The SEEPD Program to Forster Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Response Initiatives Through The Inclusive Emergency Response Project
The CBC Health Services SEEPD Programme now has a mandate to influence the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian interventions in the North West Region. This comes with the start of the Inclusive Emergency Response (IER) Project aimed at improving access to inclusive humanitarian assistance and protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of host communities with special attention to the rights and needs of persons with disabilities in the North-West Region, Cameroon.
A meeting to discuss the implementation of the new project’s activities, took place on June 16, 2021 and was chaired by the CBC Health Services Director Prof. Tih Pius Muffih. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders from the different components of the project. It was aimed at fostering a common understanding of the IER project among key stakeholders and to clarify roles and responsibilities and plan for next steps.
The Project Manager, Mr. Awa Jacques Chirac, while providing an overview of the project, disclosed that the project was designed following gaps in mainstreaming disabilities in humanitarian response initiatives to the 782, 535 persons in need of assistance in the North West Region as a result of the socio-political crisis.
According to the SEEPD Programme Manager, the project will realise its objective in the areas of health and protection. In the aspect of health the project will improve access to inclusive and accessible health care, providing care to those affected by the conflict, improving the availability of accessible health information, mainstreaming disability in the coordination of activities. In the domain of protection, the project will facilitate the mainstreaming of disability as an important and often overlooked aspect of protection and strengthen the participation opportunities for people with and without disabilities
During its lifespan the project will seek to ensure that local, national, and international humanitarian organizations, donor agencies, and government (humanitarian) actors improve their policies and practices of inclusive humanitarian aid and implement disability-mainstreaming measures in their programs. It will also organise activities to increase the capacities of persons with disabilities and organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) for effective advocacy and meaningful and active contribution to inclusive humanitarian response. The last expected outcome of the project will be for people with disabilities and other at-risk groups in host communities and among IDPs in the North-West Region have improved access to quality, accessible, and inclusive health, rehabilitation, and other basic services.
Apart from local, national and international humanitarian organizations and persons with disabilities in the North West Region the project is also going to work with 14 health facilities in the 7 divisions of the North West Region (including SAJOCAH, Bafut, Sabga Baptist Health Centre, Batibo District Hospital, Mbengwi District Hospital, Wum District Hospital, Ndu Baptist Health Centre, Nkambe District Hospital, Banso Baptist Hospital, Ndop District Hospital, Bangolan Baptist Health Centre, Finkwi Baptist Health Centre, Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Njinikom Catholic Hospital, Fundong District Hospital.)
One key highlight of the meeting was the development of an implementation strategy for the Health promotion and Disease prevention, advocacy, service delivery, rehabilitation and monitoring and evaluation key activity areas of the project. The implementation stakeholders identified awareness raising, capacity development, screening, provision of inclusive health and rehabilitation services at hospital and community levels, provision of health equipment, supplies and consumables, identification, referral/follow-up amongst others as strategies to realise the above activity domains.
During the meeting the Project Finance Officer, also presented the Project’s compliance and contractual expectations according to the funding Partners standards. For her part the Project Coordinator, Asheri Ngah gave updates on future orientations of the project including development of the detailed implementation plan, a staff orientation workshop, launch of the project and acquisition of project inputs.
Another highlight was clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the project stakeholders.
The meeting ended with a call from the Project and CBC Health Services Director, Prof Tih Pius Muffih who called on all the project key stakeholders to show commitment in playing their roles for the project’s objective to be realised in the days ahead.
The Inclusive Emergency Response Project is funded by the Government of Germany through CBM and will last for 2 years beginning in June 2021.