With nearly 2,600 cases to date, the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly gaining ground even in remote areas; whereas, not that long ago, the pandemic was confined to major cities. Unfortunately, the rural populations’ lack of preparation would be fatal if the pandemic were to really spread in the villages. In fact, in terms of the vulnerability of rural populations due to the low level of access to health care services, the lack of preventive health care resources, the lack of medical equipment for effectively handling patients, and the difficulty of accessing information in those communities, there is reason to fear the worst in the near future if nothing is done. Through this project, CUSO intends to provide a rapid, effective response for protecting the populations of Akom II and Mbalmayo in the central region, Kribi and Lolodorf in the southern region, Edéa and Pouma in the coastal region, and Mindourou and Lomié in the eastern region. In practical terms, this will involve raising awareness about COVID-19 and prevention measures among the people of these areas, in their local languages, through the community radio stations. It will also involve training 40 community health workers in local awareness-raising and running a health watch, disseminating information about the disease, preventive measures and symptom identification. The project will also be for providing preventive health kits to health workers, households, and professional centres for women and the family (CPFFs), and protection kits to medical staff. It will also involve training women in producing COVID-19 protection kits so that they can be distributed for as long as the project runs, and then empowering the trained women.
