Cameroon:"Emanga Foundation" Assists Victims of Anglophone Crisis

By  Che Tanji 

The worsening humanitarian crisis occasioned by the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, which started in November 2016, is begging for more national and international assistance to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) and refugees.

Mrs.Baron(in trousers)  of Emanga Foundation comforts a Crisis Victim

The crisis which has degenerated into armed conflict between government forces and separatists has forced about 50,000 fleeing Cameroonians to seek asylum in Nigeria and at least 300,000 people are internally displaced.

Close to 1000 people including soldiers have reportedly died as a result of what pundits describe as a “senseless war.”

 British Southern Cameroons (today’s two English-speaking regions of Cameroon otherwise also called Anglophone Cameroon) gained its independence on October 1, 1961 by joining La Republique of Cameroon which had on January 1, 1960 got its independence from France. But all the legal requirements, according to Article 102 of the UN Charter, were not fulfilled

Since then Anglophones-the minority, have been complaining and agitating against their gross marginalization in almost all aspects by the majority Francophones, who have since 1961 produced the only two presidents (Pioneer President Amadou Ahidjo and sitting President Paul Biya) the country has had  till date.

Thus, Anglophone separatists are advocating for the Independence of an Anglophone country, which they intend to call Ambazonia;but  the  Cameroon Government has been responding to their demand with  a crackdown.

Since the Anglophone crisis erupted  in October 2016, resulting in hundreds of deaths, it was only last Jun the  Cameroon Government launched an Emergency Humanitarian Plan worth 12.7 billion FCFA ,to assist those(especially IDPs and victims of arson) who have suffered damages unduly.

But the Government relief package is too insufficient, reason why other humanitarian organizations including are United Nations are coming in to assist the increasing number of the crisis victims.

The Ayah Foundation has been widely acclaimed for its enormous assistance so far given victims of the “senseless war.”

This December, the EMANGA FOUNDATION,a Germany-based NGO,created to assist “help  African Girls who come to Germany and became traumatized by circumstances there” came to the assistance of some victims of the crisis in Buea.

(The Foundation is also aimed at creating” awareness about Mental illnesses among African migrants”)

But worried by the Anglophone Crisis, which has left many in poverty and pain,the Cameroonian-born currently resident in Germany, Honorine Emanga Baron who is founder of EMANGA Foundation,  visited some of the crisis victims and offerd them assistance.

“From my visit to the crisis victims, I would describe the living conditions of some victims as very pathetic. I met nine to ten persons crammed in a one  or two-bed room house  with almost nothing to eat”, she noted after offering foodstuff and other items to Saint Maria Orphanage in Mile 16 Buea, which because of the crisis, the orphans were relocated in Great Soppo.

The Emanga Foundation also donated  material assistance  such as mattresses  to some Internally Displaced families from faraway localities, now living in Buea.

The Foundation has reportedly made arrangement for some female IDPs to engage in tailoring for a year on its bill.

The founder promised to look for more assistance for the IDPs on return to Germany.

It should be noted that Honorine Emanga Baron was the 2016 winner of the Cameroon Career Women’s Award (CCWA) in the Health care category, which took place in March that year in London.

Mrs.Baron is a triple-qualified general nurse,psychiatric nurse and nursing instructor in Germany. 

This kind-hearted lady grew up in Buea(Cameroon) and graduated from University of Buea  before traveling to Germany in 2003, where she later  studied and graduated from prestigious LWL Akademie Nursing School in Munster.

Also an advocate against torture and suffering,Mrs. Baron has personally assisted many African Women in difficulty living in Germany for years,before recently launching Emanga Foundation