In Cameroon, the Far North region faces a persistent humanitarian crisis marked by armed conflicts linked to Boko Haram, epidemics of cholera and measles, and the consequences of climate change. Thousands of internally displaced people and refugees from neighboring Nigeria and Chad are putting intense pressure on already fragile health structures, while the security situation hampers access to care.
Today, nearly 3 million people suffer from severe food insecurity, according to OCHA. Children are the first victims: in the first quarter of this year, 200,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition and in the Far North, child malnutrition remains an emergency.
[Reportage long format à l’occasion de la Journée mondiale contre la faim]
To combat infant mortality, the international medical humanitarian NGO ALIMA supports local structures in the Mayo-Tsanaga department which provide isolated and vulnerable populations with free access to care: medical and therapeutic care for malnourished children. the regional annex hospital of Mokolo and in six peripheral health centers. But also a community strategy to detect and prevent malnutrition and train families in nutritional education. As soon as a child is diagnosed with malnutrition at one of the health centers, he enters a 42-day program, that is to say he is treated in the community and if he presents complications, he is immediately referred to the Mokolo regional annex hospital.
2,600 admissions since 2024
Dehydration, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, fever, anemia, hypothermia, convulsions, exhaustion… The consequences of malnutrition can be fatal for children. To save malnourished toddlers, the internal therapeutic nutritional center of the Mokolo hospital is the only one functional in the entire department. Since 2024, it has recorded 2,600 admissions. Two aspects of care: firstly medicinal, to alleviate complications, and nutritional, to remedy the deficiencies in nutrients and vitamins linked to the unstable state of sick children. Today, Mokolo hospital records a recovery rate of 93%.
The healing of these children also involves physical and cognitive stimulation activities. Psychostimulation is essential in the management of malnutrition because when a child is malnourished, he is sluggish, tired, turned off, his brain is slowed down. If this cognitive and psychological aspect is not taken into account, this will delay the improvement of his clinical state, his psychomotor development and his future physiology. Awakening activities will therefore facilitate his healing.
Community monitoring
Upon leaving the hospital, children are followed in community health centers: progress consultations, awareness-raising on good nutritional practices and hygiene, home visits to community relays, culinary demonstrations. Communities are essential levers for child health.
In Mokolo, as in so many other communities, each child saved is a collective victory. A victory made possible by the dedication of caregivers, the commitment of communities and the support of humanitarian agencies. Testimonies which remind us how access to care remains a central issue in a region where distances, insecurity and the decline in humanitarian funding complicate health pathways. HAS
A long format reportageRaphaëlle Constant réalisé par Victor Uhlin partnership with l’ONG Alima (Alliance for International Medical Action), on the occasion of World Hunger Day.
Musical programming :Â
► Blick Bassy – Donalina.Â
