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6 August 2002 By Paul Mpoyi in Yaounde, Cameroon Helen Ngoh Mbondy is a nurse at Bafia hospital, 121 kilometres from the Cameroon capital, Yaoundé, and a dedicated Red Cross volunteer. First Aid specialist since 1985, Helen trains volunteers and travels to surrounding schools and villages providing education on basic health issues. She organizes Red Cross activities in the field to ensure the work of the Red Cross is understood across the country, even in its most remote areas, including Cameroon's isolated pygmy communities. "I am giving you a humanitarian message, listen to me, we share the same colour of skin," she tells one pygmy community with the help of a local translator. In this community, she is teaching people the meaning of the Red Cross emblem and the humanitarian principles behind it. Later she will teach them basic first aid which will help them in their isolation. "I want first to ensure a better understanding of our messages and to eliminate the ambiguity of the Red Cross emblem which is similar to that of a religious sect in Cameroon," she explains. "People should understand that this Red Cross stands for neutrality and universality." Cameroon's pygmy communities are mostly found in remote areas, living apart from other tribes and on the fringes of society. There are 700 people living in pygmy communities surrounding Bafia. For her to reach them, Helen walks many kilometres in bare feet. "It is worth it. The beginning of my integration in the pygmy communities was when I gave an aspirin to one of them who suffered from a headache, and he took it without hesitation," she says. "I am not waiting for any recompense. I am satisfied with the moral support I have from the political and administrative authorities who encourage me to pursue my work." The main object of her action is to provide the pygmies with first-aid knowledge. If they are keen to learn more, she registers them for further training by the Red Cross. "I teach them to refer to modern medicine. Their local healing practices are valuable but not always adequate." Helen is pleased that she has been able to penetrate these remote and isolated communities. She has worked among them for three years. But she stresses that this is not the ultimate aim. "When I am absent for two weeks, they are impatient, waiting for me to come back. They admire me and they admire the Red Cross, but the true goal is to train them so that they won't need me to come here, but will have people within their community who are Red Cross volunteers." When Helen is not working with the pygmy community, she is still busy with Red Cross work. She takes part in education campaigns on water sanitation, hygienic food preparation, pre-natal care and treating dehydrated children. In addition, there are also messages on HIV/AIDS prevention to be shared. But it's all in a day's work for Helen. Related Links: More on: Cameroon |
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