Minette, 38, and her family fled from Manyu and sought safety in Buea after their home was burnt down. They have received some plastic sheeting and utensils from NRC, and they have built a temporary kitchen at their new place in Buea. Photo: Tiril Skarstein/NRC

NRC in Cameroon

NRC started activities in Cameroon in April 2017 and is currently responding to three humanitarian crises simultaneously.

Facts

A total of

150,510

people in need received our assistance in 2022.

 

Humanitarian overview

Despite the attention received when NRC named Cameroon the third most neglected crisis in the world in 2021, as of December 2022 only 49 per cent of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) had been funded.

Since 2014, attacks by Boko Haram insurgents have continued to force massive population displacements in Cameroon’s Far North region. As of December 2022, the UNHCR counts 385,372 internally displaced people in the region. In the Southwest and Northwest regions, an internal crisis has been unfolding since 2016, leading to the internal displacement of 579,000 people, and 71,000 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. Since December 2020, following election violence in Central African Republic (CAR), an additional influx of more than 346,000 refugees from CAR has joined those already in Cameroon.

 

  • 21,370
    people benefited from our education programme
  • 34,486
    people benefited from our food security programme
  • 15,827
    people benefited from our shelter programme
  • 25,965
    people benefited from our ICLA programme
  • 90,103
    people benefited from our WASH programme

 

NRC’s operation

NRC opened its country office in April 2017 in the Far North region of Cameroon, followed by an office in the Southwest region in June 2018 and a sub-office in the Northwest region in March 2019. Here, NRC provides integrated multi-sector assistance, covering emergency needs and linking them to recovery interventions. In addition, NRC opened a sub-office in the East region in July 2019 to provide information, counselling, and legal assistance to refugees from CAR. NRC is a key advocacy actor though its leadership roles in coordination fora.

NRC EducationEducation

 
We collaborate with communities and local authorities to support children’s access to quality education. Our education teams:

  • train primary school teachers in psychosocial support, inclusive education, and more
  • support access to accelerated education for out-of-school children
  • assist in providing emergency resources for vulnerable schools and children to enhance teaching and learning
  • support transition to and retention into formal basic education

NRC Livelihoods and food securityLivelihoods and food security

 
We collaborate with communities to ensure conflict-affected populations can improve their food security and revive their livelihoods. Our teams:

  • distribute cash so that displaced people can access food and other basic necessities
  • distribute small livestock, seeds and agricultural inputs, and ensure access to water
  • train youth and adults in income generating activities and provide them with cash grants for start-up of activities
  • train women and men in food processing and improved agricultural techniques

NRC Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)

 
We collaborate with communities and local authorities to ensure conflict-affected populations can exercise their rights. Our ICLA teams:

  • provide information, counselling, training and legal assistance on legal and civil documentation, as well as promoting security of tenure and claiming other housing, land and property (HLP) rights
  • train local entities involved in childbirth registration, as well as HLP and dispute resolution
  • lead a working group on HLP, coordinating with actors to ensure that HLP is integrated as cross-cutting
  • provide technical support to the humanitarian community

 

NRC Shelter and settlementsShelter and settlements

 
We collaborate with communities to ensure conflict-affected populations have access to safe and dignified housing and learning environments. Our shelter teams:

  • support displaced populations with emergency shelter kits and essential household items
  • support those experiencing protracted displacement with transitional housing support and essential household items
  • support returnees with technical and material support to (re-)construct their homes
  • construct and/or rehabilitate emergency and longer-term learning environments for students

NRC Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) promotion

 
We collaborate with communities and local authorities to ensure conflict-affected populations have access to adequate water and sanitation services as well as adequate hygiene items and services. Our WASH teams:

  • support displaced people with access to water by rehabilitating/constructing boreholes and supporting councils with spare parts and maintenance toolkits
  • construct emergency institutional and family latrines in emergency and recovery settings
  • support learning environments with access to water and sanitation, and provide hygiene promotion
  • conduct hygiene promotion activities, including on cholera and Covid-19 prevention, as well distributing essential hygiene items, including menstrual hygiene kits to women and girls

 

 

Contact NRC Cameroon

Country director

Elena Vicario

Phone

+237 685 135 210

About NRC in Cameroon

Established
2017
International staff
9
Areas of operations
Yaoundé (country office), Far North region, Southwest and Northwest regions, East region
National staff
149