Cameroon Link - WABA Gold Medal Award Holder

Cameroon Link
2008 WABA Gold Medal Award Holder
2007 IBFAN Africa Communication Distinction Award Holder
Cameroon Link is a national registered charity, not-for-profit organization involved in the promotion of health development, communication and human rights advocacy. Cameroon Link won a WABA World Breastfeeding Week Marathon Gold Medal in 2008.
It was founded by a professional dialogue group of communication specialists, journalists, health and social welfare workers, following the crucial lack of good circulation of information on health development policies with special focus on mother and child care, social welfare issues, infant feeding and food-self sufficiency in Cameroon. Its current activities focus on women and child rights as an activist and advocacy networking group.
Cameroon Link was established on the 9th September 1991 and officially registered on the 23rd November 1992. It is the focal point for the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA. With its endorsement of the initiatives of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN Africa), the team leader of Cameroon Link was elected to chairperson position of FECABPA on the 14th September 2007.
FECABPA
In accordance with the decision taken at the end of the preparatory meeting of WBW 2007 held on the 11th July 2007 at the conference hall of the Department for health Promotion at the Ministry of the Public Health in Yaoundé by Associations/NGOs involved in the promotion of health and development, the “Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations” abbreviated as “FECABPA” was found. FECABPA received legal government official endorsement at the Prefecture of Mfoundi on the 10th December 2007. It serves as the national forum for exchanges of expertise and experiences on the promotion of mother and child rights. FECABPA’s action is centred on the promotion of nutrition and especially Infant and Young Child Feeding.
Programme of WBW in Cameroon
- 1st August - Launching by S.E. The Minister of Public Health
- 2nd August – Media campaign on the relevance of WBW Theme;
- Promotion of Decree N° 2005/5158/PM of 01/12/2005 on the marketing of substitutes of the milk; Distribution of translated materials in local languages to community radio stations.
- Orientation of WABA Men's Initiative and New Cycle
- 3rd August - Social mobilization & advocacy for mother support in emergencies;
- 4th August – Organisation of educative talks for men's and mothers' support groups on breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS with WHO/UNICEF Up Dated Recommendations; Production and distribution of sensitization CD-ROMs to media houses for specialized programmes in local languages.
- 5th August – Capacity building training on handling emergency situations and the type of support breastfeeding mothers merit from fathers and youths during emergencies.
- 6th August – Community Education on risks due to the use of the artificial feeding for the child and the mother during emergencies.
- 7th August - Up date Conference on the International Code and Monitoring in Cameroon during FECABPA open day at Cameroon Link Headquarters in Grand Hangar-Bonabéri – (Douala City Neighbourhood)
Men’s Initiative: “Not for Fathers Only”
Men and Youths’ Involvement for Mother Support & Maternity Protection
• Project Duration: June 2009 – June 2012)
• Execution Organization : Cameroon Link
• Contact Person and Title: James Achanyi-Fontem, Coordinator
• Project Sites: Littoral, South West & North West Regions
• Postal Address: P.O. Box 1460 Douala Littoral Region, Cameroon
• Physical Address : Bloc 5 Grand Hangar, Bonabéri (Nouvelle Route)
• Tel : (+237)77 75 88 40 Fax : (+237)33 39 13 56
• Email: camlink99@gmail.com
2. Project Background
In Cameroon, culture rules that the man supports the family and be served by the woman. On the other hand, the woman’s low social status is reflected in various aspects of her live, such as education and health. The Cameroon woman lacks decision making power and faces discrimination, suffers more from poverty, lack of education and limited income-earning opportunity than the man.
The woman’s reproductive cycle is made up of puberty, period, sex, pregnancy, birthing and breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a reproductive health right, thus factual information should be made available to all women through community support initiatives for appropriate and adequate infant and young child feeding.
3. Situation of Community Mother Support in Cameroon
The community mother support initiative is a continuing enhancement and development of the idea of social mobilisation for involvement of different target groups, in an effort to protect, promote and support breastfeeding throughout the Cameroon. The initial idea was derived after the 6th IBFAN Africa Regional Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2003. This led to the formation of the first Mother Support Groups.
Following the participation of Cameroon Link during the Midwives’ Training on the promotion of the BFHI in Swaziland (2006), contribution to the preparation of the Mother Support Summit in Chicago, USA (July 2007) and participation at the 7th IBFAN Africa Regional Conference in Maputo, Mozambique (August 2007), new developments and orientations have led to the expansion of mother support and integration of two specific target community groups in breastfeeding mothers’ support activities.
The role of women has broadened considerably and encompass much more than home and family. This expanded role strengthens the need for networking, its value, and its effectiveness. Many women today do not have a network of support to call upon. Extended family members are not necessarily close geographically, so women rely on non-family members and, when available, on technological innovations such as the telephone and Internet.
The involvement of men and youths in community mother support activities aim at creating an enabling environment where men and youths, particularly fathers, participate actively in and share responsibilities with women in optimally caring for their infants and young children, through advocacy, education and capacity building.
4. Breastfeeding Protection and Promotion
• The Breastfeeding rate in Cameroon remains low by statistics put at 24 % compared to other African countries.
• The new community target groups have not been integrated in ante-natal, delivery and post natal services interventions and parental education in Cameroon.
• Profiles need to be developed which will provide a global snapshot of men’s and youths’ involvement in the feeding and care of infant and young children.
• There is need to disseminate specific knowledge about the advantages of father and youth involvement to all parents.
• There is need for linkages with related target groups: mother support groups, men’s support groups, and youth support groups.
• There is need to advocate for better legislation in support of maximum participation of the community in child care and parenting
• Community mother support initiatives would act as a stimulus scaling up Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) globally.
5. Men and Youths’ Involvement
Men and Youths’ Involvement is any support provided to mothers for the purpose of improving the practice of breastfeeding for the two: mother and infant or young child. Needs of a mother for breastfeeding support are similar to needs of an Olympic athlete. Athletes combine the determination and commitment with the support of family (including youth and father), trainers, members of team, and the government. The mother that breastfeeds needs similar support. Collective consistent efforts of all youths and men are also necessary for achieving exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 six months as a means of protection of the health of the mother and the child. `Decent work' agenda in Cameroon where the needs of mothers providing care to their fellow human beings are neither recognised nor protected.
The implementation of the Cameroon national code published in December 2005 is slow and has led to all sorts of interpretations by companies manufacturing and distributing infant formulae. Continuous advocacy, training and social mobilisation of men and youths for involvement through social mobilisation mass events in Yaounde, Edea and Douala, educative talks, Radio Quiz and monitoring has been planned for achieving behaviour change communication within the communities.
6. OBJECTIVES
• To increase the awareness of need for and the value of male and youth to provide support to breastfeeding mothers.
• To disseminate information updates on mother support for breastfeeding practices through men and youths’ involvement activities.
• To create optimal conditions for the provision of support to mothers by men and youths.
• Advocate for the integration of mothers’ care work as real work into the analysis of work by mainstreaming statistics, economic analysis and social policy
7. Specific objectives:
o To inculcate the mastery of basic principles of breastfeeding protection and promotion
o To advocate for gender equality and women's empowerment through government’s increased allocation for gender-sensitive polices and programmes.
o To promote Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) through Men and Youths Involvement
o To Vulgarise the main points on the support that mothers merits from their partners;
o To create fathers’ and youths’ support groups within the communities for BF promotion and protection.
o To educate youths and men on the risks of artificial feeding for the child and the mother, by training journalists on code advocacy and monitoring strategies.
8. Results awaited
Men and Youths appropriate and own breastfeeding activities through involvement in the World Breastfeeding Week Campaign and BFCI in Cameroon;
o Male workers of three health facilities (Grand Hangar, Sodiko, Ndobo, Bonassama, Mambanda, Bonamikano and Bonendale) are sensitized on the Global Initiative for Father Support (GIFS);
o 50 Counselors for Men and Youths’ Involvement are trained each year;
o More than 1.000 mothers, 500 fathers, 200 youths are reached through WBW mass events and educative talks in the health districts ;
o The media (Radio - TV and newspapers) are used as tools for community outreach on the involvement of men and youths for mother support; more articles are published and more programmes are produced on radio and television.
o Youths Social mobilisation conferences are organized in colleges for students of examination classes.
o 100 First-time fathers and first-time mothers are counselled on their roles within the framework of the global initiative of men's support;
Projects Execution Team
President - James Achanyi-Fontem of Cameroon Link (Douala)
Vice President - Mrs Odette Etame of NOLFOWOP (Yaoundé)
Secretary General - Mrs Suzanne Messe of Alternative Santé (Yaoundé)
Deputy Secretary General – Maurice Ewane of Santous 2000 (Edéa)
Treasurer – NGWANOU Daniel of Step Ministry Cameroon (Yaoundé)
Communication Officer: Tsenou Martine Yolande -CAMNAFAW
Commissioner of Account N°1 - WANGO Magdalene of Cameroon Midwives Association (CMA) Yaoundé
Commissioner of Account N°2 - Tchamkou Mathilde of ASSF (Douala)
Adviser N° 1 – Daniel Sibetcheu, Director for Health Promotion (MOH)
Adviser N° 2 – Georges Okala, Sub Director for Food and Nutrition (MOH)