CWF at Fifty

Articles on political and social issues in Cameroon, Africa and the world as seen by Njei Moses Timah > CWF at Fifty

27 Nov 2011

The Christian Women Fellowship (CWF) of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon is the oldest Christian women movement in Cameroon. The movement is celebrating her 50^thanniversary (today Nov 27, 2011 under the theme ‘Setting our Feet on higher ground’). Its growth has been phenomenal esp. in the last twenty years. For example in 1992, the movement had about 553 groups comprising some 17,000 members while the number of groups today stand at 1,043 with some 50,000members. Eleven of those groups are abroad in such countries like the U.S, Britain, Germany and Belgium.

Missionaries from the Basel Mission of Switzerland (the precursor of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon) were pioneer founding members of the CWF movement. The first female missionaries from the Basel Mission to start women’s work in Cameroon were Maria Walcher and Elisabeth Buhler. The people who capitalized on the groundwork to eventually create the CWF movement include Waltraud Haus Lill, Maria Schlenker, Rose Marie Peter-Bayer amongst others.

Apart from evangelizing, the CWF is involved in many economic and social activities that can benefit her members and society at large. The exhibition of handwork is an integral program in CWF’s annual rallies where singing competition and bible quiz take place.

The Golden Jubilee was jointly celebrated in three places: Douala for all CWF members in French Speaking regions of Cameroon, Kumba for all the groups in S.West Region and Bamenda for those in N.West region.

Thanks to the example of the CWF, many other Christian women movements have sprung up in other denominations in Cameroon.

Watch video of jubilee procession at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6QwRpHG43M&list=HL1322429293&feature=mh_lolz