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    The Crisis that Threatened Survival in the North-West and South-West Regions

    The Crisis that Threatened Survival in the North-West and South-West Regions

    Why action was needed and urgent

    For nearly a decade, the armed conflict in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions has torn apart communities, uprooted livelihoods, and crippled the most basic social services. Once-vibrant towns like Kumba, Wum, Santa, and Eyumojock became symbols of humanitarian distress — where fear, displacement, and deprivation replaced normal life. Continuous insecurity, coupled with the destruction of infrastructure, left millions trapped between violence and poverty, struggling to survive amid neglect and uncertainty.

    The humanitarian situation grew increasingly dire. The collapse of water and sanitation infrastructure led to alarming outbreaks of preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid. In villages like Obang and Tingoh, women and children walked miles each day in search of contaminated water sources, exposing themselves to violence and exploitation. Public health facilities were either non-functional or inaccessible due to insecurity, while displaced households lived in overcrowded shelters without toilets or hygiene facilities. For persons with disabilities, these conditions were not just challenging — they were inhumane, stripping them of dignity and inclusion.

    Simultaneously, livelihood systems disintegrated. Farming, petty trade, and small businesses — once the economic backbone of the NWSW — collapsed under the weight of conflict. Markets were burned or abandoned, farmlands deserted, and entire families left without income. Women, youth, and the elderly became increasingly dependent on sporadic humanitarian aid. The result was a surge in negative coping mechanisms — child labor, transactional sex, and early marriage — as families fought to meet daily survival needs.

    This convergence of protection, health, and livelihood crises created a vicious cycle of vulnerability. The absence of clean water and adequate sanitation aggravated disease prevalence; disease further weakened livelihoods; and the lack of income reduced communities’ ability to maintain hygiene or rebuild essential infrastructure. Communities lost both physical assets and the social trust needed to work collectively toward recovery.

    It was within this context that LUKMEF, with support from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and SIDA, initiated the Safety, Basic Needs, and Livelihood Protection Project (April 2024 – February 2025). The intervention was designed to restore a sense of safety and human dignity by addressing the most urgent humanitarian needs: ensuring access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene education, and livelihood protection in hard-to-reach and crisis-affected areas.

    The project emerged as a lifeline — not only to deliver immediate relief but also to rebuild community resilience and local capacity for self-reliance. By targeting the most vulnerable — especially women, youth, and persons with disabilities — the initiative sought to break the cycle of deprivation and demonstrate that even amid crisis, restoring dignity and hope is possible when justice, compassion, and partnership meet.

    The Crisis that Threatened Survival in the North-West and South-West Regions

    Start Date

    20240401

    End Date

    20250228

    Budget

    60.000

    Donor

    SIDA, IRC

    Coordinator

    Nfor Stephen

    Sector

    WASH

    Related Pillars

    Related SDGs

    Region

    Localities

    The project was implemented across: Meme, Manyu, Mezam, and Menchum Divisions, specifically in the localities of Kake 1, Eyumojock, Santa, Tingoh, Obang, Wum, Niakom, and Befang.

    Beneficiaries

    Total Beneficiaries Reached 11,727 Target 9,832 Access to Safe Water 3,300 people Improved Sanitation (VIP Latrines) 168 individuals (11 PWDs) Hygiene Promotion 8,623 people Persons with Disabilities 11 explicitly recorded
    1. To improve access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for crisis-affected populations in the North-West and South-West regions.
    2. To protect and strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable households affected by the ongoing crisis.
    3. To promote community participation, protection, and inclusion in humanitarian response and service delivery.
    4. To strengthen local capacity for sustainability and self-reliance through training and community ownership of infrastructure.
    5. To contribute to restoring safety, dignity, and resilience among crisis-affected populations through integrated humanitarian and recovery interventions.
    Key Results Achieved Total Reach: The project reached 11,727 individuals, exceeding the initial target of 9,832 beneficiaries ; an overachievement that highlights strong community engagement and efficient delivery mechanisms. Access to Clean Water: 8 water points were constructed or rehabilitated across the North-West Region (notably in Santa, Tingoh, and Wum). 3,300 people gained improved access to safe drinking water. Sanitation and Hygiene: 15 VIP latrine blocks with showers were constructed in Obang community, benefiting 168 individuals, including 11 persons with disabilities. Hygiene promotion campaigns reached 8,623 community members, leading to measurable improvements in hygiene practices. Livelihood Protection: Cash and voucher assistance helped conflict-affected households meet basic needs and stabilize incomes in Eyumojock and Kake 1 (Meme Division). Vulnerability-based targeting ensured inclusion of women, youth, and the most at-risk populations. Sustainability Measures: Water Management Committees (WMCs) were formed and equipped with maintenance toolboxes. Local borehole repairers were trained in Wum to ensure post-project maintenance. Hygiene promoters and enumerators received practical training in data collection, ethics, and community engagement.
    Security and access constraints: Persistent insecurity in several localities (especially in the North-West) restricted mobility, delayed fieldwork, and made monitoring difficult. Infrastructure degradation: Decades of neglect and conflict-related destruction made rehabilitation work costly and time-consuming. Limited logistics in hard-to-reach areas: Transporting materials and personnel to isolated communities such as Tingoh and Befang posed serious logistical hurdles. High and unpredictable humanitarian needs: Demand far outstripped resources, with many vulnerable households left without full support. Climate and environmental factors: Heavy rains and difficult terrain delayed infrastructure works and threatened newly rehabilitated water points.
    Integrated approaches yield higher impact: Combining WASH and ERD components under one humanitarian framework allowed for simultaneous improvements in health, dignity, and economic stability. Community ownership ensures sustainability: Training WMCs, hygiene promoters, and local repairers empowered communities to maintain facilities and sustain project outcomes beyond external funding. Inclusive targeting builds trust and equity: Engaging men, women, youth, and persons with disabilities in focus groups and decision-making improved transparency and reduced social tensions around aid distribution. Partnerships accelerate results: The synergy between LUKMEF, IRC, and SIDA — leveraging local presence and international systems — enhanced accountability and reach, particularly in insecure areas.
    Scale up the integrated WASH–Livelihood model: Expand the project’s ERD/EH framework to other divisions and regions to reinforce community resilience. Invest in local systems strengthening: Continue building local capacities through refresher trainings, mentorship, and resource provision for community committees and repair technicians. Enhance security coordination: Strengthen collaboration with local authorities and humanitarian clusters to ensure staff safety and access to insecure zones. Improve sustainability mechanisms: Institutionalize maintenance funds or community savings schemes for WASH facilities to prevent post-project breakdowns. Expand inclusion and gender mainstreaming: Prioritize women’s leadership, youth participation, and disability-friendly infrastructure in all future interventions.

    Success Stories

    A Well of Hope How Clean Water Restored Dignity and Joy in Wum A Well of Hope by LUKMEF, IRC with funds from SIDA In the quiet town of Wum, tucked in Cameroon’s North-West Region, children once began each school day with a difficult choice — carry heavy jerrycans in search of water or arrive in class late and exhausted. The community’s only borehole had long collapsed, leaving families to fetch water from unsafe streams. For Grace N., a mother of three and a widow displaced by the conflict, every drop of water came at a cost. “Sometimes I would walk more than an hour just to fill two containers,” she recalls. “My children missed school because of water.” That changed in late 2024, when a joint project by LUKMEF, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and SIDA brought back not just water but renewed dignity. As part of the Humanitarian Framework Agreement on Safety, Basic Needs, and Livelihood Protection, LUKMEF engineers and community volunteers rehabilitated the broken borewell near Wum Primary School. When clean water finally gushed from the spout, the entire neighborhood erupted in cheers. Grace remembers that morning vividly: “It felt like the whole village was reborn. The children laughed and danced around the pump.” The Wum borewell is one of eight water points built or restored across the region under the project, giving 3,300 people safe and sufficient drinking water. But the intervention did more than quench thirst—it healed wounds of despair. Communities like Santa, Tingoh, and Obang saw tangible change: 15 VIP latrine blocks with showers were constructed, serving 168 individuals, including 11 persons with disabilities whose homes were adapted for easier access. “I never thought I could bathe in privacy again,” says Michael, a wheelchair user in Obang. “Now I feel human.” Beyond infrastructure, the initiative empowered people to sustain these gains. Water Management Committees were trained and equipped with maintenance toolboxes, and local borehole repairers learned to troubleshoot and fix hand pumps. Hygiene promoters, many of them women, reached over 8,600 community members, teaching hand-washing, waste management, and disease prevention. These community educators became trusted voices, turning lessons into habits and homes into safer spaces. Meanwhile, in Eyumojock and Kake 1, the project’s Economic Recovery and Development component offered livelihood support through cash and food-voucher assistance. Households devastated by displacement regained purchasing power, small traders revived their businesses, and youth found purpose again. “Before this help, I couldn’t feed my children,” says Aisha, a young mother from Eyumojock. “Now I can plan for tomorrow.” In all, the project touched 11,727 lives—far beyond the original target—proving that when compassion meets community effort, transformation follows. From clean water in Wum to restored livelihoods in Eyumojock, each story reflects resilience born from partnership. As the sun sets over the Wum hills, the laughter of schoolchildren echoes near the borewell. For Grace, that sound is the music of freedom. “This water is more than water,” she smiles. “It is life returning to us.”

     A Dignity Restored

    Michael’s Journey from Shame to Strength in Obang

    In the small community of Obang, in Cameroon’s North-West Region, the struggle for dignity was daily reality for Michael, a 47-year-old father of two who lives with a physical disability. For years, he faced humiliation each time he tried to access the bush to relieve himself. The conflict had not only destroyed homes and livelihoods — it had stripped people of privacy, safety, and basic human dignity. “I often waited until nightfall,” Michael recalls softly, “just to crawl to the bushes. It was risky, but what choice did I have?” That reality began to change when LUKMEF, with support from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and SIDA, launched the Safety, Basic Needs, and Livelihood Protection Project. The initiative prioritized inclusion, ensuring that people like Michael were not left behind. Through the project, 15 VIP latrine blocks with showers were constructed in Obang, directly benefiting 168 individuals, including 11 persons with disabilities. For Michael, one of those latrines became more than just a structure — it became freedom. “When I first entered the latrine they built for us, I cried,” he says, smiling now. “For years I was treated like less than human. Today, I feel seen and respected.” The project didn’t stop at construction. It brought hygiene promoters to the community who taught families about sanitation and disease prevention, reaching over 8,600 people across neighboring localities. In Obang, these lessons spread quickly. Families began cleaning surroundings, building hand-washing stations, and encouraging children to adopt hygienic habits. For Michael’s wife, the change has been transformative. “We used to spend hours fetching water and dealing with sickness. Now, we have water nearby, clean surroundings, and Michael can use his latrine without help,” she says proudly. What began as a humanitarian intervention has become a story of empowerment. By including people with disabilities in planning and implementation, LUKMEF restored more than health — it restored self-worth. Today, Michael is one of the community ambassadors teaching others about hygiene and inclusion. “I want others to know that disability is not inability,” he declares. “What I received, I must pass on.” In the heart of Obang, a simple latrine now stands as a symbol of human dignity reborn — a reminder that when aid meets empathy, even the most marginalized can stand tall again.

    From Hunger to Hope

     Aisha’s New Beginning in Eyumojock

    When Aisha, a 29-year-old mother of three, fled violence in her village, she arrived in Eyumojock with nothing but her children and a small bundle of clothes. Her husband was missing, her home destroyed, and her business gone. “I felt invisible,” she says. “Every day was about survival.” Eyumojock, like many communities in Cameroon’s South-West Region, was reeling from conflict, displacement, and economic collapse. Markets were empty, food prices had tripled, and women like Aisha had lost every source of livelihood. Through the IRC–SIDA partnership, LUKMEF launched a livelihood support program that provided cash and food-voucher assistance to vulnerable households. Aisha was among the hundreds selected through transparent community targeting and focus group discussions involving both men and women. “It was the first time I felt my voice mattered,” she recalls. With her first voucher, Aisha redeemed food supplies that sustained her family for weeks. The second round of support came as a business grant, which she used to restart her small stall selling soap, oil, and groundnuts. “It was a miracle,” she says. “I could finally feed my children without begging.” Over time, Aisha joined a feedback committee, ensuring others in her community could express concerns and ideas. “This project didn’t just give us food — it gave us confidence,” she says. Across Eyumojock and neighboring Kake 1 (Meme Division), the initiative helped families recover from the brink of starvation. It reawakened local trade, reduced dependency, and empowered women to take leadership roles in their communities. Aisha now dreams of expanding her business. “If I can save enough, I’ll buy a sewing machine and start making clothes,” she says, her eyes bright. “My children will not suffer as I did.” To many, her success might seem small. But in a conflict zone where despair was once the norm, Aisha’s journey is a revolution. “People used to say nothing good can come from war,” she reflects. “But I’ve learned that with support and courage, even ashes can grow flowers.” Her words echo what the project has proven — that when humanitarian aid is rooted in dignity, participation, and empowerment, it does more than save lives. It rebuilds them.