At second edition of Diaspo Camer Awards: Outstanding Diaspora-based Cameroonians investing back home rewarded.

 
This was during the second edition of the Diaspo Camer Award which was organised in Yaounde recently.
The award is an initiative of Canada-based media personality, Merime Cesair Ngoumtsop, fondly referred to as Dr Love.
Those rewarded are specialists in various field including medics, aestheticians, engineers, politicians, artists who have stood out by their acts entrepreneurial excellence and acts of patriotism.
The organiser of Diaspo Camer Awards said: “through these awards, we are first of all celebrating our icons for the excellent work achieved so far and for the good example which they have shown this far. We honoured some of them who despite doing so much are sometimes in the dark…”.
He hailed the positive role the Cameroonian diaspora in playing in the social-economic development of the country, adding that such awards will spur others to join the train.

One of the recipients, Dr Jean Baptiste Meli based in Italy and who also works in France and Turkey, is said to have carried out huge investments in health sector back at home.
The medic who is owner of a private health facility-Centre Medical St John in Douala, said his preoccupation has been to better the lives of Cameroonians who have several health challenges.
“…given the big gap between health services/care in Europe where I live and here, I decided to bring part of what I studied in Europe to Cameroon. For the past 17 years, we have been doing a lot. So I’m happy to receive this award which is in recognition of what we’ve been doing,” Dr Jean Baptiste Meli said. 
He went on to add that: “I set up a hospital in Douala and here we don’t ask caution to take care of patients. We believe that we should be able to give a human face to health care and not put money before life”.
Julien Danault Mbounga, based in France was also recognised for the important role his organisation, Good Citizenship Save Lives-CISAL is doing to sensitise Cameroonians to adopt best practices on the highway in order to curb accidents. 
“With this award, it is a feeling of accomplished work but also a feeling that we have a responsibility with this award which is to do more. I decided several years after to engage in this cause after an accident I suffered in December 2010. This is to ensure that what happened to me and which happens so often should be curbed considerably,” he said. 
Mbounga said he and his friends who put up CISAL have been educating and sensitizing Cameroonian to respect the road code, to be civic, respect traffic lights, say no to overload, respect speed limits and also have the necessary documents, including visit technique and insurance.
The native of Bafang in Upper Nkam Division of the West Region said the award “represent five years of hardwork and sacrifice, without any financial support, we have to work harder to get the results we intend to achieve,” Mbounga said.
 

Chantal Biya gets special recognition
Besides recognising outstanding Diaspora-based Cameroonians, the event also celebrated some personalities in the country whose positive actions have marked the Cameroonian diaspora.
One of them is the country’s First Lady, Chantal Biya. A special award dubbed National Grand Prix Standing Ovation destined to her was received on her behalf by the Senator Jean Claude Feteu from the West Region.
According to the organiser of the event: “It was to recognise what Madam Chantal Biya has done for the Cameroonian youth, especially those of the diaspora and we encourage her to do more, she has our support and we’ll continue to count on her good works to guide us”.