Help for particularly vulnerable people in Cameroon

Background information

Many children and young people in Cameroon lack the care and attention they need. One reason for this is the violent political conflict in the Anglophone regions, which claims many lives; other reasons are diseases such as HIV. The project offers orphans and children who are unable to live with their families due to a disability protection and prospects for the future. The number of vulnerable people has increased as a result of the Anglophone crisis. Widows are also included in the project. At the Emmanuel Sisters, people live in centers that offer social and psychological support as well as training and medical care. The women of AIChrisWoV are committed to helping people in the Bamenda area who are affected by HIV and for widows and unaccompanied young people who have lost family members due to HIV. Orphans are cared for in family structures in two orphanages of the former Stucki Foundation, which were taken over by Mission 21. Around 1.2 million orphans live in Cameroon. The basic idea behind the project work is that no one should be left behind by society. The project activities enable particularly vulnerable people to integrate socially and help them to shape their lives.

Project goals

• Vulnerable people are given access to training and income-generating measures and thus achieve financial independence.
• Provide basic services to vulnerable individuals.
• Access to rights information for vulnerable people.
• Further training/capacity development for project managers.

Target group

Vulnerable groups of people such as widows and orphans, people with disabilities or with chronic diseases such as HIV.

Activities

• Almost 50 orphans and unaccompanied young people live in a family environment in the orphanages of the former Stucki Foundation in Kumba and the surrounding area. There they can complete schooling and vocational training.
• The women of AIChrisWoV in Bamenda take care of both medical treatment and the rights of people living with HIV. Widows are supported through income-generating measures such as further training. Over 100 unassisted young people and orphans can receive an education and have access to medical care.
• The Emmanuel Sisters care for 50 people with disabilities, especially epilepsy, in Foumbot (West Region) and in the vicinity of Bamenda, who are as self-sufficient as possible thanks to targeted support measures.

Project progress

The women of Aid International - Christian Women of Vision have been working with Mission 21 since 2006 and, in addition to the regular project participants, are looking after an increasing number of internally displaced persons due to the Anglophone crisis. These are integrated into the project activities. The Protestant sisterhood Emmanuel Sisters already had a long-standing relationship with Mission 21 through the PCC (Presbyterian Church in Cameroon), from which it emerged. However, they have been an independent partner organization of Mission 21 in this project since 2019. The orphanages for unaccompanied children and young people will be continued after being taken over by the Stucki Foundation in 2019. The need for this support remains great due to the current crisis in Cameroon.