Enete Ma Zenghe! Enemoh Ma Zenghe!
With this song in the Mbembe language—which means “Today is a day of joy, a day filled with happiness” in English—the villagers of Akwaja celebrated and thanked International Medical Corps for installing a new solar system at their local health center. The Akwaja Integrated Health Center had been non-functional for many years, and the village was cut off from healthcare services by the Northwest crisis, an ongoing armed conflict between the Cameroon military and separatist groups. With the new solar system, the facility now has electrical power for the first time and can continue to provide its lifesaving services after sundown. On the darkest of nights in Akwaj, the lights of the integrated health center can be seen from all around, letting the community know that the facility is operational and accessible to all.
This development is part of International Medical Corps’ plan to rehabilitate eight health centers in Cameroon’s Northwest region that have been affected by the crisis. We have installed new solar systems at Konene Integrated Health Center and Njah-Etu Integrated Health Center, providing them with steady electrical current that can power lights and medical equipment. We have also conducted routine maintenance at all eight health facilities, providing a fresh coat of paint and fixing up latrines and water pipes. And we installed doors and windows at the Akwaja facility, which previously had none, along with mosquito nets, to ensure the safety and hygiene of the facility.
Though our support has revitalized these health centers, they still need medical waste pits, boreholes for clean water and furniture for patients. But with our continued support, even more facilities in the Northwest region can become operational.