Day: June 20, 2022

NGAM, CAMEROON — Cameroon hosts about 460,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, most of them women and children who escaped violence in the Central African Republic and Nigeria. But while they have found safety in Cameroon, women refugees are not always welcomed by locals, and struggle to survive.

Thirty-five-year-old Mairama Abba cleans her goat house at the Ngam refugee settlement on Cameroon’s eastern border with the Central African Republic, C.A.R.

Mariama said she fled armed conflicts in the C.A.R in March 2015, after her husband and two children were killed in a crossfire between rebels and government troops.

Mairama said she and her remaining two children live peacefully at the Ngam refugee settlement in northern Cameroon and are not considering going back to their war- ravaged village called Nyem in the north of the C.A.R. Mairama said money she raises from the sale of chicken and sheep enables her to feed her children and to take care of the children’s health needs.

Mairama said her first two years in Cameroon were among the most difficult in her life, as she and her children would go without food and water for days. She said the U.N. Children’s Fund in 2016 saved her children from dying of malnutrition.

The U.N. and humanitarian agencies say Mairama is one of at least 350 women and girls in the Ngam refugee settlement who have since been trained to be self-reliant.

Ohandja Claire Lydie is an official of a charity, the International Medical Corps. She said besides healthcare services, her organization provides training that help refugee women and girls to become less dependent on aid.

She said several hundred refugee women and girls now know embroidery, how to make soap, sew dresses and raise animals at home. She said before training, the women are educated on self-reliance and psychologically prepared to save incomes that will enable the women to improve their living conditions and take good care of their families when they start working.

The World Bank and the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, have been providing what they call targeted support for refugees in the form of cash, under a program called social safety nets.

Amma Kouto said she was given $70 from the safety nets scheme in 2018. She said she invested the money in selling palm oil and salt to refugees and Ngam villagers.

Koutok said she saved $300 in three years and bought a maize and rice flour grinding machine. She said their camps women association, assisted by the World Bank and UNICEF has been instrumental in improving the living conditions of refugee women especially widows and women who do not know if their husbands are dead or alive.

Host communities complain that refugees steal food and cattle, provoke conflicts over water resources, lodging and farmlands and cut down trees for firewood.

Helen Ngoh is communication associate of UNHCR Cameroon. She said on this year’s World Refugee Day, UNHCR attempted to persuade host communities to sympathize with the refugees.

“Greater majority of Central African Refugees, about 330,000 Central African refugees are still here and they have safety here in Cameroon. If you are forced to flee your home, you should be able to find safety, so this year’s theme (of World Refugee Day) is drawing attention to the importance of people who are forced to flee their homes to be able to have safety,” said Ngoh.

Speaking on Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV, Ngoh refugees from both the C-A-R and Nigeria are scared to return home because of violence in their native countries.

Meanwhile, UNHCR says less than 15 percent of the $154 million needed this year to help displaced Nigerians and Central Africans has been raised.

Source: Voice of America

KEY POINTS

• According to the seasonal calendar (see FEWSNET), the month of June is characterized by the start of the lean season which will be severe due to the drought currently raging in the country. With regard to livestock, the migration of livestock in the Southeast and the migration in the central areas are continuing.

• The rise in staple food prices persists in June 2022, particularly in Ali Sabieh where the price of imported rice increased by 25% compared to May 2022. Similarly in Tadjourah and Arta, the price of pasta increased by 8% in one month. In Djibouti-ville also, the price of pasta has increased by 20%. Regarding other products, the price of oil has increased by 62% in Obock and 20% in Djibouti-ville compared to May, and by 7% for sugar in Dikhil. The price of kerosene also increased by 10% in Obock and 30% in Dikhil.

• Overall, June 2022 prices are about 20% higher than last year and below the five-year average for both commodities and non-commodities. Regarding the price of oil, it is much higher with 70% more in the regions and 50% more in Djibouti-ville. More specifically, the complete WFP food basket costs between 10% and 60% more than last year depending on the region.

• According to INSTAD, the inflation rate crossed the double digit mark in April and May 2022 in Djibouti. It stood at 11% despite the actions taken by the government to deal with market fluctuations since March, such as the launch by the Ministry of Trade and Tourism of a national consultation between public authorities and the sector. private sector in order to find a common solution to the problems of price increases, the zero-rating of certain essential foodstuffs or even the fixing of the prices of certain products as well as the monitoring and control of the application of these prices.

• In addition, a shortage of fruits and vegetables has been observed on the markets of Djibouti-ville since the beginning of this month, in connection with the disruption of supplies from Ethiopia following the conflicts between the two communities. The price of tomatoes, potatoes and onions more than doubled; thus reducing the food diversity of vulnerable households and compromising their food accessibility.

Source: World Food Program

DAKAR, SENEGAL — Waves lap up against the beach outside Oceanium, a scuba diving center and environmental organization in Dakar’s southern Plateau neighborhood. About 100 meters offshore and 5 meters below, eight sculptures rise from the ocean floor.

Dutch and Italian artists Mischa Sanders and Philipp Putzer created the sculptures during an art residency in Dakar.

VOA and other media were not able to visit the sculptures during a planned visit Monday due to poor visibility and rough seas.

The works debuted at Dakar’s art biennale, which continues through Tuesday. The goal is to bring more awareness to the pollution that surrounds the sculptures, and thereby encourage a conversation about the environment.

Charlotte Thomas is Oceanium’s head of communications.

“You see, here in Senegal, the pollution is everywhere,” Thomas said. “You go into Dakar and you see waste all around you. And with the rainy season coming, it’s going to go into the sea. So, if we are not protecting our land, we cannot protect our sea.”

Besides Senegal’s rampant plastic pollution, a surge of development projects over the last decade has transformed the coastline and eroded fragile ecosystems. Fish stocks have plummeted as commercial and artisanal fishing boats continue to use unsustainable fishing practices.

In 2015, the government passed a law banning single-use plastics, but it was never enforced. Since then, versions of the law have passed, including in 2020 when legislation specifically targeted plastic cups, straws, plates, bags and bottles, but those never went into effect either.

Senegal-born Rodwan El Ali is the diving director of Oceanium and for the underwater exhibit. He has spent much of his life diving in Dakar.

El Ali said in French, “I live underwater, and I can see that the areas that were so beautiful when I was young, today not only are there no fish left, but they’ve been replaced by plastic bottles, cans and all sorts of things. It’s painful for me.”

El Ali said he used to see plenty of dolphins, whales and sharks, and catch fish that were his size. Now, he said, there’s barely anything left.

“We’re in a country where the environment is not a priority,” he said. “Maybe [politicians] mention it in speeches, but in reality they do nothing. No one is monitoring, no one is doing anything. You could go out to sea and do whatever you want and no one will stop you.”

Since the sculptures were placed underwater in December, they have given rise to their own ecosystem. The clay structures are covered in barnacles, shellfish and urchins. Fish visit frequently to find refuge and feed on algae.

Oumy Diaw is a specialist of contemporary art. What she finds most interesting about the installation, she said, is that the statues look like coral – a unique sight in Dakar’s barren waters.

“The bay is just full of sand, there’s absolutely no corals,” Diaw said. “So, it’s interesting to see how contemporary art is trying to mimic what nature can bring by exploring natural ingredients that can cohabitate with the environment.”

That Dakar is the contemporary art capital of the continent gives the work a particularly large platform, she said.

Organizers say they plan to commission local artists to create new sculptures that will be added to the exhibit over time.

Source: Voice of America