The Rise Up Women program has rewarded 10 women journalists after an intensive training, during a ceremony organized on March 21, 2026, by the Arche d'Elijah association in Yaoundé.
Emotion was in the air when the name of the top student of the class was announced. Nature Divine Ngoung, only 18 years old, burst into tears when she realized that she had finished first in this March cohort, mainly composed of journalists. After two weeks of intensive training in the field of journalism and media, she was recognized as the most successful among her nine colleagues.
In her testimony, Nature Divine Ngoung expressed her joy and emotion, emphasizing that she had invested all her energy in this training. The Arche d'Elijah Association, with the support of the Canal+ group, offered her a complete mobile journalism kit including a laptop, an iPhone, a tripod, a microphone kit and a lighting device. In addition, Gaël Epuli, web journalist and trainer, offered her a bonus of 100,000 FCFA, while Boris Landry Kouekam, publishing director of the newspaper l'Étudiant, announced her upcoming publication on the front page of his newspaper. The other nine winners also received prizes.
The training focused on the fundamentals of journalism, the economic viability of projects and personal development. Participants acquired skills in journalistic writing, narration, mobile journalism, newspaper formats, storytelling and personal branding. They also studied economic models, project structuring, business creation and management. Support focused on personal development, psychotherapy and labor law completed this training.
The main objective of the Rise Up Women program is to strengthen women's skills and help them structure their projects, thus boosting the Cameroonian media space. Eva Mballa, CEO of Season Media and sponsor of this class, stressed the importance of transmitting and encouraging young women to train and become responsible women. Gaëlle Stella Onana Oyono, president of the Arche d'Elijah association, said that the initiative aims to make these young women more competitive in the labor market and support them in carrying out their projects. The Arche d'Elijah association plans to train an additional 150 women in vulnerable situations in July 2026.
