UN appoints Cameroonian teenager ambassador

From Michael Ndi in Bamenda

A 19-year old Cameroonian girl, Bongbenuoh Fabiola, has featured amongst the six girls appointed by the United Nations to fight for the rights of the girl child. Of the six appointees selected across the world, only two came from Africa -  Bongbenuoh Fabiola who hails from Bamesing village in Ngoketunjia division, North West region, Cameroon and another Kenyan girl.

Bongbenuoh Fabiola, 19, Cameroonian

Bongbenuoh Fabiola rose to the limelight when, as a secondary school student, she became a member of Plan-Cameroon International’s Youth Empowerment through technology, arts and media project; producing youth programmes to raise awareness around gender issues and helping girls’ access their rights.

In 2011, she participated in the 55^th UN session of the commission on the status of women and was inspired to create an association dubbed; Girls On the Front (G-Front) which aims at ensuring that girls have more opportunities to promote and defend their rights locally, nationally and internationally.

On a one-on-one with this reporter, Fabiola said the six of them appointed by the UN are expected to campaign against violence against women and empower women principally through education of the girl-child. She said their appointment came on the heels of the United Nations creating the international day of the girl-child.

Throwing light on the advantages that follow their appointments, Fabiola intimated that they will attend all United Nations summits concerning girl-child education and we have their projects on girl-child education and campaign against violence against women sponsored”. She stressed that after a Pakistan girl, Malala, was shot by the Taliban government in 2013 for campaigning for girl-child education and discouraging forceful early marriages for girls, the UN was spurred to start identifying young girl activists across the world.

Bongbenuoh Fabiola had her Advanced Level (3 papers) from CCAST Bambili this year. In October 2013, she was interviewed by CNN for close to 5 minutes on her activities in Cameroon.