Contributing to Durable Solutions and Social Cohesion amongst displacement-affected people in the North West, South West, West and Littoral regions of Cameroon
Supervisory Partner: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Abstract:
This program is unique from other such IDP related programs implemented by the NRC within Cameroon, with specific reference to the Angolphone Crisis within the South West and North West Regions. Where other programs focused on short term emergency response and aid to the IDPs, this program focuses on long term community durability for the host and returnee communities where the IDPs have found shelter and relative safety. This is devised to provide long term livelihood sustainability for these communities which will both directly and indirectly improve the lives of the IDPs who have been forced from their traditional homes due to the Crisis.
This program will be implemented via three interlinked sub initiatives, the first being a community focused “Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Emergencies” (WASH’EM) sub-program. This WASH’EM sub program focuses on sensitisation and information diagnostics that are tailored for each community in its individual capacity. As the name suggests, this sub-program aims to detect and diagnose either shortcomings or gaps in capacity individual communities may have on the subject of water, sanitation and hygiene. By identifying these shortcoming or capacity gaps, AJESH can address these issues with a higher rate of efficacy for improved long-term livelihoods.
The second sub program AJESH will implement is called “Information, Counseling, Legal Assistance” (ICLA) regarding IDP Housing, Land and Property (HLP) related issues. This program will seek to provide information sessions on community members’ rights regarding their homes, land and properties that may be under threat from any number of sources. With the correct information on one’s rights, and even more importantly, the knowledge to effectively wield one’s rights when it comes to issues regarding home and property, communities can become strengthened and more secure in their long term sustainability. This sub program aims to provide increased support to that long term community sustainability.
The last sub program AJESH will engage in is the distribution of “Non-Food Item” kits (NFIs) to the IDPs who have been identified as particularly vulnerable. These kits will provide non-perishable goods for home use as well as goods and equipment that will compliment the WASH’EM sub program. Rather than delivering food and other perishable goods to these communities, the benefits of NFIs exist beyond a set number of meals for a given population. NFIs can be in the form of kitchen items, buckets for water collection etc and the contents of these kits are often in dire demand for vulnerable communities such as the IDP hoist and returnee communities.
In all, this major program, in support of the NRC will provide durable solutions to the extended sustainability of the communities that have been able to provide shelter and safety to the IDPs.
