CRRI Embarks On Relief Efforts For Southern Cameroonian Refugees In Nigeria And IDPs In Cameroon

In February 2019, on his birthday, Dr. Celestine Atangcho alongside his wife Mrs. Flora Atangcho and Mrs. Jessie Tenkiang traveled to Nigeria, where they had their first encounter with the Southern Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria. Dr. Atangcho and co rallied support for this trip from friends and some organizations and churches.

During this visit, food was distributed to refugees at border locations, and medications were donated to the various medical institutions that took care of the refugees, both within the settlements and at the border communities.

Dr. Atangcho and team paid a courtesy visit to the UNHCR sub office in Ogoja, Nigeria and discussed with the then head of sub office Mr. Josiah Kolleh Flomo about the plight of the refugees. The February 2019 visits also permitted the team to better understand the livelihood and welfare needs of the refugees.

Upon their return to the USA, it became evident that more organized intervention was needed on the ground in Nigerian.  So, in May 2019, the Community Refugee Relief Initiative, CRRI was born to provide the framework through which the needs diagnosed could find sustainable solutions.

Immediately after the incorporation of CRRI in the USA and in an attempt to carter for the needs uncovered during the February 2019 visit, a project was conceived namely, the CRRI Refugee Livelihood Rescue Project (CRRI- RELIRP), which kicked off with the training of over 260 refugees in different vocational skill sets including Tailoring and catering, Hairdressing, Carpentry, Furniture, Glasswork, Auto mechanics, general computing (ICT, hardware, Networking, Advanced ICT Skills for Freelancing, Software programming, web designing, digital marketing, graphics design and video editing. This training was initiated in December 2019.

Additionally, 115 refugees and host community youths are being trained in advanced ICT skills at the CRRI Career & Empowerment Center in Ogoja, Nigeria. The Career and empowerment center was inaugurated on March 6th, 2020 by the CRRI Board Chair, Dr. Celestine Atangcho, in the presence of the UNHCR livelihood officer, UNHCR Community-based protection Associate, and the Program Manager for Camp control and Camp Management, SEMA.  

On World Refugee Day, June 2020, and as Covid-19 was at its peak putting on facemasks was imperative, CRRI launched a Covid-19 Campaign in Nigeria and Cameroon during which 15,000 cloth face masks and other non-clinical Covid-19 prevention kits were distributed. The Covid-19 campaign in Nigeria spanned June through August 2020 and major refugee settlements were touched.  Simultaneously, needs assessments were carried out as thousands of cloth face masks made by CRRI tailoring trainees were distributed to refugees at the various settlements visited including Adagom 1, Adagom 3, and Okende settlements in Ogoja, Ikom-Local government Secretariat, The kids of tomorrow Foundation Orphanage at Ikom,  Calabar, Boki LGA (Biajua, Bashua, and Orimekpang), Etung LGA( Agbokim, Ajosso, and Bendeghe), Taraba State (Takum, Baisa, and Abong), Obanliku LGA (Obudu Ranch), Ikyogen Settlement-Benue State, and Abuja-FCT.

Following the need assessment carried out by CRRI during the June-August 2020 Covid-19 Campaign in Nigeria, one of the outstanding needs besides livelihood was that of reducing the hunger faced by refugees. In December 2020, CRRI started responding to this need with a food drive in Taraba State, where food was provided to refugees in Takum, Baisa, Abong, Mubi-Tosso, and Gembu.

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