WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING?

The conflict has been ongoing in Cameroon between the French and English-speaking populations since 2016. Tensions and violence have forced more than 160,000 people to flee their homes, becoming refugees or internally displaced people. Our partners in Cameroon are working hard to continue to support health, education and human rights amidst the often-chaotic conditions faced by their communities.

We have shipped to these partners on three previous occasions, and all shipments have been highly strategic in their efforts to improve living conditions in their communities. Some of the impact from these past shipments include the following:

• Increasing the exam success rate at schools, by providing improved school furniture to ten institutions
• Better service and patient comfort levels at a rural health centre, after receiving medical supplies and equipment
• Upgrading head office and other facilities using furniture, appliances, and office equipment, helping them administer projects more effectively and retain staff
• More than 100 aid workers and other key stakeholders given training in use of equipment received
• toys and educational aids which have brought joy to children.

This shipment will include:

• Educational supplies, computers and stationery
• clothing, footwear and babycare items
• nursing and hygiene supplies and hospital beds
• blankets, bedding and household accessories

Grace’s Story

Grace was violently attacked and left for dead after armed men broke into her home and she did not have the money they demanded. This left her unable to care for herself or her children. Our partners provided her with intensive counselling as well as medical help, a safe space for her family, new skills training, and a microloan to assist her in starting her own business. She has now moved from home-cooking and selling bean paste to opening her own village shop.  She has also rented a home and is able to feed and send her children to school.

Goods in this shipment include provisions for expansion of this work that assists many more women like Grace.

Refrigerators from Crossroads’ previous shipment were distributed among regional hospitals and are being used to store vaccines and medicines. Within a year, this provision allowed vaccination against, and effective treatment of, tropical diseases and other infections for more than 30,000 people.  Staff expressed great relief that they no longer needed to worry that medications had degraded because of unsuitable storage conditions.

Reference No: S3318C