Many pregnant women in the NW region of Cameroon have great difficulty in accessing the vital vitamins which will help ensure they have a healthy baby. The political crisis and the conflict-related insecurity have created additional barriers to the distribution of these essential vitamins.  Many medical centres have closed and there is a shortage of medical staff. It is often very difficult for supply trucks to get through to the more remote areas, and transportation costs have soared. Several thousand families have been displaced and find it hard to access a health centre – and many of the women and girls have suffered rape as a weapon of war, finding themselves pregnant as a result, and dealing with the shame that that brings.

We are pleased that SHUMAS has been able to secure a sufficient supply of appropriate vitamins to treat 7,500 pregnant women and 22,500 very young children who are malnourished and whose health is compromised as a result.  Transportation costs are high but we are currently in a position to be able to help with these, ensuring that families in even the most remote Divisions of the NW Region get access to the vitamins they need.