My name is Wilfried Essomba Onguene and I grew up in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. At a certain point in my childhood, my parents experienced many problems. My father was no longer regularly at home and it became difficult for my mother to care for us. I decided to take charge and support the household by providing for food.
This is how I started to work as a child. Today, I have a degree in monitoring and evaluation. I’ve worked for several associations over the years, and I’m currently the monitoring and evaluation officer for Enda Jeunesse Action, an NGO supporting the African Movement of Working Children and Youth. My experience of transitioning from a child worker ‘victim’ to an actor who has realised many of his life goals and projects is a driving force behind the work I do now. I feel compelled to talk about children and young people in work situations, and to support them to organise themselves.
My experience as a child worker
My mother was a hairdresser and my father an accountant. I began to feel pressure to work once their troubles began, and it eventually grew so strong that I could no longer continue school. Despite the fact that I was enrolled, I had to stop. I found work at the local Essos market, and I worked the whole day in order to go home with some food, clothes and other basic necessities.
