At 27, Hadidjatou Matakon has transformed the uncertainty of life in the Far North of Cameroon into a story of resilience, innovation, and community impact. Raised amid the insecurity of Boko Haram insurgencies and forced to leave school because her family lacked the means to pay fees, Hadidjatou faced the same limited options that confront many young people in the region: precarious informal work or unemployment. She chose a different path.
A new opportunity
In 2024 Hadidjatou joined the Empowering Youth in Cameroon Project (also called the Education and Economic Empowerment Project, EEEP), implemented by Global Health System Solution (GHSS) with support from the Mastercard Foundation. Through a combination of financial seed support and mentorship, she seized an unconventional business idea for her area: rabbit farming.
From a small start to a growing enterprise
Starting with only a few animals and relying on online tutorials and self-directed learning, Hadidjatou steadily expanded her stock. Today her farm counts more than 30 adult rabbits and over 100 young ones. She supplies rabbit meat to restaurants in Mokolo and Maroua, creating a stable market link between rural producers and urban buyers. Income from the farm enabled her to diversify into trading women’s loincloths and accessories, widening her revenue streams and strengthening household resilience.
Economic and social ripple effects
Hadidjatou’s success has become a local multiplier. She employs two young women who both assist with rabbit husbandry and learn textile distribution skills, transferring knowledge while generating income. She sources cloth for local tailors and distributes it through her network, supporting micro-enterprises in her community. Importantly, with her earnings, she has returned to school and now pays her own tuition and that of her junior sister, changing not only her own prospects but those of her family.
Smart risk management and future plans
Understanding the security risks in her region, Hadidjatou is building resilience into her business model. She plans to decentralise stock across multiple secure locations (trusted family compounds and community sites) to reduce the risk of
single-event loss. Her longer-term vision includes scaling production into multiple safe sites and hosting community forums to teach youth the economics and techniques of rabbit rearing, encouraging replication of her model.
A model of digital empowerment
Hadidjatou credits much of her technical learning to internet resources and self- directed study, and she urges other young people to use digital tools to access practical knowledge. Her story highlights how modest capital, targeted mentorship, and digital connectivity can combine to unlock nontraditional livelihoods in fragile settings.
Why this matters
Hadidjatou’s journey shows how youth-focused economic empowerment programs can produce measurable individual and community outcomes: sustainable income, job creation, skills transfer, school re-enrollment, and supply-chain linkages between rural producers and urban markets. Through GHSS and EEEP support, she is not only building a business; she is cultivating hope and demonstrating a scalable path for youth in conflict-affected regions.
