Cameroon

International Medical Corps has
worked in Cameroon since 2008,
when we responded to a large
influx of refugees from the Central
African Republic (CAR). In the years
since, we have provided lifesaving
assistance during food crises andrecurrent floods, responded tooutbreaks of cholera and COVID-19,

and cared for displaced people as
they fled ongoing violence in theLake Chad Basin.
Today, Cameroon faces several major challenges
stemming from the influx of displaced people
seeking security from climate change-related
disasters, as well as from conflicts in neighboringcountries and Cameroon’s Northwest andSouthwest regions.

In 2023, International Medical Corps
Cameroon provided:

197,500+ people

with curative consultations;8,300+ pregnant womenwith care in two or more antenatal care visits;

WHERE WE WORKADAMAWAFAR NORTH• Borgop• Djohong• Garoua Boulai• Meiganga• Ngam• Ngaoui

NORTHWEST• Bourha• Fotokol• Goulfey• Kolofata• Kousseri• Koza• Makary• Meri• Mogode• Mokolo• Mora• Mozogo• RouaEAST• Batouri• Betare-Oya• Gbiti• Kette• Kentzou• Lolo• Mandjou• Mbile• Timangolo• Yokadouma• Ako• Fundong• Mbengwi• Ndop• Njikwa• Nkambe

CNORTH• Mbai-Mboum• Touboro

Ddelivery of 2,600+ children
with the assistance of skilled health personnel;
AE

127,500+ persons

with sensitization on the prevention ofdiseases and health education; andB

9,700+ patientswith referral services to secondary care.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HEALTHCAREInternational Medical Corps supports healthcare facilities acrossfive regions and provides medical care directly through statichealth facilities, community health services and mobile outreach.
Our services include:⊲ preventive and curative medical consultations, with referrals tohigher-level care in district and regional hospitals;⊲ reproductive health, including deliveries, antenatal care andpostnatal care;⊲ implementation of the World Health Organization’s Integrated
Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy;⊲ provision of essential drugs, medical supplies and equipment;⊲ training and capacity-building sessions for healthcare professionals;⊲ training for community health workers (CHWs) on integrated
community case management, disease surveillance and riskcommunication; and⊲ construction and rehabilitation of health facilities.

NUTRITION
Malnutrition rates remain high in Cameroon—a crisis that isdriven by ongoing displacement, regional food insecurity,
insufficient access to clean water, and poor sanitation andhygiene practices. As a result, many children do not havethe nutrients required for healthy development, leading toirreversible cognitive and physical stunting. As a combined
consequence of the Lake Chad Basin crisis, intercommunal
conflicts, the impacts of climate change—especially floods anddroughts—and the Russian-Ukrainian war, more than 3 million
people in Cameroon are acutely food insecure.
International Medical Corps provides nutrition interventions that
include screening and treatment for acute malnutrition, cooking
demonstrations and nutrition education in our infant andyoung-child feeding (IYCF) spaces, vitamin A supplementation,
deworming, social and behavior change communication,and training for Ministry of Health (MoH) staff and community
health workers (CHWs).

MENTAL HEALTH AND
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT (MHPSS)
International Medical Corps integrates MHPSS services into
our general healthcare activities so that families have greateraccess to mental health services. We also work with healthcare
facilities and CHWs to increase the number of referrals formental health services. To promote the greater availabilityof high-quality mental health services across Cameroon,
International Medical Corps also provides healthcare
professionals with MHPSS educational materials.

CHILD PROTECTION
Forced child marriage, child labor and lack of educational
opportunities for girls continue to impede children’s rights inCameroon. International Medical Corps works in refugee camps
and host communities to prevent child abuse and promote therights of refugee children from CAR and Nigeria, as well as ofinternally displaced children.
Our staff trains community-based organizations, government
personnel and local NGO staff to promote children’s rights and toprevent and respond to abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect.
We provide recreational education, socio-emotional learning andbasic education in safe healing and learning spaces. Our casemanagement teams provide material support to unaccompaniedand separated children, children associated with armed forces
and armed groups, and children with disabilities.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCEInternational Medical Corps has been implementing GBVprevention, response and protection programming in Cameroon
since 2009. Our staff provides training to community-basedorganizations, local administrative staff and healthcare
professionals on GBV core concepts, refers survivors to local
healthcare providers and trains local health staff on clinicalmanagement of rape cases. We also provide MHPSS support
to survivors and other women and girls, while educating
community members on the risks and consequences of GBV.

FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODSCOLLABORATION AND COORDINATION

Climate change has led to drought, floods and landslides.
In August 2022, floods in the Far North region led to thedisplacement of more than 70,000 and affected more than
258,000 people. Since then, heavy rains have submerged morethan 35,000 hectares of fields and killed thousands of livestock.

Our team in Cameroon is committed to strengthening
partnerships with donors, community-based organizations, UN
agencies and international and national NGOs.

In response, International Medical Corps has supported
small-scale agriculture and livestock assistance, kitchen
gardening, food distribution, income-generating activities andwomen’s economic empowerment programs that complement
our nutrition and GBV programs. Our team in Cameroon
also provides livelihood support—operating community
cooperatives, implementing community health monitoringand surveillance, developing community groups to supportchange in climate-resistant food production and nutrition
practices, and providing agricultural assistance and training
on fishery and animal husbandry to help people diversify
and decrease climate change-related risks to their sourcesof income.

⊲ We have consistently been elected by our peers tovalidate key approaches to humanitarian response as themain Humanitarian Country Team member to representinternational NGOs at the UN.
⊲ Our team is a member of the Cameroon international nongovernmental organizations (CHINGO) network, which
coordinates NGOs in Cameroon, and has chaired its steeringcommittee for the past two years.
⊲ The Cameroon team supports the International NGO Safety
Organisation (INSO) network, which provides security analysis
and incident alerts to other international NGOs.
⊲ Our staff provides leadership to the health working groupat the national and regional levels, to the humanitarian
protection cluster at the national level, the GBV sub-cluster atregional level and Far North regional GBV sub-cluster.

www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org
A pre-eminent first responder since 1984, International
Medical Corps delivers emergency medical and related
services to those affected by conflict, disaster anddisease, no matter where they are, no matter what theconditions. We also train people in their communities,
providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart
their own path to self-reliance and become effective first
responders themselves.
March 2024

HEADQUARTERS
CONTACT:

Paula Olson, Deputy Director, HQ Programs
polson@InternationalMedicalCorps.org

International Medical Corps is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and has
offices in Washington, DC; London, UK; and Split, Croatia.
For contact information, visit InternationalMedicalCorps.org/contact.