“Let the children play here. It is for them. Do not be harsh on the kids”.
Nadine Perrault
The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund, UNICEF over the past few years has been very particular with the situation of children in the ongoing crisis in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. The Country Office of UNICEF in Cameroon has been scouting the regions seeking areas of appropriate intervention. One of such field visits took place on November 16th, 2023, with the arrival of the Country Director, Nadine Perrault, to the Southwest Regional Headquarter, Buea. Within the context of her stay, she paid several visits to administrative authorities of the region and projects initiated by her structure
In one of the plantation camps in the farming dominant community of small Ekange, Tiko Subdivision in Fako Division, a small locality of approximately 600 persons, Madam Nadine and her team made a stop to supervise and lay the foundation stone for the commencement of a new building. The house is going to be a Safe Learning Space for children in the community to play out the stress of the crisis. Mounting the first foundation block and addressing the local populace, the UNICEF Envoy noted that the mental health of the kids in the troubled area was paramount. While speaking to the parents of these children, she insisted, “Let the children play here. It is for them. Do not be harsh on the kids”.
The various speakers, mostly community leaders who spoke affirmed and promise to adhere to the words of the visiting officials and commit to be good custodians of the project they have benefited from
The Safe Spaces Infra Structural Support Project which is in its pilot phase is part of UNICEF’s Radio Education Program. It is implemented in small Ekange by a local Non Governmental Organization, MBONWEH Women Development Association Cameroon.
Tiko is one of the area’s most hit by the ongoing Crisis in Cameroon since 2016. Many farmers in plantations around this area have lost their lives leaving the village in devastation. The UNICEF envoy says she believes this project will bring joy and happiness to the children whose mental health has been touched.
