By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Refugees living in Cameroon, through one of their President in the Yaoundé IV subdivision, Valentine Kainoudji Blazar, have urged the government and stakeholders to take action in addressing their mental health struggles.
Kainoudji Blazar made the plea in Yaoundé on December 3 during the first Mental Health Rights Forum in Cameroon. The congress was held in collaboration with the Network of Parliamentarians on Population, Development, and Public Health Issues (RPPDS), the Afrogiveness Movement, and the African Initiative for Health and Research Promotion (AIHRP).
“We want to plead with the government and partners to support us in our mental health,” he said, adding that, “the troubles we have at home are always in our heads. When we are faced with certain situations, they remind us of what is happening at home, and it disturbs us.”
Regarding mental health, he stated that the situation for refugees is overwhelming because they flee war and are likely to be troubled. “We need a psychiatrist.”
“Mental health is very complex. There are no adequate medicines for refugees, so we can only offer advice, given that we are not doctors,” Kainoudji Blazar said.
He added, “Yes, at the end of this congress, we are reaching out to the government and the National Assembly to advocate for the needs of refugees.”
He thanked the state of Cameroon and partners, especially Afrogiveness, for their constant support and for helping to organize such a forum, which will go a long way in assisting them.
“The message I want to convey is one of thanks and appreciation from the refugees to the Cameroonian government and to the Cameroonian people. However, we also ask for the understanding of the Cameroonian population. Why? Because we live with traumas from our torn-homes,” he said.
“When we act a certain way, nationals may believe it comes from us. But our problems, which we encounter in our countries, drive us. We ask the population to support us as we are and to welcome us, accompanying us in our daily activities,” he said.
To the refugees, he advised them to always show gratitude because the state has provided them with land and shelter, and they must therefore be grateful to the state as well.