Above: AIRD in Cameroon collaborates with other partners for the success of the food assistance and distribution project
Instability in the North west and Southwest regions of Cameroon has led to hundreds of thousands being displaced and in dire need of humanitarian aid and support. A Humanitarian Response report estimates that there are at least 2.2 million affected people in this area, with 1.6 million targeted for assistance. Nearly 712,800 are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 333,900 are returnees (former IDPs). Across the border are 67,500 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. (UNHCR-Cameroon Refugees Overview, March 2021). Civilians in the North-West and South West regions of Cameroon have experienced horrific human rights violations and armed attacks since September 2017 following clashes between Ambazonia separatists and governmental forces.
An estimated 462,000 people in the North and South West regions fall within the Crisis and Emergency phases of food insecurity, calling for urgent action to protect and revive livelihoods, reduce food consumption gaps and acute malnutrition.
As part of interagency efforts under the World Food Program (WFP), AIRD in Cameroon is working as the Third Party Monitoring partner, running with the checking of the important work being implemented by other partners as they meet the food needs of persons of concern in this area.
The monitoring of any project is absolutely critical as it helps the teams understand the true needs of displaced people, especially in such volatile contexts as Western Cameroon. In order to have a sustainable impact and truly alleviate the suffering of the people in this region, it is vital to know if the work is being done right. Through objective assessments and against set indicators, the AIRD team uses a combination of data collection tools and techniques to ascertain that the help being offered to maintain the dignity of displaced people is achieving its goals. The greatest beneficiaries of effective monitoring are undoubtedly the target population and accountability to them is of the utmost importance.
Beginning in March 2021 and running up till December 2021, AIRD as the Third Party Monitoring Partner will undertake these services for WFP Cooperating Partners in the Fako, Meme and Manyu Divisions of the South West Region of Cameroon.
The main objectives for AIRD are to:
- Monitor and ensure that at least 80,000 vulnerable IDPs and host families are identified
- Confirm that all the identified vulnerable IDPs and host families receive nutritional support through provision of food from 1st March to 31st December 2021
The monitoring work that AIRD is undertaking includes: Food Basket Monitoring, Food Distribution Monitoring, Warehouse Monitoring, Market Price Monitoring, Post-distribution Monitoring and Cash Based Transfer Monitoring. Regular visits for monitoring purposes will continue in all the areas of implementation of the project. These visits have not been without their challenges, however, such as in the Fako division where insecurity led to the suspension of activities by WFP.
Above: Sensitisation of pregnant and nursing mothers before their ration distribution
The data collected from the monitoring of these activities is absolutely critical as it informs the decisions that are made about what is working and what isn’t in these response efforts, and how to ensure future programming meets the true needs of the affected populations. It is through these monitoring interventions that vital information and insights can be brought to light, such as the effects on vulnerable populations including women, Gender Based Violence victims and children.
AIRD will work to collect the right data and collaborate with other partners to ensure that together, our joint efforts are having a positive impact on the lives of the communities in these areas and continue to yield positive results for the populations.