Cameroon: Christian Blind Mission Launches 4th Phase of “Leave No One Behind” Project

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – The Christian Blind Mission (CBM) has launched the fourth phase of its "Leave No One Behind" (LNOB4) Project, reinforcing its commitment to promoting disability inclusion and equal opportunities for all. The launch occurred during a one-day workshop in Yaoundé, bringing together key stakeholders to ensure a shared understanding and collective ownership of the project.

The LNOB4 Project aims to address barriers faced by persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Cameroon, ensuring their full participation in society through inclusive policies, access to essential services, and empowerment initiatives.

The workshop brought together government officials, Country Directors, programme managers, cluster leads, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPWDs), and selected PWDs from different regions of Cameroon. Their collective engagement was a testament to the growing recognition of disability inclusion as a fundamental human rights issue.

The fourth phase of the LNOB Project focuses on inclusive policy advocacy, capacity-building, and improved service delivery for persons with disabilities.

During interactive sessions, persons with disabilities shared their challenges and expectations for the project. Among the key issues raised were: The need for accessible public infrastructure to ease mobility for persons with physical disabilities and greater investment in assistive technology to support education and employment for visually and hearing-impaired individuals.

Armelle Nogning, Board chair of the Coordination Unit for Persons with Disabilities (CUAPWD) says the LNOB4 is a timely response to the plight of PWDs. She said: “When we are talking about the context of the crisis in the region, it has been a great challenge for us persons with disability. Even in assessing humanitarian interventions, most of the time we only hear that it has happened or there are times we hear that it is ongoing but the distribution sites are not accessible for some of us and at times people take advantage of us, go and represent us but we don't see anything in it. And also, the aspect of humanitarians even doing data collection, most persons with disability are never captured in the data information.”

“So, the Leave No One Behind project has come as a response to our cry because it's been intentional to see that every humanitarian organization, put into place their responsibilities because according to the UNCRPD and the EAS guideline. It is our right as human beings to benefit from every intervention that comes to the community. It is our right to be part of the project cycle because if you must involve us in any activity from the start of the project, we should be part of the initiative so that we can best inform in what way your intervention can suit our needs.”

With renewed commitment from partners and the government, the LNOB4 Project is set to make significant strides in disability inclusion, reaffirming that no one should be left behind as participants agreed on the need for coordinated efforts to implement LNOB4 effectively. CBM also pledged to work closely with all stakeholders to monitor progress and ensure the project delivers meaningful results.