INTERNAL REGULATION
Title 1: General Provisions
The association HEAD/SADEV is based on:
Promoting the well-being of all and health in particular through information, education, awareness campaigns, and mass communication, especially targeting the most vulnerable populations such as women, children, and the elderly;
Developing income-generating economic activities at grassroots level;
Promoting healthy lifestyles, hygiene, and public sanitation in households in both rural and urban areas;
Improving financial, geographic, and socio-cultural accessibility to curative, preventive, and promotional healthcare;
Initiating and conducting research projects;
Initiating and conducting training projects;
Planning, executing, monitoring, evaluating, and supervising community health projects;
Assessing and transforming health systems with a view to improving access to care;
Making its expertise available to projects and programs in the aforementioned fields.
Title 2: Rights and Obligations
Article 1: Membership in the association HEAD/SADEV is voluntary. It is set as follows:
Registration fee: 2,000 FCFA
Renewal fee: 1,000 FCFA (paid at the beginning of each fiscal year; this amount is non-refundable)
Article 2: The resources of the association mainly come from membership fees, contributions from its members, donations, legacies of any kind permitted by law. The rate and frequency of membership fees and contributions are fixed as follows:
Registration fee: 2,000 FCFA
Contribution: 3,000 FCFA/month Donations, legacies, and offerings are recorded in a register kept by the treasurer of the association.
Article 3: a) For security purposes, the funds of the association HEAD/SADEV must be held in a bank account under its name. Any disbursement must be signed by three signatories: a designated member of the Founding Committee, an auditor, and the President. b) After each meeting, collected funds must be deposited into the bank within the same week. c) The receipt book for deposits signed during meetings remains at the General Secretariat, while the account book containing all transactions remains with the Treasurer. A copy of the documents mentioned above must be submitted to the Founding Committee.
Title 3: Functioning of the Organs
Chapter 1: The General Assembly
Article 4: The General Assembly (AG) is the supreme organ of the association alongside the Founding Committee.
Article 5: Its decisions are sovereign and are taken by simple majority of votes cast, subject to a veto supported by the Founding Committee.
Article 6: A quorum for the AG is achieved when two-thirds (2/3) of its members or their representatives are present, including at least two (2) founding members.
Article 7: In case of a tie vote, the vote of the President and each founding member counts double.
Article 8: Meetings are held once per quarter in ordinary session and whenever necessary in extraordinary session.
Article 9: It is composed of founding members and all members of the association. It is responsible for:
Defining and ensuring the achievement of the association’s objectives.
Exercising oversight over the acts of the Executive Bureau.
Admitting new members.
Defining the rights and duties of members.
Settling disputes and determining the rights of excluded or resigned members.
Drafting an internal regulation.
Article 10: The General Assembly is convened by a founding member, the Founding Committee, and the Executive Bureau.
Chapter 2: The Executive Bureau
Article 11: The Executive Bureau is elected by the General Assembly after review of candidacies and a favorable opinion from the Founding Committee. Members of the Bureau are elected among members of the General Assembly who have been in the association for at least two (02) years, by individual ballot, by absolute majority in one round if there are at most two candidates, and in two rounds if there are more than two candidates. For a term of two (02) years, renewable.
Article 12: It meets as regularly as possible. It is composed of:
A President (PR)
A Vice President
A Treasurer
A General Secretary (SG)
An Assistant General Secretary
Two Auditors (CC)
Special Advisors
Article 13: This Bureau is responsible for:
Implementing resolutions passed by the General Assembly.
Keeping records and registers of members.
Preparing and submitting to the General Assembly the annual activity report.
Preparing and submitting to the General Assembly future perspectives.
Preparing and submitting to the General Assembly the plan of action for the following year.
Article 14: Responsibilities of Individual Members of the Executive Bureau
The President
He represents the association with the founding members in all civil acts. He is responsible for overseeing the action plan, resource management, budget execution with the Executive Bureau, and thus serves as the chief disbursing officer of funds, movement of material resources, and missions of the association, subject to approval by the Founding Committee. He chairs sessions of the General Assembly and the Executive Bureau. He co-signs official documents of the association with founding members. He may delegate all or part of his powers to the General Secretary or any other member of the Bureau.
The Vice President
He is the general coordinator of the Technical Bureau and the statutory replacement of the President in case of death, resignation, or inability to perform duties.
The General Secretary
He is responsible for drafting the association's correspondence and archiving all documentation. He prepares the action plan and activity reports. He organizes meetings of the General Assembly, Executive Bureau, and Technical Bureau, and is responsible for maintaining attendance lists and minutes of meetings.
The Auditor
He prepares the association’s budget and ensures its implementation and necessary adjustments. He prepares financial reports. He is responsible for managing the association’s material resources. He co-signs financial disbursements and deposits copies with the Founding Committee. He verifies the actuality and accuracy of expenses and keeps supporting documents.
The Treasurer
He is the main cashier of the association. He issues receipts for incoming funds and clears outgoing funds after verifying the conformity of the disbursement order, and deposits copies with the Founding Committee.
Chapter 3: The Technical Bureau
Article 15: Under the direct control and supervision of the Founding Committee, the Technical Bureau is responsible for coordinating, studying feasibility, implementing, monitoring and evaluating all health projects and programs to be carried out by the association.
Article 16: The Technical Bureau is composed of:
A General Coordinator, who is the Vice President of the association;
An Assistant General Coordinator;
Coordinators of various projects.
The General Coordinator and his assistant, after examination of applications and favorable opinion of the Founding Committee, are voted into position by the General Assembly by simple majority of votes.
Project coordinators are selected after study, examination of applications and favorable opinion of the Founding Committee.
Article 17: Responsibilities of Members of the Technical Bureau
Under the direct control and supervision of the Founding Committee, the General Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and evaluating all health projects of the association, supervising project coordinators, and reporting to the Founding Committee. The Assistant General Coordinator assists and replaces the General Coordinator in his absence.
Project coordinators are responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and direct supervision of projects under their responsibility.
Each project is composed of a coordinator and project delegates.
Chapter 4: The Council of Elders
Article 18: The Council of Elders is the organ that brings together all advisors, resource persons, and sponsors of the association. As the name suggests, it is purely advisory; it advises, guides, and supports the association in its choices, projects, and decisions. Under no circumstances can it replace the Executive Bureau, founding members, make decisions, or represent the association in civil life.
Membership in this council is acquired by nomination or co-optation by the Founding Committee. They may, however, be proposed.
Chapter 5: The Founding Committee
Article 19: The Founding Committee is the supreme organ of the association. It is composed of the founding members of the association.
Article 20: Its members are the principal contributors to the capital of the association.
Article 21: The Founding Committee represents the association in all civil acts. It defines directions, objectives, ambitions, and other non-health projects of the association.
As such, it oversees the action plan, resource management, budget execution, movements of material resources, and missions of the association. It supervises the Executive and Technical Bureaus. It co-signs official documents of the association. The quality of its members is hereditary and automatically transmitted to their heirs.
Article 22: In the event of unavailability or impossibility to convene a General Assembly, the Founding Committee is the sole body competent to validate decisions and pronounce interim admissions or nominations.
It gives favorable opinions before any important decisions emanating from all organs of the association as provided for in this Statute and beyond as required by urgency.
Article 23: During the General Assembly, it holds a right of veto during sovereign and important decisions that may harm or modify the objectives of the association.
At least two founding members complete and validate the quorum of the General Assembly (two-thirds of its members or their representatives). In case of a tie, like the President's voice, each founding member's voice counts double.
A founding member or the entire Founding Committee may convene the General Assembly.
The Founding Committee also has competence to:
Define and ensure the achievement of the association’s objectives.
Appoint special advisors in the Executive Bureau.
Exercise control and direct supervision over the acts of all organs of the association.
The Founding Committee is authorized to take credits, loans, and investments on behalf of the association but must inform the Executive Bureau.
Decisions of the Founding Committee are valid only when taken unanimously by its members; they must therefore harmonize their viewpoints.
Title 4: Elections
Article 24: On election day, the General Assembly elects a voting bureau composed of a rapporteur and two scrutineers.
Article 25: Each candidate freely submits his candidacy. Each member has only one vote.
Article 26: All candidacies must be submitted to the Founding Committee at least 03 months before election day and validated by said committee.
Article 27: Voting is single-name, secret, majoritarian in one round if there are at most two candidates and in two rounds if there are at least three candidates.
Article 28: If for a given position no candidacy is registered, the Executive Bureau or the Founding Committee proposes a candidate for this position.
Title 5: Sanctions and Final Provisions
Article 29: Members of the association who fail to fulfill their duties are subject to the following sanctions:
Warnings: maximum of three
Fines: from 50 FCFA to 900,000 FCFA
Reprimands: up to two, with or without fine
Suspensions: ranging from 01 hour to 01 year
Expulsions: over one year to permanent
Legal proceedings
Article 30: Sanctions according to the fault committed
Delays: Every delay is penalized by a fine of 100 FCFA every 30 minutes.
Absence:
Any unjustified absence from a meeting is penalized by a fine of 1,000 FCFA.
Any unjustified absence from an association event or an event where the association participates is penalized by a fine of 1,000 FCFA.
Repeated absences (03 consecutive times) are penalized by a fine of 2,000 FCFA.
Chattering: 50 FCFA for each offense (paid immediately).
Disruptions: 500 FCFA.
Disruption involving lack of courtesy, politeness, and respect: 1,000 FCFA.
Insults, insubordination, fights, and negligence...
Article 31: A disciplinary committee is created within the association, responsible for deciding on sanctions to be applied for serious offenses according to the scale in Article 29. It consists of:
One member of the Founding Committee
One member of the Executive Bureau
Three members of the General Assembly
One representative of the accused chosen by him/herself from the General Assembly These members are chosen randomly during meetings under the supervision of the session chairperson.
Article 32: A register is opened to collect suggestions for potential amendments. This internal regulation can only be modified upon proposal by the Founding Committee and quorum of the General Assembly.
Done in Yaoundé on December 29, 2012
FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, and P.O. THE PRESIDENT
