The Center for Clinical Pastoral Education and Social Services (CECPES) Capacity Building Workshop Phase 4 held from November 5-6, 2025 at the Director of Health Services (DHS) Conference Hall in Bamenda. The workshop aimed at equipping future humanitarian leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to promote disability inclusion and support humanitarian efforts, under the theme, “Leave No One Behind”. The Coordinating Unit of Associations of Persons With Disabilities (CUAPWD) sponsored the workshop in collaboration with Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Handicappe Internationale and the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) through CECPES.
The participants included visually impaired Precious Nojick, a clinical social worker, running an initiative called, Voices for accessibility and inclusion”. The workshop also involved social work students, aspiring humanitarians and alumni to equip them with knowledge on working with people with disabilities, focusing on disability inclusion and sustainable impact.
The two-day workshop covered key topics such as understanding disability, humanitarian coordination in Cameroon, empowering persons with disabilities, crisis management and humanitarian intervention, and Enabling the uptake of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee IASC guidelines on Disability Inclusion for lasting impact through side scaling and localisation.
Workshop coordinator, Mr. Chick Sama, General Coordinator of CUAPWD, drilled participants on the twin track approach which embodies building capacities for disability programs/services and provision of target support for persons with disabilities. He also urged the participants to always see persons with disabilities as collaborators. Give guarantee to meaningful and effective communication, and to be conscious about removing barriers such as communicative, institutional and environmental barriers. “Wherever you are taking decisions take them with persons with disabilities in mind. Change the mindsets on people with disabilities beginning from our homes,” said Mr. Chick.
CECPES staff, Mr. Mbankui Frederick also guided participants through interactive sessions and discussions, highlighting the importance of social workers in humanitarian work and competence. He gave six core values of social work, which include; service to humanity, social justice, dignity of a person, importance of human relationships, upholding client representation and the role of CECPES in building disability-inclusive social workers.
Madame Ngehbi Winifred, on her part, schooled the participants on safeguarding the dignity of persons with disabilities and gave four points which are necessary for counselling. These are: widespread distress, capacity building, strengthening resilience and coping mechanisms.
The participants carried out a team building activity to assess what more can be done by humanitarian organisations moving forward, how they will work to attain more in empowering persons with disabilities and how they themselves will strive to implement what they have learnt going forward. Words of gratitude and appreciation by the Coordinator of CUAPWD, Mr. Chick Sama expressing gratitude to CECPES, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health services and to their collaborative partners for making this workshop possible.
The Director of CECPES, Rev Mbuh Julius also appreciated the collaborators from CUAPWD, CBM and Hope and Healing International. Rev. Mbuh also offered words of encouragement to the participants to be diligent in their work and strive to be a voice for persons living with disabilities in our communities. The workshop closed with the handing of Certificates by the Director of CECPES, general photos and refreshments.
