Making Life Worth Living for Sickle Cell Anemia Children in Cameroon

I first identified these two children with sickle cell anemia in 2022 through a friend. I felt touched because, I realized children with sickle cell are more neglected and suffer more than children with disabilities. The body pains, shortage of blood, stigma, neglect, discrimination, and sickle cell crisis keeps them in a degrading mental health situation. They mostly are born in very low income families and easily die due to limited financial means to access medical services and monthly routine medication. They are considered to be a curse to the family and are neglected because their health needs are financially demanding. This situation is even worse for a girl child with sickle cell because she is considered to be of no good, cannot marry and bear children as culture demands.

Without waste of time, I immediately thought of their basic needs that will ensure their wellbeing. I thought of monthly routine medication, access to medical services, shelter, nutrition, education and warm clothes. To kick start my support to this family, I seek consent from their mother to write their story and produced a digital story about them. I explained to her that the story will be published on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other internet platforms to raise funds that can support their needs and access to monthly medical services and routine medication. I hired an artist who is a creative writer and video editor. He conducted an interview with this family and produced a digital story about these children. https://youtu.be/zceZ4wgBWLA?si=bLRp2EUT19U4nPp0

While we were developing the story, I started providing medical assistance to these children (2 of them girls), with my personal funds. For one year and three months, I provided them food, warm clothes, a better place too sleep, rents and provided start-up capital to their mother. I reached out to Sister Arrey Echi and she supported them with three months medication.

As time went on, I came across a call for application for an award to acknowledge good practices, I applied for this award telling the story of these children with an initiative I titled: “Medical Assistance to sickle cell anemia children in Mezam Division”. I was the overall winner in the category of health, considering my initiative as the most effective intervention. It was considered the most effective because it was specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound (SMART), above all it was saving lives.

This award organized by Effective Help Organization brought a partnership between my organization (Community Association for Vulnerable Persons-CAVP) and Effective Help Organization. We signed an MoU for Effective Help to financially support the monthly routine medication and access to medical services for these children from January 2024 to December 2026.

The outcome of my intervention was very impactful in the lives of these children and their entire family. These children experienced less sickle cell crisis, could stay longer in school and perform better. Their mother could run a small business and they had improved health and nutrition.

These children are well integrated in the community, have overcome stigma and are actively participating in community life. Their entire family now have improved mental health and psychosocial wellbeing with a lot of hope to push forward in live. They no longer fear of the abrupt death of these children. This impact was not just for these family but it is gradually spreading to other families with sickle cell children. In 2025 two new children were identified making a total of four children now receiving assistance from Effective Help. And we will continue to increase on the number as the years go by. Effective Help now has published a project on GlobalGiving to continue raising funds for the needs of these children and others we will identify.

My vision for this sickle cell initiative is very wide and I have set short and long term goals and objectives to continue promoting this vision. My short term objective is to identify two children every year, support their routine medication, education and small income generating activity for each family. I we continue to increase progressively depending on the support available. I also published this story as a project on GlobalGiving, http://goto.gg/62136 to raise funds for continuity but it has been very challenging navigating the Platform and to connect to donors. So far very little has been done. If I have the opportunity, I will extend this help as wide as possible to every sickle cell child in Cameroon and to at least 2000 of them. I will further include assistance to children with disabilities on education, nutrition, shelter and economic empowerment for their families.

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