Reproductive Health Experts, Journalists Bind Forces to Strangle Cervical Cancer in Cameroon
As part of activities marking the cervical cancer awareness month, Reproductive health experts and some journalists, members of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ Yaounde chapter met on Friday, 13th January 2023 in Yaounde. “We want cervical cancer to be known for its elimination. And for the first time in the history of mankind, the World Health Organization has come up with strategies that we can use to eliminate cancer. This is very important and one of the reasons why we hold this workshop. We want to make people get informed and we want to let people know that after they are informed, they should go for screening and vaccination. Because through screening and vaccination, you can eliminate cervical cancer.” This is one of the key objectives outlined during the one-day cervical cancer elimination workshop held on Friday 13th of January 2023 in Yaounde. Placed under the banner of the Ministry of Public Health and facilitated by the National Cancer Control Committee(NCCC), Humanity at Heart International(HAHI) and the Women’s Health Programme of the CBC Health Services (WHP-CBCHS) in collaboration withthe Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ Yaounde chapter, this workshop was an opportunity to upskill media practitioners on cervical cancer which is a silent killer. During the said workshop, it was disclosed that the month of January is dedicated to cervical cancer awareness campaigns and though little known by many, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Florence Manjuh, Head of the WHP-CBCHS who made an overall presentation on the epidemiology of cancer, said cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among women and every two minutes a woman dies of cervical cancer. In Cameroon, as outlined by the Health expert, it is the second most common cancer. Five in eight women are diagnosed every day with cervical cancer which is a great threat to the lives of women in the country. According to Florence Manjuh, one of the main reasons why there is a high rate of cervical cancer in Africa and Cameroon in particular, it is due to ignorance and poverty. “Many people are not aware that something like cervical cancer exists. The next one we think of is poverty. When few even come to know that there is cervical cancer, going for screening is very difficult and taking their daughters for vaccination is equally difficult. We are grateful that some organizations are doing free screening for women and the government has come with some vaccination options which are free for young girls and boys.” She said. In the same vein, Eveline Tata Mayaah, Executive Director of Human at Heart International said the burden keeps increasing in Cameroon and stated in her presentation that, in 2018, out of 2,356 new cases, 1546 deaths were recordedand in 2020, out of 2,770 new cases registered, there was a total of 1878 deaths. She noted that these quite alarming statistics, could be attributed to late-stage presentation; inadequate information (low awareness levels); poor screening coverage; poor access to existing screening, diagnosis and treatment services; stigma; poor health-seeking behaviours and lack of political will. The challenges are very huge and there is a necessity to boost communication on this public health issue as Mrs Tata Mayaah outlined. “In rural communities, there are a lot of barriers, the first one is the distance to health services and also we have poor awareness creation, we have low health literacy in communities because we don’t have people who descend to the rural suburbs to create awareness. Therefore, we take on ourselves at Humanity at Heart International in partnership with the women’s health programme of CBCHS to go into these communities to improve the level of knowledge about cervical cancer and make sure that these rural women, their husbands and children get screened and vaccinated.” She narrated. Health advocate and Executive Director of HAHI insisted on effective advocacy as one of the key responses to this preventable and curable disease. Yet, the main constraint as she pointed out is lack of finance which most of the time cripples efforts undertaken. Eveline Tata Mayaah said: “When you create awareness they need to move to a health facility to get screened and there, they have to pay for that screening. And you see that it is not easy for a rural woman, not talking of an average Cameroonian who cannot afford a 10,000FCFA to get screened. Also, the health systems in rural communities are not robust. It is a constraint for them to have these sophisticated facilities to get and so they need to travel long distances to get in touch with facilities that have appropriate tools to get them screened.” In her presentation, she went further to explain the WHO’s call for action known as the 90-70-90 targets which state that: 90% of girls are fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15 years; 70% of women are screened with a high-performance test by 35 years of age and again by 45 years of age; 90% of women identified with the cervical disease receive treatment i.e. 90% of women with precancer treated, and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed. Mrs. Tata Mayaah who today leads the association Humanity at Heart International in Tiko, South West region of Cameroon is an advocate for change due to unforeseen circumstances. She told media participants: “I lost my mother in 2013 to cervical cancer. So, I became curious about what cervical cancer was all about. I was pursuing a different profession and when she died I began indulging in researching and studying cervical cancer. I came to realize that she died of something that was preventable and could be treated if it was captured early enough. I decided to do advocacy to make sure that everyone becomes fully engaged in creating awareness, in making sure that women get screened and are treated early enough if they are diagnosed with precancerous lesions.” She fervently believes many socio-cultural and religious
Read More
Plan International Cameroon Sets Innovative Approaches for Impactful Media Coverage
Non-Governmental Organization, Plan International Cameroon has put in place a new partnership platform to boost its media coverage nationwide. On Friday, January 13, 2023, in Yaounde, Cameroon’s nation capital, the country office of Plan International launched a new collaboration platform with media practitioners and some partner institutions such as the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Civic Education. The event dubbed media corner and launched at the Bastos head office of Plan International Cameroon gathered close to 20 Journalists, Bloggers, influencers, and staff of some communication units identified as key partners of the Non-Governmental Organization that strives for the rights of children and equality for the girlchild. Speaking on behalf of the Country Director of Plan International Cameroon, the acting Director of Programmes, Dr. Fagnon Paul said the media corner is an initiative put in place to boost the organization’s visibility. While acknowledging the pivotal role that the media plays in highlighting untold stories, he wished the newly set up initiative will help support the objectives and missions of Plan International which has been fully engaged alongside the government for over 25 years. In his address, Dr. Fagnon equally said the hosting of the media corner will permit journalists and other partners present to have an in-depth knowledge of the various activities carried out by Plan International and by the way grant the opportunity to media practitioners present to outline some strategies to be put in place at the level of the communication and influencing department and see how to ameliorate the existing collaboration. According to Dr. Donkeng Eddy Patrick, Head of the communication and Influencing department of Plan International, the media is at the heart of activities carried out by the organization. He said the organization has been working with different media outlets for impactful results and today has established a sort of media platform that will greatly help in transmitting information to communities and all societies. Dr. Donkeng said: “At Plan International Cameroon, it is part of our strategy to work with the media. Media are enablers of change and then working with them within our communities in Cameroon is something that we prioritize this year we would like to establish a sort of bridge between the media and our institutional and financial partners as well as our programs department because what we are doing on the field should be seen. And most of the time the problem is that people on the field are doing a lot but nothing is shown. We, therefore, decided to have this sort of gathering and agree on a road map to know how we can work better and impact and to show the impact we have in our society…” He added that such gatherings will be multiplied as they henceforth enter within the framework of a collaborative move which is crucial to Plan International. Institutional Partners as a support Even though Plan International collaborates with the government and various institutions, the organization has invited to the media corner some key ministries which are in charge of children’s rights. The Ministries of Social Affairs; Women’s Empowerment and the Family; and Youth Affairs and Civic Education were part of the session and the staff representing these communication units praised the initiative which to them will accentuate actions carried by the government and advocacy campaigns launched by Plan International. Mrs. Mbakong Edwige Grace, Head of the communication unit of the ministry of women’s empowerment, MINPROFF expressed the will to see the collaboration link established and consolidated by concrete programmatic actions and called on Plan International Cameroon to keep organizing joint activities with its institutional partners as a way to support them mostly at the financial level. Mrs. Mbakong said: “We have a series of activities that we organize and which necessitate media coverage but due to lack of financial resources most of them are underreported. We hope with this initiative that takes off that we shall at an extent try to solve this issue and the different media partners will build more interest in reporting some thematics highlighted.” On his part, the representative of the Head of the communication unit of the ministry of social affairs, MINAS said they have a good number of media partners with whom they have been collaborating for several years now and this has been fruitful. Reason why he equally applauds the move of Plan International Cameroon. Mr. Awana said the communication unit of MINAS is open to any collaborative action and equally seized the occasion to inform participants at the media corner of the existence of a toll-free number (1503) for reporting child abuse and trafficking. Just like the institutional partners who highly welcomed the new collaboration platform, spokesperson for the communication unit of the ministry of youth affairs and civic education, Rick Assyla said MINJEC is in the process of revising a Youth Plan that has been dormant for several years and Plan International’s role will be vital in defining some of its lines according to its mandate and missions. The Media, a key player During discussions, journalists, influencers, and bloggers present at the first-ever held media corner of Plan International Cameroon posed a chaplet of demands and said they hope to see this initiative as long-lasting. Media partners who accompany Plan International on daily basis through their activities have equally expressed the need to be more involved in field visits to palpate realities and report with live testimonies. Moreover, they expressed the will to receive on regular basis newsletters, information notes, images, events, etc. from Plan International. Media men underscored its commitment to intensify its collaboration with Plan International as media partners of Plan International Cameroon and accepted the safeguarding policy which is already part of their good practice in terms of verification and publication of information. To close the media corner session, Dr. Kwake Simon, chief of party in Plan International Cameroon thanked the media invited and said this innovative approach
Read More
MINAS-SESES: Extension phase of the Unified Social Register in Cameroon Reviewed
Within the framework of the 6th edition of the National Solidarity and Social Entrepreneurship week, a workshop to prepare the extension phase of the Unified Social Register took place on January 11, 2023, in the Conference Hall of the East Regional Council under the chairmanship of the Minister of Social Affairs Mrs. Pauline Irene Nguene. The Director of National Solidarity and Social Development, Mr. Nyambi III Dikosso presented the project of the Unified Social Register. His presentation highlighted the National policy on social protection, issues of universal health coverage, mechanisms for registration and management of information on socially vulnerable persons, vulnerability mapping approaches, and methodology of the Unified Social Register in Cameroon. Mr. Aboubacar Guindo, Deputy Director of the World Food Program highlighted the importance of international solidarity and cooperation in order to strengthen social protection in Cameroon as well as some of their works in line with the social protection of vulnerable persons. Mr. Mohammed Aly Hamana, Head of the UNICEF sub-office in Bertoua talked about issues and challenges of vulnerable persons such as lack of birth certificates and potable water. Pauline Irene Nguene, Minister of Social Affairs in her opening speech reiterated that 2023 is a year that opens in a context marked by national and international economic hardships with social repercussions that will bring new social vulnerabilities thus there is an urgency to have good information system and database for social resilience. For efficiency, the social protection system has to rely on a national vulnerability map and an accessible information system for all national and international actors that will bring adapted responses to socially vulnerable persons all over the 360 municipalities of the Republic. The Unified Social Register is the solution to these pressing problems. She emphasized on the importance of the availability of reliable data and information for the planning and implementation of social protection policies in Cameroon. Cellcom MINAS
Read More
MINAS-SESES: Regional & Local Councils Called on to Contribute to Socio-Economic Reinsertion of Socially Vulnerable Persons
Bertoua, regional headquarters of the East region played host to the 6th edition of the National Solidarity and Social Entrepreneurship week from January 10 to 14, 2023. The 6th edition of the national solidarity and social Entrepreneurship week, known by its French acronym as SESES took place from the 9th to the 14th of January 2023 in the town of Bertoua, East region of Cameroon. This year’s edition placed under the theme: “Stakes and challenges of social protection in Cameroon” was mainly aimed at mobilizing all national actors and development partners around the need to set up a public and private partnership-based answer to decentralized social protection system in order to respond collectively, effectively and efficiently to social protection needs of socially vulnerable persons. As underscored by Minister Pauline Irène Nguene, Social Affairs Patroness in Cameroon, the SESES is a major activity included in Programme 71-Social Protection of Groups with specific vulnerabilities and National Solidarity.” This program just like many which are of high importance in the ministry of social affairs is to facilitate the reduction of social vulnerabilities and effectively transform generally excluded categories into true citizens who are aware of their obligations and capable, according to their capacities, of contributing to the achievement of the growth objectives set out in the Development vision “Cameroon, an emerging democratic country united in its diversity by 2035”. In her key address, the Minister stressed on the fact that 2023 will be quite challenging and difficult due to health and security crises nationwide and worldwide. “Climatic risks such as floods or landslides and human disasters like the recent agro-pastoral conflicts in the northern part have in turn contributed to the displacement of populations and their precariousness. This situation of social fragility has been further exacerbated by the negative impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the daily lives of Cameroonians and particularly Socially Vulnerable People known as PSV (children including those in difficult situations, disabled people, elderly, internally displaced persons, women, young people, etc.).” She outlined. Minister Nguene equally underscored the urgent need to support socially vulnerable people who are greatly affected by some impacts in our society. The Minister stated: “It should be remembered that the said categories constitute more than 2/3 of the total population of Cameroon estimated in 2017 at 23,248,044 inhabitants. Indeed, the proportion of dependents, that is children under 15 and people over 60, represents 49% of the population. To this, must be added persons with disabilities 15% (according to the United Nations ratio), internally displaced persons and refugees, indigenous populations within the meaning of the United Nations, and all the indigent and needy whose request for assistance received in the Units Operational Techniques of MINAS is increasing.” In her closing remarks, she added: “The National Solidarity and Social Entrepreneurship Week appears then as a forum for advocacy, partnership building, and commitment taking aimed at promoting social inclusion of socially vulnerable persons. For this reason, I urge The Regional and local Councils and all of the stakeholders to adhere to this action of beneficial social work and give their maximum support and necessary synergy to it, by taking the commitment to reserve every year a permanent contribution for national solidarity in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to ensure the socio-economic reinsertion of socially vulnerable persons.” One key issue outlined during the 6th edition of SESES in Bertoua was that of Cameroon’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals which are part of strategies mapped out by the government in the National Development Strategy (NDS30). Elise Kenimbeni
Read More
Manifesto of Cedrick Moukoko Penda: With Calls to Prioritize & Invest in Bakassi
With a surface area of 1000 km2, Bakassi which is an integral part of Cameroon, is a territory with an extension to the Calabar Peninsula in the Gulf of Guinea. The territory has been the subject of disputes between Cameroon and Nigeria. In 1994, the Bakassi border conflict almost led to a war between the Nigerian and Cameroonian armies. In 2002, the International Court of Justice in The Hague delivered its verdict. In its judgment, the Court attributed the sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon and which was considered Cameroon’s greatest victory. The State of Cameroon and of Nigeria through their Ministers of Justice signed the retrocession agreement on August 14, 2008, in Calabar. The Calabar agreement provided that the 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants of Bakassi, mainly families of Nigerian fishermen, had the choice between returning to Nigeria or remaining there with or without the adoption of Cameroonian nationality. The Nigerians have opted to remain in place and retain their nationality. The Bakassi area remains subject to the actions of groups of Nigerian rebels hostile to the handover. On November 12, 2007, 21 Cameroonian soldiers were killed during an assault on Isanguele Creek and investigations carried concluded that an act of terrorism was perpetrated by the “MEND”. This attack was carried out following the arrest of 7 individuals claiming to be from the movement. The action of these groups seems to be linked to oil trafficking but also undoubtedly to arms trafficking in the Bakassi region. On November 22, 2007, the Nigerian Senate declared the sale of Bakassi illegal. Seized by inhabitants of the peninsula, a judge of the Nigerian Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on July 31, 2008, in favour of freezing the transfer of sovereignty. Nigerian authorities handed over the Bakassi Peninsula on August 14, 2008. The waters of Bakassi are full of fish and its subsoil is rich in oil. In 2010, Bakassi was declared a priority development zone by the government. Cameroon’s journal of projects in 2010 listed 132 actions. These are essentially the opening and reshaping of roads, the construction and equipping of public buildings, the financing of agriculture, the development of fishing sites, and the construction of community centers classics or multimedia. Yet, the development actions expected have not given fruit. The development plan for the Bakassi peninsula seems to come up against the dilettantism of its initiators. The statistics differ depending on the sources. The Bakassi Integrated Participatory Management Plan for Ecosystem Services for Post-Conflict Ecosystems states out that the Bakassi peninsula covers an area of approximately 665 km². Make Bakassi a Division As described, the Bakassi area has some 115 mangrove villages with a total population of 250,000, of which about 90% are from Nigeria. The Bakassi Peninsula is abandoned, yet its waters are full of fish and its oil-soaked subsoil are some points of attraction. With the outbreak of the crisis that erupted in 2016 in the North-West and South-West regions, Bakassi’s chances of development have considerably diminished. Despite the presence of the Rapid Intervention Battalion known by its French acronym as BIR, the projects did not advance unfortunately contrary to what many thought of Bakassi. Bakassi is fortified by Nigerians. Let us not abandon Bakassi, an area beyond our control. An area where the rights of Cameroonians are violated. Let’s not give up on our Bakassi, we have to invest in it! Let us incite people to settle through the development of projects and security. We call on Cameroon’s government to reconsider the development of the Bakassi area. We call on the supreme hierarchy of our country to make Bakassi a division. The successful outcome of the Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime border affair, thanks to the mediation of Kofi Annan, is the crowning achievement of the will of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Paul Biya of Cameroon, to settle this dispute peacefully. Nairobi, January 9, 2023
Read More
Projet SDG Fund : Validation Technique des Etudes de Faisabilité pour un Renforcement des Synergies de la SND 30 au Cameroun
Un atelier de validation technique de certaines études relevant de la phase 2 du projet SDG Fund au Cameroun s’est tenu du 28 au 29 décembre 2022 à Yaoundé. D’entrée de jeu, le projet SDG Fund est un mécanisme de financement du développement international créé en 2014 par les Nations Unies, dans l’optique de favoriser l’atteinte des objectifs du développement durable (ODD) d’ici 2030 par des programmes conjoints, multidimensionnels et intégrés. Le projet conjoint SDG Fund au Cameroun, est finance par le Fond des Objectifs du Développement Durable (Sustainable Development Goals Fund-SDG Fund) pour une durée préalable de deux ans(2021-2022) et mis en œuvre sous le leadership technique du Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) accompagné par le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’Enfance (UNICEF) et l’Entité des Nations unies pour l’égalité des sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes (ONU Femmes) qui ont préparé un programme conjoint avec le Ministère de l’Economie, de la Planification et de l’Aménagement du territoire (MINEPAT) pour la mise en œuvre des principales recommandations du Document de l’évaluation du financement du Cameroun(DFA) et en visant une augmentation de la mobilisation des financements de diverses sources en direction du pays. Ledit projet vise principalement à accompagner la conception, le développement et l’opérationnalisation d’un Cadre National de Financement Intégré (CNFI/INFF) pour une meilleure synergie d’action entre les différents acteurs de développement en vue d’optimiser les activités de mobilisation des ressources et leur utilisation optimale pour la mise en œuvre de la Stratégie Nationale de Développement (SND 30) alignée sur les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD). Et dans le cadre de la poursuite de la mise en œuvre des activités de la phase 2, le MINEPAT à travers l’initiative SDG Fund Cameroon a recruté avec l’appui PNUD, des consultants en vue de la réalisation de certaines études de la phase 2 d’où la tenue durant deux jours à Yaoundé, capitale du Cameroun cet atelier technique. Mécanismes de financements innovants Il était question pour les soixante participants regroupés en équipes de 15 dans quatre sessions de travail, de se pencher sur :la validation de l’applicatif informatique pour le suivi des politiques et des financements des ODDs au niveau National, Régional et Local ; la validation du rapport de faisabilité relative à la création du « Cameroon SDG one Platform » pour le financement des TPME du secteur Agricole et Agro-industriel ;la validation du plan stratégique de mobilisation des financements innovants et des fonds verts et la validation du Document cadre sur le fonctionnement du Cadre National de Financement Intégré (CNFI). Ces participants triés sur le volet étaient des personnels et cadres des administrations publiques et privées, des entreprises bancaires et du système des Nations Unies. Selon Madame Mondongou Camara Ginette, Economiste Principale au PNUD bureau du Cameroun, la phase 2 de ce projet en 2023 est plus dédiée aux études diagnostiques sur la situation du secteur poisson, qui est un secteur important pour la Stratégie Nationale de Développement (SND 30) par exemple. « Après qu’on ait fait le diagnostic du financement du développement au Cameroun dans la première phase, cette deuxième phase a proposé une version provisoire de stratégies de financement intégré qui permet de voir comment est-ce qu’on peut exploiter d’autres types de financements au Cameroun ou renforcer les financements existants. Il ya ce draft qui est la et qui doit être complété sur la base des recommandations du comité du pilotage… » Dit-elle. Madame Mondongou Camara a souligné le fait que ces rencontres permettent de valider entre autres la faisabilité relative à la création du « Cameroon SDG one platform » pour le financement des Très Petites et Moyennes Entreprises du secteur Agricole et Agro-industriel. Elle dit :« Une étude sur un instrument financier qu’on voudrait voir promu au Cameroun, et qui est un genre de plateforme one, SDG PLATFORM FUND. Un genre de plateforme ODD qui permet d’aider à accompagner et à améliorer le financement des Très Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (TPME) du secteur agricole et du secteur agro-industriel, qui représentent plus de 95% de l’économie camerounaise et qui sont peu ou mal financés. On le sait, le secteur agricole est insuffisamment financé pour diverses raisons. Donc l’idée c’est de mobiliser tous les acteurs autour du financement de ce secteur-là, en mettant en place peut être des produits adaptes, en mettant en place peut être une gouvernance adaptée. Ce sont des propositions de ces études-là que nous examinons dans le cadre de nos travaux. » Elle ajoute que cette deuxième phase permet non seulement de proposer des outils de financements mais aussi de voir comment le Cameroun peut davantage exploiter les fonds innovants et les fonds verts ou climatiques. L’Economiste Principale indique également que d’après les études faites dans le rapport de l’un des consultants et qui porte sur le Plan stratégique de mobilisation des Financements innovants et des fonds verts, il a été dévoilé que le Cameroun qui a beaucoup de forêts et d’éléments environnementaux à mettre en exergue n’arrive pas encore à bénéficier de ces fonds qui sont énormes et cette étude propose comment le Cameroun peut capter plus de fonds innovants, plus de fonds verts. Elle ajoute que cette phase 2 s’appuie également sur le suivi des financements à travers un applicatif informatif. Il est question d’après les explications de Madame Mondongou Camara de faire un suivi des financements dans le cadre de ce projet et son impact pour une attractivité accrue d’autres partenaires. SDG Fund, catalyseur de la SND 30 Il en ressort que le projet conjoint SDG Fund au Cameroun apparait aujourd’hui comme un catalyseur pour le renforcement des synergies pour la mise en œuvre de la Stratégie Nationale de Développement 2020-2030(SND30). Le Coordonnateur du projet SDG Fund au MINEPAT, Pierre Nguetse a indiqué qu’il ya plusieurs initiatives qui sont conduites dans le cadre de ce projet et qui vise également à assurer une meilleure mise en œuvre de la SND 30. « Dans la SND30 afin de favoriser la transformation structurelle, nous avons identifié un certain nombre de filières porteuses notamment celles relatives a : l’agriculture ; l’élevage des poissons ; aux farines locales
Read More
Publicité
VISITEURS