The situation in the two English-speaking provinces of Cameroon remains difficult. Violence and poverty characterize the everyday life of the population. Angelika Weber, Mission 21's Cameroon Program Officer, went to Cameroon to get an idea of the situation and met the doctor Dr. Samuel Egbe.
The situation was dangerous. A group of armed separatists had entered Manyemen Hospital and threatened the doctor, Dr. Samuel Egbe. He remained calm and said: "If you shoot me, I won't be able to help you." He was thus able to persuade the angry young men to leave.
Samuel Egbe tells me this story when I meet him in Cameroon this spring. I was on a business trip and asked him about the situation at his clinic, Manyemen Hospital, which Mission 21 has been supporting for years.
More violence and poorer healthcare
Manyemen is located in the two English-speaking provinces of Cameroon, which have been fought over by government troops and separatists since 2016. The suffering is borne by the population: more than 3,500 people have lost their lives and around one million people have been temporarily displaced.
The crisis has changed people: many young men with no education or prospects are more likely to become violent or cause accidents while intoxicated and are injured themselves.
Other population groups have too little information or too little money due to the crisis, meaning that patients come to the clinic too late and help is no longer possible. The problems are increasing with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, children with malaria or diarrhea and people with HIV. In addition, leprosy is spreading again, as more leprosy cases remain undetected due to poorer medical care.
Support for healthcare
Mission 21 has supported the establishment of a nursing college to improve the situation. The quality of the graduates has already brought about some improvement, but there is still a lot to do.
When asked about his own motivation, Dr. Samuel Egbe replies: "I have received a lot of support in my life and want to give something back. I want to change society for the better."
Text and photo: Angelika Weber
â–º Supporting the healthcare and HIV prevention project in Cameroon
