How can the livelihoods of displaced populations in the North-West and South-West be guaranteed? This is the question on the minds of Réseau de Lutte contre la Faim (RELUFA).
The humanitarian situation in the North-West and South-West regions cannot be overstated. Insecurity and violence continue to generate new displacements across the two regions.
According to the newsletter of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Cameroon (OCHA), the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is now estimated at 530,000, with over 35,000 refugees in Nigeria.
The OCHA newsletter also states that the crisis is also affecting the neighboring West and Littoral regions, with 32,000 and 54,000 IDPs respectively. This year, the humanitarian crisis has reached a turning point, with 1.3 million people in need of humanitarian aid and emergency assistance.
Armed with this situation, the Réseau de Lutte contre la Faim (RELUFA), in collaboration with Ayah foundation, led a mission in July 2019 to observe and assess the situation of displaced people in the Mbanga and Douala area. On this occasion, a modest package of basic food assistance was handed over to the displaced. This initiative is supported by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) of the Presbyterian Church USA.
While the aim is to respond to the many needs of the displaced, the mission also involved listening to their stories and assessing their needs.