Cameroon
Location:
Cameroon is slightly larger than California. It is one of Africa’s most varied countries, physically and culturally.
Language:
English; French; twenty-four African languages
Common Religions:
Islam; Christianity; indigenous beliefs. Cameroon is mainly Catholic (34.7%) and Protestant (17.5%), but there is also a large Muslim population (21%), especially in the North. More than a quarter of the population follows traditional African religions.
Problems for people here:
Years ago, Cameroonians faced difficult challenges from everyday comforts that we often take for granted: clean water, reliable food sources, and a safe place to sleep. The threat that Boko Haram and the Islamic State have provided in recent years, now coupled with language-related separatists clashing with the government, has been calamitous and caused thousands to flee the country. Violence has overtaken life in the country; from the wide expanses surrounding Lake Chad to the modern cities like Yaoundé. What was once a difficult life, has now become one without schools, without the ability to farm, and with no possibility for a normal life.
How PIME helps the mission here:
The Bethlehem Foundation in Cameroon is an all-encompassing social development project that seeks to provide equal rights and opportunities for disabled, orphaned, or forgotten Cameroonians. The Edimar Center in Yaoundé works with street children to educate them and keep them out of harm’s way. The St. Blaise Parish Center in Mvog-Ebanda works with internally displaced Africans to help them find work, or further their education. All of these programs help to combat the ever-growing education and refugee crisis in the country. PIME also works with the different Caritas organizations to provide food, medical aid, water, and necessities to people in the rural Far North Region.
