Our humanitarian aid in Cameroon
Described as "Africa in miniature", Cameroon in west-central Africa combines many features of the continent's geological, climatic and cultural diversity. However, Cameroon has been plagued by three major humanitarian crises for several years - with devastating consequences for the population: The Lake Chad crisis is causing major security problems in the north of the country due to the armed conflict between non-state groups and the Nigerian government. Conflicts in the Central African Republic, Niger and Chad have also resulted in an influx of displaced people. The conflict in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon is considered a forgotten crisis. A separatist civil war has been raging here since 2016. As a former French and British colony, there are still tensions between the francophone majority and the English-speaking minority, which regularly erupt in violent unrest in the Anglophone regions. Well over half a million people have been displaced within the country as a result. Women, children and people with disabilities are among the most vulnerable and are particularly at risk of violence, abuse and disease. The crisis is exacerbated by a cholera outbreak that has been spreading in the southwest of the country since the beginning of 2022, as well as the threat of food shortages nationwide due to the war in Ukraine.
Your support helps to create a better future for the people in Cameroon!
With your donation, we advocate for traumatised children and improve the WASH situation
Due to the tense security situation in the Anglophone region, the access for international humanitarian aid organisations is limited. Since November 2021, we have been working closely with our local partner Caritas Bamenda to support the affected people of this forgotten crisis. Due to the number of internally displaced people in the urban areas of Bamenda, the host communities are increasingly overburdened. Due to the increased demand, the supply of clean drinking water is also a serious problem. The local infrastructure alone cannot cope with this issue. With our partner, we are building wells and thus enabling more people to have access to clean water. Particularly in schools, we improve sanitation and hygiene by building toilets, providing hand-washing stations and educating classes about good hygiene. In addition, we support Caritas Bamenda in the construction and operation of so-called child-friendly spaces around Bamenda. Here, children and young people who have been traumatised by the conflict or forced to flee their homes can find a safe place. They receive psychosocial support, can take advantage of child-friendly, playful learning opportunities and thus experience a strengthening of their well-being and stability.
- Improving drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services for refugees and host communities.
- Improving the psychosocial well-being and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable and conflict-affected children and adolescents
With the following measures we are supporting people in need affected by the Anglophone humanitarian crisis:
- Construction of solar-powered boreholes in communities and at schools and distribution of water test kits.
- Construction of child-friendly and gender-segregated sanitation and hand-washing facilities at schools
- Distribution of hygiene kits including menstrual products for girls and women
- Training on hygiene and sanitation in communities and schools
- Distribution of equipment for sustainable waste management
- Construction and operation of shelter and play areas (child-friendly space) for children and adolescents
- Community-based psychosocial support for children and adolescents affected by violence
Funding: German Federal Foreign Office, Sixt Foundation
Become a sponsoring partner and provide longlasting aid for people in need
As a sponsoring partner, your regular donation gives real, life-changing help to people in need in our project regions. Your commitment helps us plan ahead and bring about long-lasting impact.
- We put your generous donation to use, bringing help to those who need it most.
- Our monthly newsletter will keep you regularly updated on our work.
- You can easily amend or stop your payment at any time.
Project information
Project region: Northwest Cameroon (Anglophone region)
Partner: Caritas Bamenda
István Tóth
