Plan Cameroon Annual Progress Report 2010

A YEAR IN

CAMEROON 2010 SPAIN

TUR

ITALY

GREECE

GIBRALTAR

MALTA

SUMMARY REPORT

TUNISIA

MOROCCO

A child writes a letter to his sponsor ALGERIA

3

GOOD REASONS

OUR PRIORITIES LIBYA

why Plan works in Cameroon

in Cameroon

• Each year, 96,000 children in Cameroon die before they reach the age of five, many from preventable diseases

• Improving the quality of life for the indigenous Baka community

• 41 per cent of girls aged 15–24 cannot read or write

• Promoting children’s education and encouraging their participation in school life

• Over a third of births take place without skilled medical assistance

• Helping families find ways to increase their financial security • Building strong local partnerships that can respond to communities’ development needs

MALI

‘Most parents in poor, rural areas are unaware of how to obtain a birth certificate for their newborns.’

Niger

NIGER

Nig er

CAMEROON

Parents, teachers and children inspect new equipment at an ECCD Centre in Djamble

Country Office Program Units

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NIGERIA

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GABON

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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

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CONGO

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Bertoua

Yaoundé Ebolowa

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

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DEM REPUBLIC OF CO

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SAO TOME & PRINCIPE

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Equatorial rainforest dominates this region, although its alternation between wet and dry seasons makes it is less humid than the coast.

Economy: Cameroon has Nig er been following programs advocated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce poverty, privatise industries and increase economic growth.

Tourism is a growing sector, particularly in the coastal area around Mount Cameroon, and in the north.

Dja

(official). 24 local languages TOGO are also spoken.

Climate: The coastal plain extends 15 to 150 kilometres inland from the Gulf of Guinea and has an average elevation Couffo of 90 metres. Exceedingly hot and humid with a short dry season, this belt is densely forested and includes some of the wettest places on earth.

The South Cameroon Plateau rises from the coastal plain to an average elevation of 650

metres.

BENIN

Maroua Lo

Black Volta

Atacora Capital: Yaoundé Population: 18.8 million Languages: English and French GHANA

Char i

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Oti Cameroon Facts

Congo

Aruwim

Focus on:

Baka rights and dignity Cameroon’s indigenous Baka people live in the country’s rainforest. Destruction of their environment means they are having to adapt to mainstream Cameroonian society, where their lack of status puts them at risk of exploitation. Plan aims to improve the quality of life for Baka families, help them integrate into wider society and ensure they are recognised as full citizens. Our work

includes helping families access education, healthcare and sanitation.

We support them in obtaining birth certificates, identity cards, and in proving legal ownership of their land. We also promote understanding of Baka culture.

A child being interviewed on youth activities implemented in his community by his group

Recognition for Ndeh Two certificates have pride of place in 13-year-old Ndeh’s home.

The first was awarded for passing her final examinations at primary school. The second is her newly acquired birth certificate.

Until a few weeks before her exams, Ndeh did not own a birth certificate. Without this vital piece of paper, Ndeh could not prove her age or nationality, and would not be entitled to register for the tests. Six years of schooling could have been wasted.

Ndeh comes from the Baka community, a minority ethnic group living in the equatorial rainforest of eastern Cameroon. For centuries they used the forest’s resources for food and shelter. They have had little need for the outside world and most have no documents proving their citizenship.

Now, the outside world is threatening the Bakas’ ancient way of life. Logging and clearing of the forest means that every year more Bakas are forced to abandon their homes and start new lives outside.

Lack of awareness It has not been an easy transition. Without legal documentation to show they are citizens of Cameroon, Baka people are denied the chance to build better lives for themselves.

They cannot prove any entitlement to the forest land they have occupied for so many years. They can be refused services like healthcare or education for their children.

Worse, they are open to exploitation and abuse.

For Baka children like Ndeh, a birth certificate is the first and most crucial step towards taking their place in Cameroonian society. It means they can enrol in school, learn new skills and take up job opportunities.

Birth registration is free in Cameroon within the first three months of giving birth, but most parents in poor rural areas are unaware of how to obtain a birth certificate for their newborns.

Produced for Cameroon by Plan International Australia.

Most women give birth at home, with the help of a traditional birth attendant. This is a local woman trained to support mothers through labour. By law, she can register births, but many do not know of the procedure.

By the time a child needs their birth certificate, to take exams for example, it is often too late.

At that stage the birth registration process is complicated and costly.

Joint action Plan teamed up with local Baka nongovernmental organisation Astradhe, the Ministry of Basic Education, and the local council and legal department to issue birth certificates to Baka children in 11 communities across eastern Cameroon.

We decided the most urgent cases were children who were already in school but unable to take their final exams. Headteachers in the communities and education inspectors found 300 pupils whose future depended on our action.

The Ministry of Public Health produced a document of apparent age for each child, which was finalised in a legal paper by the Ministry of Justice. Then, birth certificates could be issued by the registrars. These were given to the children and they sat their exams.

Among them was Ndeh. She believes the program has had far-reaching results, explaining: ‘It has raised awareness about the importance of early birth registration in my community.’

Over a ten-year period, Plan is working to increase the number of Baka children with a birth certificate from three per cent to 50 per cent.

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons.

The Bigger Picture Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Cameroon. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Cameroon with this report but over the past year we also: • Helped to ensure children receive all their immunisations by supporting the Ministry of Health to produce 100,000 vaccination cards • Improved the quality of care and education for very young children by offering training to 359 teachers and volunteers • Supported communities in constructing or upgrading 60 water points, giving families the benefits of clean, safe water • Helped 180 children and young people to participate in children’s parliaments, helping them advocate for child rights in their communities Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Cameroon.

Thank you for your involvement!

To learn more about Plan’s work in Cameroon visit plan.org.au/ourwork/westafrica/cameroon

‘Without this vital piece of paper, Ndeh could not prove her age or nationality, and would not be entitled to register for the tests.’