Christopher J. Lamora, US. Ambassador to Cameroon has commended the efforts of the staff of the CoSMO (Consolidating Systems and Services for the Management of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Cameroon) Project in supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in the West Region and beyond.
Ambassador Lamora was speaking at the esplanade of the bishop’s house of the Diocese of Bafoussam during a courtesy call to the diocese on June 27, 2023.
The visit was a unique opportunity for the Ambassador to get firsthand knowledge from CoSMO Sub-Recipient Implementing Partners (SR-IPs) in the West Region as far as the project’s implementation is concerned, as well as listen to former beneficiaries of US Funds, called Adolescents Champions – who’ve been empowered to be service providers in the fight against HIV. The SI-IPs in the West Region are Horizon Femmes and the Diocese of Bafoussam.
Linda Eba Ze, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator says Diocese of Bafoussam has provided transporting means to 58 children to enable them to go for their viral load testing,” said Eba Ze.
The Diocese of Bafoussam within the context of CoSMO works in Dschang and Mbouda Health Districts.
Florence Fopa, Project Coordinator at Horizon Femmes says the partner is implementing CoSMO in the Foumbam, Foumbot, Mifi, and Malantuen Health Districts. “To meet project goals and build resilient communities for OVC, our Caseworkers – who are key players in the project’s implementation, work daily in the various selected households,” added Mrs. Fopa.
After a guided tour of the stands of the SR-IPs and painstakingly listening to the presentations made, Ambassador Lamora noted with satisfaction the work done by each partner.
“I’m impressed by the work done by Horizon Femmes and the Diocese of Bafoussam in helping the population of Bafoussam to know their HIV status and as well enabling them to access appropriate care and treatment,” he said.
I equally want to comment on the personal stories of Adolescents Champions I had the opportunity to listen to – who are peer educators to other young people. This proves that being HIV-positive does not stop one from achieving anything, added Ambassador Lamora.
According to UNAIDS, 500,000 people are living with HIV (PLHIV) in Cameroon including 33,000 children below the age of 15 years. It’s against such a backdrop that the CoSMO Project is currently being implemented.
The Project – Consolidating Systems and Services for the Management of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Cameroon intervene in four domains: healthy, schooled, stable and safe, in a bid to build resilient communities for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. CoSMO is a USAID-PEPFAR-funded project implemented by the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon in 68 health districts across Cameroon.
