CAREF was created to address the issue of the increasing poverty of women in Cameroon, and their insufficient participation in the decision-making process. In December 2003 the ACBF Executive Board approved a grant of US$1,526,150 to CAREF.
The main goal of the Projet de Renforcement des Capacités des Réseaux des Femmes pour Lutter contre la Pauvreté en République du Cameroun (CAREF) project was to professionalize the voice of women’s organizations in Cameroon so as to enable them to interface with the public sector in the process of formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of poverty reduction policies, strategies, programs and projects.