The humanitarian response in Northwest and Southwest Cameroon has successfully delivered immediate and essential MHPSS relief, evidenced by the 18,722 beneficiaries already served and the 28+ child-friendly spaces established. Yet, the protracted nature of the crisis demands a visionary strategic shift: moving decisively beyond temporary aid to cultivating permanent, localized, and integrated systems of care. The inherent problem in sustained humanitarian environments is the risk of “cliff effects,” where psychosocial gains—the resilience built among IDPs and the reduced trauma among 2,522+ children—are instantly jeopardized when time-bound funding expires. Without a robust strategy for localization and service integration, the human right to mental health remains tenuous, perpetually dependent on external support rather than ingrained in the community’s own structure. The imperative is to institutionalize MHPSS as a foundational, non-negotiable service, seamlessly connected to health and education for long-term growth and protection.
The partnership with Plan international and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) (June 2024–June 2026) is LUKMEF’s vanguard commitment to achieving this institutional sustainability, representing an innovative strategy that shifts ownership and embeds MHPSS into the local infrastructure. The cornerstone of this intervention is CSO Strengthening for Localisation, exemplified by the focused efforts in Bonakanda where local animators are empowered to autonomously sustain Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS). This transition ensures that the 13 currently functional CFS are not relics of a past project, but vibrant, self-managed community assets, guaranteeing continuity of care long after the grant ends. The strategy further innovates through radical multi-sectoral integration. Activities include updated multi-sectoral mappings in 13+ communities under the GAC framework, which is a critical process designed to formally enhance access to support services by creating explicit, streamlined referral pathways linking MHPSS to the health and education sectors. This ensures that every child, including the projected 3,874+ children to be reached in GAC Year 1 (2025) activities, benefits from a holistic system where psychosocial well-being is treated on par with physical health and learning.
Furthermore, the GAC project actively cultivates sustainable development within the MHPSS framework. In Fujua, non-formal education activities are being integrated, ensuring that the therapeutic environment is also a center for intellectual and vocational growth. This comprehensive approach is designed to prevent regression, ensuring that the resilience established by the Swiss-funded PSSU in sites like Bangshie and the parental capacity built through the 773 caregiver programs in Besongabang and Bonakanda are supported by economic and educational opportunities. By focusing on capacity building, mapping, and integration across key sectors, LUKMEF, through the GAC partnership, is not merely providing aid; it is building a durable, community-owned system that systematically upholds the right to mental health. This institutional focus guarantees that the collective impact of over 22,596+ beneficiaries reached across all donor frameworks will be sustained, creating a lasting legacy of stability and self-reliance in Cameroon’s conflict-affected regions.
