UNICEF records major achievements in South-West region of Cameroon

According to research 81 percent of villages in the Southwest Region of Cameroon lack access to safe drinking water.

Considering the fact that “Water is Life”, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, UNICEF, and her partners have come to the rescue of some localities in Fako Division, Southwest Region of Cameroon.

The people of Livanda, a community in Limbe headquarters of Fako Division are in total joy and celebration following the rehabilitation of 2 taps by UNICEF and it implementing partner on the ground ECHO.

Locals told us that they used to cut their sleep at about 2am daily covering a long distance in other to get the precious liquid but UNICEF changed their story for good.

The information was made public recently during a field visit to the SWR by UNICEF delegation accompanied by some elected officials of the South West region to evaluate the progress of some of their projects in Buea and Limbe.

According to the UNICEF Communication Specialist, Laure Atangana, the children beneficiaries, IDP’s and hosting communities are happy with the various projects executed in partnership with the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Union Commission, ECHO.

She told the press that UNICEF is partnering with other organizations at national, local and international levels to ensure that they can do more in the lives of children and their mothers in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon.

All these activities going by the UNICEF official is part of what the organization is doing to address the issues link to the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions for Children.

One of the local NGO’s at the forefront of restoring hope amongst teenage mothers in Buea and other parts of the crisis stricken North West and Southwest Regions is TeenAlive Association.

During the visit the Executive Director of the local NGO, Dr. Doreen Binain Mbain , noted that her organization in partnership with UNICEF has train 63 teenage mothers on positive parenting and sensitize community members on Gender Based Violence reaching out to 2459 people.

In her words “We provided 889 pupils, students and Teachers with comprehensive sexual education as well as providing case management where we empowered some teenage mothers on petit business and gave them start up”.

On behalf of the Teenage Mothers Club, one of their members known as Beltine saluted the initiative noting that the organization has help them integrate the society by restoring in them as teenage mothers.

Hear her “It has been of great help since the arrival of the Teenage Mothers Club. We were treated badly at home, felt like outcasts in our community but due to some topics taught like sexual reproduction, menstrual hygiene, breast feeding, we were encouraged.

We were able to socialize and mingle with people in our society and never felt abandoned again. They also trained us in the production of groundnut sweet, beads designs and bleaching agents which help in generating income for us teenage mothers and our hopes have been restored”.

The Vice Speaker of Cameroon’s National Assembly, Honourable Mary Meboka, that was part of the delegation, was satisfied.

The MP, was pleased that the major plights of the vulnerable population, teenage mothers, youths and children were been attended to by UNICEF.

“The idea in itself is a very important because after a crisis like this people are hard-hit in various ways and if you have people who are willing to support the population to overcome the challenges that the crisis has left them with, you just welcome them”.

The Vice Speaker went ahead to applaud UNICEF’s for providing portable water to some communities while calling on them to extend their activities to other communities.

On his part Senator Leonel Fonderson, called on local Non-governmental organization, NGO’s to work hard and meet the criteria in other to benefit more projects for the people.

He said “We have to encourage our people especially those who have local NGO’s around to be able to wake up their structures, so that they can meet up with the requirements and recommendations of such International Organization. There are lots of opportunities which our region is not taking full advantage of. We should be ready to take advantage of the programs they have and make sure we participate fully”

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.

UNICEF is among the most widespread and recognizable social welfare organizations in the world, with a presence in 192 countries and territories.