Cameroon is a country marked by significant inequalities in access to education, healthcare, and basic services. In urban areas, many children and young people live in vulnerable conditions that expose them to school dropout, precarious housing, and social exclusion. In regions affected by instability, communities and essential services continue to face major challenges. Through its support for the Edimar Centre and a range of development cooperation projects, AVSI works to address these needs.
In Yaoundé with the Edimar Centre
In Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, AVSI works alongside the Edimar Centre, an organization of which AVSI is a founding member and serves on the board. Since 2002, the Centre has supported children and young people living on the streets or with a history of street life through educational programmes, healthcare, family reintegration, and vocational training. The Centre is led by Mireille Yoga. Under her guidance, the Edimar Centre has become a point of reference for hundreds of vulnerable boys and girls. Many of the educators working there today once experienced life on the streets themselves and now accompany other young people along the same path. The Centre’s staff continue to meet children and youth regularly in the most vulnerable neighbourhoods of the city, offering access to schooling, educational activities, medical care, and vocational training opportunities. AVSI in Cameroon with the Edimar Centre and Mireille Yoga
Water, Health, and Education in Fontem
In the South-West Region of Cameroon, AVSI is also working to strengthen access to essential services in areas affected by years of instability. In Fontem, in the Lebialem Division, a project is underway to rehabilitate the water supply systems of the Mary Health of Africa Hospital and the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the Œuvre de Marie and funded by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI). The project includes the restoration of water infrastructure, the rehabilitation of buildings, and training and awareness-raising activities on hygiene, water management, and the prevention of waterborne diseases for students, healthcare workers, and local communities. Its aim is to improve conditions for care and learning at both the hospital and the school, while strengthening the skills and capacities of the people who use and manage these services.
