Community Health Outreach Reaches 500+ in North West Region
More than 500 residents — the majority of them young people aged 15 to 30 — benefited from a three-day community health outreach conducted by CAbyYouths in the North West Region, spanning communities in Bamenda, Bali, and Tubah.
The outreach, conducted in partnership with local health centres and a team of volunteer medical professionals, provided free health screenings, mental health awareness sessions, reproductive health education, and referrals for further medical care.
Services Provided
- General health screenings: Blood pressure checks, blood glucose testing, BMI assessment, and vision screening for 312 participants.
- Mental health awareness: Group sessions on stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma — with particular attention to the mental health impacts of the ongoing security situation in the North West.
- Reproductive health education: Delivered respectfully and age-appropriately, covering family planning, STI prevention, and maternal health for young women.
- Referral network: 47 individuals were referred to partner health facilities for follow-up care, with CABY facilitating transport support for those who needed it.
Mental Health in Focus
A central theme of this year's outreach was mental health — an area that remains deeply stigmatised in many Cameroonian communities. CABY volunteers led open conversations that encouraged young people to speak honestly about their struggles.
"We trained 20 community health volunteers specifically to facilitate these mental health conversations," said the CABY Health Programme Lead. "The response was extraordinary. Young people are hungry for safe spaces to talk."