By Njodzeka Kernyuy
In an effort to promote a rape-free community in Muea, a locality on the outskirts of Buea, the Belie Health Foundation (BHF) has trained 30 community champions on rape awareness and psychological first aid for survivors. The training was conducted through BHF’s SUVAR project (Survival Voices Against Rape).
The two-month campaign came to an end during a recently held football match at the Muea Catholic field, bringing together the population.
The trainees, who included community leaders from religious, women’s, and youth groups, as well as social media advocates, are now tasked with disseminating this knowledge throughout the community.
According to Abigail Abamukong, Founder of BHF, the two-month campaign raised awareness about rape, its effects, and prevention methods.
“These champions hosted eight dialogue sessions within their communities to create community-led action plans to prevent rape. The football match was a celebration of our shared understanding of this issue and our collective statement for a rape-free Muea,” stated Abamukong.
She described rape as a pervasive problem in Muea. Despite its prevalence, victims often had no trusted avenues to report incidents or seek help, leading many to suffer in silence. Through this campaign, however, some victims have begun to come forward.
Through her foundation, some survivors have received medical care, while others are undergoing psychosocial support.
“I feel very happy that we were able to carry out this initiative,” she told the press. Beyond awareness, BHF has also established mechanisms for reporting perpetrators and ensuring they face justice.
“The children’s fear of speaking to their parents has already been broken, and that’s a major milestone. During the dialogue sessions, we found that even parents were initially too shy to discuss the subject,” Abamukong explained.
In a statement, BHF said the project was necessitated by a rapid increase in rape cases in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, including Muea—a surge fueled by the ongoing Anglophone crisis.
The trained advocates organized dialogues in their neighborhoods to educate people about rape and devise action plans to end it. The football match that crowned the anti-rape campaign symbolized the community’s stand against rape and their commitment to collaborating with BHF.
The event, which brought together traditional authorities and community stakeholders, ended with a unified message: saying no to rape in Muea.
BHF is a registered non-profit organization with a vision to foster healthy, educated, and empowered communities, particularly for less privileged women and youth.
The foundation aims to improve access to accurate information and services for sexual, reproductive, and non-communicable health; provide education to underprivileged children; and empower women and youth to save lives and enhance living standards.