences?

CAPA seeks to find innovative solutions to the systemic challenges that stand in the way of smallholder farmers adopting soil health technologies and promoting effective solutions to poverty problems.

3. How did you get your idea or concept?

From life experiences, CAPA was born.After doing I thought of developing some for of application to enable farmers better manage the farm but after carrying out a survey, there I realized over 85% of the farming community in Cameroon could barely afford their farm inputs and about 90% of the 85% were not literate.Then with the help of friends we who studied agriculture and ago-economics we saw the gaps in the agricultural value and they where saying the government and other stake holders are not doing enough and I told them we can't rely on the government to do it all that we should contribute our quota and they were like it is expensive what we can we do and I said we don't need to rebuild the wheel but to make it work better and efficiently. So we looked at the efforts of every stakeholder in the agricultural value chain and identified what they are not doing right and these led to our four stage model implementation strategy.The truth is our idea is not new as various fractions of it have been tested and proved effective.This is the birth of CAPA.

4. What is unique about your idea/project and how does it benefit mankind?

CAPA is unique in its approach as it would introduce farmer to soil health technologies, access to financing to buy needed inputs (especially improved seed and fertilizer), access to remunerative markets, access to good extension advisory services, and more effective farmer organizations to capitalize on economies of scale and thus reduce the high transaction costs that come with separate individual actions. Introducing them to the use of ICT’s would farmers to access information on the market prices, market patterns as well as weather
patterns to enable them to make informed decisions and with E-agriculture this gives farmers the opportunity to trade in the foreign market and make an income, therefore, act as an incentive.I would say this is the baseline and starting point to alleviating poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, where agriculture accounts for 64% of the labor force and in rural areas, where 75% of people living on $1 a day work in agriculture.

5. Describe yourself as an entrepreneur in one sentence

I don't give up and give my self in totality to my course.

6. How do you deal with people that doubt your abilities/initiatives?

If there is one thing I know in life is the fact that those who doubt my abilities give me the courage to work harder and not to give up.They give me a reason to do better and correct my errors and in this, I am able to make them see my output in its glowing form and the truth is they made me grow by doubting me and by giving my self to them with love they always realize they form an integral part of my success. This I evident when I proposed the book project and many of my mates were doubtful and after it was a success they realized there is nothing you can not do if you are willing.

7. Where does your passion lie?

My Community(Making their lives better).

 8. What are you afraid of or what keeps you up at night?

I am afraid of the rise in poverty as prices of basic commodities are rising rapidly while basic income is droping drastically.

9. According to you, money is a synonym for.....

Better Living Conditions

10. If you could rid the world of three things, what would they be?

1. Poverty
2. Hate
3. Extremism

11. What are the benefits you take from the Entrepreneurship Campus?

The Campus exposes me to great people, Ideas and concepts that can radically change the world and make greener, safer, and a better place to live in.
The interaction in the Campus to make me feel that on voice in helping solve penitent issues and it is a blessing having it here.I just got into the network and I got so many encouraging comments and I must say it has given me the strength to move forward.

12. What do you like more about the Entrepreneurship Campus?

The interaction

13. Which idea/project do you like most?

ZERO HUNGER IS POSSIBLE FOCUSING FROM LOCAL COMMUNITY LEVEL as it practically a piece in my idea.

Photo via pixabay.com

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NOTICE: If you want to see more submitted ideas and projects at the Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition, visit BEST IDEAS and BEST PROJECTS and VOTE for the ones you think deserve to WIN the Competition!