Action contre la Faim mobile clinics in Logone-et-Chari: hope on the move for the most vulnerable

The department of Logone-et-Chari, in Cameroon’s Far North, is one of the areas hardest hit by humanitarian crises linked to conflict, population displacement and natural disasters.

In this border region with Chad and Nigeria, access to basic social services – particularly health, nutrition, mental health and water, hygiene and sanitation – remains extremely limited.

Since 1 June 2025, Action contre la Faim has relaunched its activities in the health districts of Kousseri and Goulfey. This resumption is part of a no-cost extension of the initial emergency project, for a further four months.

The overall objective of this intervention is to reduce morbidity and mortality linked to acute malnutrition and preventable diseases, while improving the psychosocial well-being of the most vulnerable populations. One of the key approaches in this strategy is to set up mobile clinics, which are truly itinerant care units.

Mobile clinics: bringing healthcare closer to the people

In a context where health facilities are scarce, remote or overcrowded, mobile clinics represent an appropriate response to the needs of isolated communities. They make it possible to quickly reach internally displaced people, children under 5, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and host families living in hard-to-reach areas.

The first mobile clinic was deployed on Thursday 19 June 2025 in the Afadé (internal displaced people areas), a locality in Logone-et-Chari. The clinic provided primary healthcare, carried out nutritional screening and referred cases of acute malnutrition to specialist treatment centres. Children suffering from malnutrition have thus been able to benefit from early treatment, which considerably increases their chances of survival.

The mobile clinics are made up of multidisciplinary teams of nurses, midwives, community health workers and psychosocial workers. These teams provide not only medical care, but also health education, hygiene awareness and psychological support.

An integrated response: health, nutrition, mental health and WASH

The mobile clinics are part of an integrated approach combining health, nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), as well as water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH).
Health and nutrition: Children are systematically screened for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) or severe acute malnutrition (SAM). If necessary, they are referred to treatment centres. Medical consultations are also provided for common illnesses (malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoea), along with essential medicines.

In crisis situations, the invisible suffering is often the greatest. Action contre la Faim therefore includes individual or group support sessions in its mobile clinics. To date, 83 community workers have been trained to identify signs of psychological distress and 4 cases of protection have been referred to the appropriate services.

The teams take advantage of the clinics’ visits to organise hygiene awareness sessions, distribute appropriate hygiene kits (including soap, jerry cans, buckets, aqua-tabs, cups, etc.), and identify the need to rehabilitate water points or build latrines.

Impact and outlook

Although still limited in time, the impact of this mobile strategy is already visible.

This flexible, responsive approach enables us to respond effectively to the needs of a population that is often forgotten. It also builds local capacity by working closely with health authorities and community relays.

Action contre la Faim plans to step up these mobile interventions in other priority areas identified throughout Logone-et-Chari during the lean season, adapting the frequency of visits to the specific needs of each locality. The organisation is also continuing to call for more sustained support to extend this response beyond the current extension.

“Before the mobile clinic came, I had to walk more than 15 kilometres to bring my sick son to the health centre. Now the care comes to us. My child was treated for a high fever and I received advice on how to avoid malnutrition.” Aïssatou¹, mother in Afadé.

[1] Aissatou is an alias for the sake of anonymity