Within the framework of the project o“Strengthening Access to WASH Facilities and Services in Child Friendly Spaces and surrounding Communities”, COMINSUD with the support of UNICEF has trained and deployed 6 Community Mobilizers in the North West and West Region.
Training in session with facilitator Munda Terence.
The project to run for four months is expected to sensitize 4,260 persons (IDPs and host community) on good hygiene and sanitation practices, including lifesaving messages on COVID-19 and cholera prevention. To this effect, Community Mobilizers will ensure that 1,200 children at Child Friendly Spaces and surrounding Communities have access to adequate sanitation facilities thanks to the construction of 6 latrines each with 4 cabinets, distribution of menstrual hygiene kits to 60 adolescent girls and 600 WASH kits to households, 3000 persons(IDPs and host community) are sensitized on good hygiene and sanitation practices including lifesaving messages on COVID-19 by December 2022. The Community Mobilizers will as well identify child protection needs and ensure proper intervention and referrals to appropriate service points.
Community Mobilizers and Facilitator Munda Terence pose for a group picture after session.
This training took place at the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Space in COMINSUD head office on Tuesday 5th April 2022, under the Coordination of Munda Terence the Supervisory of UNICEF projects at COMINSUD.
We are not only engaged in the financial well-being of the community but we see the need to create awareness and change the mentality of men and women towards Gender-based violence.
COMINSUD mobilise over 20 men and women who benefit from WFP ‘s cash assistance at its head office to impact them with knowledge on Gender-based violence. This activity is Organised to close 16 days of activism that has been going on across the globe.
To stop GBV, men’s voices will have to be heard. Zama Eric in his intervention calls on men to STOP violence on Women. Mr Fon Nsoh on his part encouraged participants to go into their communities and make a change with the knowledge they have received for a better community
The Regional Director of WFP in charge of Central and West Africa accompanied by the Country Director of WFP Cameroon and the head of Field office North West visited Bamenda the capital town of the North West Region on the 21st October 2021. As part of the visit, the regional director met some 25 beneficiaries of COVID-19 response Cash Based Transfer (CBT) project at Bayelle parish hall, Nkwen with the aim of seeing them, and listening to their stories, challenges and opinions about the project.
COMINSUD, as cooperating partner, with WFP is implementing the CBT project alongside the General Food Distribution and Nutrition. The CBT project started in August 2020 for 6 months. The project has been extended three times (in January 2021, June 2021 and October 2021) The project reaches out to 28,323 vulnerable persons (Female 18,888 and Male 9441 in four divisions including Mezam (Bamenda l, ll, lll, Santa and Tubah subdivisions), Ngoketunjia (Ndop), Bui (Kumbo) and Momo (Mbengwi) with a monthly assistance of 5000 frs per beneficiary.
The regional director interacting with COMINSUD Staff
The visit gave an opportunity for WFP visiting delegation to meet and interact with some beneficiaries of the CBT programme. During the visit, the regional director sought to have first-hand information from the beneficiaries on how the crisis in the NWR has affected them and to understand the ways in which the assistance helped them. Beneficiaries presented their stories while highlighting the impact of the support they have been receiving in their lives especially in improving their nutrition, health, economic empowerment, shelter and education. The beneficiaries were very grateful and happy for the timely humanitarian cash base assistance from the WFP and expressed their joy using songs and dance to the delegation.
The regional director interacting with CBT beneficiaries
After listening to the stories of the beneficiaries, the Regional Director was visibly elated by what the assistance has done. In pidgin language, he sympathised with the current crisis situation saying that people should remain hopeful and patient because everything that has a beginning such as the crisis surely has an end. The regional director said he will transmit the messages of appreciation to the hierarchy and share the testimonies with goodwill persons who make the donations of the assistance. He ended up by appreciating the team for the marvellous work they are doing in serving humanity in a very challenging and risky context.
During the visit, the regional director also had a separate meeting with representatives of all cooperating partners in the NWR including COMINSUD, SHUMAS, LUKMEF, INTERSOS, PLAN International and CARITAS Bamenda. The meeting was also aimed at sharing successes and challenges faced by the CPs. From one CP to the other, they presented the various projects implemented in partnership with WFP focusing on targets, successes and challenges. Most of the CPs cited insecurity as the main challenge. The regional director sought to know the opinions of the CPs on the possibility of the crisis ending anytime soon. All the CPs noted that the crisis is nowhere near ending. Instead, there seems to be a rise in violent activities and the NSAG have gained skills in the fabrication of IEDs and have also acquired more sophisticated weapons which are clear indications that the crisis will still drag on.
The regional and country director with field office
At the end of the meeting, the regional director appreciated the efforts of CPs in providing lifesaving food and cash services to vulnerable persons in very difficult security situations. He encouraged CPs to continue working in the same spirit while exercising caution as the carryout activities. The visit at Bayelle parish hall ended at about 1pm while the delegation from WFP proceeded to meet the beneficiaries of GFD.
Lopti, edited by Dr Zama and Celestine Co – staff Juliette, Linda and Sylvia
This is within the Emergency nutrition response project in Bali, Batibo and Mbengwi Health Districts in the North West Region.
To this effect, a training of 30 Community Health Workers on screening, referral and Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergency in COVID 19 context was organized at the COMINSUD head office in Bamenda on Saturday 9 October 2021
The purpose of the workshop was to empower them on screening, referral and sensitization so that they can implement the knowledge gained in their respective communities.
The project is sponsored by UNICEF and implemented by COMINSUD. The Project duration is 6 months.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has identified COMINSUD as one of the organizations it could work with in the provision of emergency food assistances to the crisis hit North West Region of Cameroon. This was the essence of a visit by Hans Vlkoler, Emergency Coordinator WFP, Cameroon office, to the COMINSUD Bamenda headquarters on Friday April 12, 2019.
Hans Vlkoler said for the short term WFP activities in the Region would focus on setting up emergency response systems with potential partners. This done, targeted food assistance shall be made available to include school feeding, supplementary food and livelihood assistance. He disclosed that a central warehouse shall be set up in the North West Regional capital of Bamenda from where the items shall be dispatched.
For his part, COMINSUD’s coordinator Fon Nsoh assured that banking on its twenty two years of local community activities, the organization was ready for the challenge. COMINSUD he said was already collaborating with other UN structures such as the UNFPA in providing Mama and Dignity kids to Internally Displaced Persons of the Anglophone crisis. COMINSUD also worked with SNV to promote the Right to Food movement in Cameroon.
A partnership agreement between WFP and COMINSUD is expected to be signed in the days ahead detail the practical modalities of this partnership.
A few days earlier a delegation from Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontiers) working in the North West Region of Cameroon paid a courtesy visit COMINSUD. The team of three made up of Monica Fernadez, Deep W. B and Tataw Stephen came to seek pathways for collaboration with COMINSUD in helping people affected by the crisis in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon in general and the North West Region in particular.
Community Initiative for Sustainable Development (COMINSUD) 