Reach Out Cameroon, one of the frontline nongovernmental organisations leading humanitarian response in the crisis-hit Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, as well as some other regions of Cameroon, has been awarded for its services to victims of the Anglophone Crisis.
Reach Out Cameroon, on August 19, 2023, in Yaounde received its award from NewsWatch, for “being active and consistent in supporting persons, especially women, girls, and children, affected by the drawn-out armed conflict in the North West and South West regions.” The Award was one of the high points of NewsWatch’s 10th Anniversary celebrations in Yaounde.
Receiving the award on behalf of her organisation, the Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon, Esther Omam said her organisation was doing its work, by fronting humanitarian response efforts in the face of the crisis that was crippling communities in Anglophone regions of the country. “We could not stay indifferent to their cry, we had to keep searching, looking for the least opportunity that will enable us to bring some relief to them, that opportunity that will help us instil hope in them and relieve them of their pains and sufferings”, she said.
Reach Out Cameroon’s Executive Director, Omam Esther
She further revealed that currently, Reach Out Cameroon is implementing humanitarian interventions covering the Centre, the Littoral, the Extreme North, the North West, South West and the West regions of Cameroon. “Consistently, our interventions have provided assistance to over 1,800,000 persons in need in various categories ranging from primary health care, nutrition, NFIs, WASH, Economic Security, GBV referrals and Management, Information, education and counselling, shelter, the establishment of civil status documents, sexual and reproductive health rights through mobile clinics and downstream partners. Fighting HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in all 13 divisions of the Northwest and Southwest regions with 27 District CSOs as partners and 1,920 community health volunteers to relay our services. I can humbly say yes, we have served our people and we continue serving them despite all odds”, Esther Omam said.
Reach, unlike other organisations, has made it a priority to mainstream peace and mediation work wherever it operates, as a means to strengthen community systems in order to build peace.
Pledging to do more in its humanitarian response activities and projects, Esther Omam told various stakeholders that the award is a reminder that Reach Out Cameroon needs to work harder during crisis periods to support everyone who is afflicted to regain their rights. “It reminds us of the need for collective efforts, the need for inclusive dialogues which should avert us from the question frequently asked by the pained ones”, she said.
The Executive Director said she is dedicating the award to staff and volunteers of Reach Out Cameroon, who tread dangerous and insecure hard-to-reach communities on a daily basis to deliver humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. She equally expressed gratitude to Reach Out Cameroon’s funders, donors and partners.
Reach Out was created in 1996 as a response to the HIV outbreak. It started as a small initiative and has grown into a non-profit organisation with three departments and various projects throughout Cameroon, North-Eastern Nigeria and Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
