From Despair to Hope: WFP’s cash transfers help conflict-affected people get back on their feet in Cameroon
As a socio-political conflict grinds on in the country’s Southwest Region, WFP’s cash-based assistance is a lifeline for internally displaced people.
By Thelma Adiang and Christopher Katete
Beatrice Ofon Ajone stands in her backyard tending to her garden in Tole, in Cameroon’s Southwest Region. She pulls weeds from the rich soil with steady hands, her face brightening with pride as she surveys the vibrant plants around her. Her children play nearby, their laughter filling the air with joy and pushing away the shadows of hardship, creating a lively backdrop.
Before Cameroon’s separatist conflict erupted in its Anglophone regions nearly a decade ago, Beatrice was in a very different place. In her home village of Konye, she supported her 10 children through farming and various low-paying jobs. Then one night in 2019, her life was turned upside down when unidentified armed men set her house ablaze, 115 kilometeres from where she is now.
She and her children sought refuge in the bush. Her husband was later killed alongside her brother, whose home was also set alight.
“We lived in the bush for over a year, begging for food and sleeping on bare soil,” Beatrice recalls, tears welling in her eyes.
In 2020, in search for safety, Beatrice relocated to Tole 45 kilometers away, from Buea, the capital city of the Southwest Region.
The year Beatrice and her children spent in the bush back in Konye also took a toll on their health. Her 17-year-old son, fell seriously ill. Despite multiple hospital visits, his condition deteriorated, and he died in 2022.
Having lost her husband, brother and elder son, Beatrice had to struggle to support her children single-handedly — including one who was handicapped. She worked as a day labourer and relied on neighbors’ generosity to get ends meet.
In 2023, a ray of hope emerged when Beatrice was identified by the World Food Programme (WFP) for our emergency food assistance programme in the region.
WFP’s assistance was a lifeline for families affected by the ongoing conflict and food insecurity, marking a vital step towards restoring Beatrice’s stability and hope for the future. WFP provides a combination of in-kind food distributions and cash transfers to ensure families can meet their specific food and nutrition needs.
For more than a decade, Cameroon has been facing three complex, intertwined, and protracted humanitarian crises that have remained largely underreported and underfunded. In early 2024, over 4.7 million people needed humanitarian assistance. This includes 2 million people forcibly displaced as refugees, internally displaced people and returnees.
In September 2023, Beatrice received a cash transfer amounting to the equivalent of US$70, allowing her to buy food and start a small business selling dried fish and garri (a popular West African food made from cassava).
“Thanks to this support, my family could eat two meals a day, and my children went back to school,” Beatrice says. “One of my kids is preparing for her First School Leaving Certificate (an exam marking the end of primary school), something I never thought possible.”
In April 2024, Beatrice received more cash assistance from WFP worth US$99, allowing her to buy food, cover medical bills for her handicapped child, and school fees. Her small business has grown.
“Our goal is to provide flexible assistance that empowers people like Beatrice to meet their diverse needs and regain control over their lives,” says Victoria Mwirichia, WFP’s Head of Field Office in Buea, Southwest Region.
Beatrice hopes for stability and a better future for her children. The mother of 10 envisions a life free from hardship, where the children can remain healthy, receive quality education, pursue their dreams and thrive.
Like Beatrice, over 2 million forcibly displaced people in Cameroon receive WFP’s food assistance on a monthly basis. Their journey has been transformed from despair to hope, thanks to generous contributions from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and Cargill.