Tokpoli

Improving the citizenship of indigenous children in the forests of Cameroon through the establishment of birth certificates.

TOKPOLI: Improving the citizenship of indigenous children in the forests of Cameroon through the establishment of birth certificates.

"Tokopoli" is an adverb of old, which in Baka means "... something which is long term...", as if to say that the process of establishing birth certificates for Baka children and young people should not stop.

The overall objective of the Tokpoli project is to improve access to citizenship for indigenous children under 15 years of age. This action aims to achieve convincing results that will cover approximately 3,000 indigenous Baka children in the departments of Haut-Nyong (Dimako, Abong-Mbang, Mindourou, Lomlié, Messok and Ngoyla) and Boumba and Ngoko (Yokadouma), through information and awareness-raising, simplified processes and mechanisms for systematic birth registration, by directly addressing the constraints raised by the communities themselves.

The specific objectives of this action are to:

Set up practical mechanisms for declaring births within the communities through awareness raising on the importance of official documents and training of community relays and traditional birth attendants during community meetings, broadcasting in the Baka language on the local radio, etc. ;
Support indigenous communities in the direct establishment of birth certificates (for children of pre-school, school and post-school age); and
Systematise official relations between indigenous community relays and the sectors in charge of citizenship issues in Cameroon.

The Tokpoli project has received funding from the European Union (EU) through the Programme d'Appui à la Citoyenneté Active (PROCIVIS) for the period from December 2019 to June 2021