Refugees clean up filth in Y'de to showcase living together.

It was organised in collaboration with the Association of Refugees in Yaounde, abbreviated as CRCC and Plan International Cameroon.

According to the organisers, the clean-up campaign within the Yaounde I Municipality is part of a series of clean-up campaigns planned for all the seven council areas in the city. This, they said, is in prelude to the commemoration of World Refugee Day on June 20.

The campaign, which was launched June 5, aims at showcasing living together between refugees from different countries and the host community, Cameroon.

The CRCC President, Mpwomo Jérusalem, also explained that in solidarity with their fellow African, they want to make their contribution as refugees to the development of Cameroon and promoting inclusion.

“With the government policy of decentralisation, refugees no longer live in the communities based on their nationalities…As mutual citizens integrated in the communities, we want to participate in the hygiene and sanitation of our municipalities, by picking up dirt on the roads. This is a way for us to participate in the development of this country,” Mpwomo stated.

In prelude to this year's World Day of Refugees, he said, they are organising some activities including a sport walk, conferences and expositions for the refugees to showcase their know-how.

While thanking the authorities of Cameroon and that of Yaounde I Municipality, which host many of the refugees, Mpwomo revealed that their association is made up of about 5,000 refugees in living in Yaounde with Central African nationals making the majority. 

The clean-up campaign was boosted by the presence of Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses, Nchout Njoya Ajara. 

Speaking to the press, the Inter Milan player said everyone needs to feel at home in Cameroon.

“I am happy to be here and want to show them that they are free to be here and to feel at home in this beautiful country,” Nchout said, adding that: “For me, it’s an honour to be here with them. It doesn’t matter where they come from, they should feel at home here”. 

World Refugee Day, designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe, is observed every year on June 20.

The day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives.

According to information from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, Cameroon hosts about two million persons of concern to UNHCR, including one million lnternally Displaced Persons, 460,000 refugees, asylum-seekers, and 466,000 IDP returnees. 

The refugees are predominantly from the Central African Republic and Nigeria, while the lnternally Displaced Persons, IDPs, mainly come from Cameroon's Far North, North West, and South West Regions. 

The OCHA reports show that most of the 332,000 CAR refugees reside in towns and villages in Cameroon's eastern façade, while nearly 120,000 Nigerian refugees live in the Far North Region. 

52% of the refugees are said to be women and girls, 55% children with 51% of lDPs being children.