Supporting Central African returnees from Cameroon and host communities

Four years ago, Aissatou decided to return from Cameroon. Once back in her home region, she had to face adverse living conditions and reinvent herself. “Before, we didn’t have any drinking water, and everyone went to fetch water 2 kilometers away or in the bush. People were often sick with stomachaches and diarrhea. The borehole helped us a lot,” explains Aissatou.  As treasurer of the Bore Haoussa water point committee in Gallo, she meets twice a month with the other four members of the committee to discuss water and garden management, and to vote on possible infrastructure repairs. Direct management of the facilities by water point committees made up of representatives of the host community and Cameroonian returnees helps to ensure the sustainability of the projects. In addition, involving women in water point management bodies strengthens their place in decision-making and breaks down cultural barriers. Today, of the 35 waterpoint committee members trained by Action Against Hunger under this project, 20 are women, including 7 from the host community and 13 who have returned from Cameroon.

At the start of the project, no water points were available on the returnees’ sites, so they went to other communities to fetch water. As a result, quarrels arose and cases of physical aggression were reported. By relieving pressure on water infrastructure, the project is helping to ease inter-community tensions and strengthen social cohesion. Reducing the distances and waiting times for water also helps to reduce the risk of gender-based violence, particularly for women and girls.

“We have invested in structures that will last, such as water towers and boreholes, and we plan – with the SOLID program – to build five new market garden boreholes to support farmers’ organizations. Better access to water helps reduce community tensions. We make sure that water point committees are always mixed, to avoid one group or another being marginalized. Supporting both communities helps to create this link. Today, they carry out activities together,” explains Samson Degoto, Head of Action Against Hunger’s water, hygiene and sanitation program.

Strengthening food autonomy and resilience to shocks

Displaced households, hosts and disadvantaged returnees, who are totally dependent on the market to meet their food needs, are the most likely to suffer from hunger. Although spread across the whole of the Central African Republic, these people are particularly represented in the Nana-Mambéré prefecture, which is classified as food insecurity level 3 (crisis situation).

Through a multi-sectoral approach, Action Against Hunger supports communities so that they can produce enough, all year round, to meet their needs. “We combine water, hygiene and sanitation programs with food security, livelihoods and mental health programs. This enables us to work in depth on social problems and to strengthen people’s capacities and resilience“, insists Rodrigue Gnoula, Coordinator of the Action Against Hunger base in Bouar.

Food security and livelihood programs include training, the provision of agricultural tools and the promotion of agro-ecological approaches valued by ACF, where production systems are based on local resources such as local seeds and fertilizers, for example. As part of the SOLID project, Pélagie received a henhouse, eleven chickens and training in henhouse hygiene and feeding. “Currently, I have 28 eggs and five chicks. When I get more chicks, I’ll sell some of them,” she explains, standing proudly in front of her henhouse.

At the same time, Action Against Hunger has set up village savings and credit associations (AVEC) and provided training to enable members to save larger sums and invest in activities or projects (livestock breeding, small-scale trade, etc.). The sessions cover the characteristics and operation of savings groups, and provide advice on how to borrow, invest and redistribute shares at the end of the cycles. If the communities have generated interest, the total sum is redistributed among the members. “I did a nine-month cycle, starting with a share purchase of 500 CFA francs (equivalent to 0.76 euros). I took out a loan with AVEC to sell palm oil, a basic necessity. The credit enabled me to buy more products. The AVEC training enabled me to know where to keep my money. My savings enabled me to enroll my child in school“, says a villager from Tédoua.

As part of the SOLID project in water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and livelihoods, and mental health and psychosocial support, 71,423 returnees from Cameroon and members of host communities will be supported in CAR, and 83,770 refugees and members of host communities in Cameroon. But against a backdrop of drastically reduced funding, living conditions remain precarious for the population of Nana-Mambéré. In four years, the overall volume of funding for CAR has fallen by more than 50%, and many inhabitants are worried about their future. “Nearly 1,000 people fetch water from the borehole. But sometimes the women can’t find any water. We need more boreholes, but not only that. We need shelters and more access to food“, concludes Aissatou.