The main achievements in basic services for 2015 include support in the areas of health, education and services for people with specific needs. In the health sector, all 24,000 urban refugees had access to primary health care services in partners’ public health centres, through agreements established by the partner and the health centres. 14,471 consultations in total (first, second and tertiary level) were reported for the whole 2015 year (an increase from 13,193 in 2014). Emphasis was put on the provision of generic drugs through the health facilities. The five most common medical conditions identified during consultations are malaria 30 per cent, intestinal parasites 13 per cent, respiratory tract infections 6.3 per cent, skin diseases 6.4 per cent and sexually transmitted infections 3 per cent.
For education, in Yaounde, for school year 2014-2015, 98 children in pre-school were assisted with financial aid, as well as 920 for primary school and 192 in secondary school. For 2015-2016, UNHCR assisted 170 children in preschool, 1,342 primary and 218 in secondary. UNHCR also paid for schooling for 12 children with special needs in 2014-2015 and 19 in 2015-2016. In 2015 and 2016, UNHCR assisted 251 primary school children, 67 in secondary and 46 in pre-school in Doula. 58 people participated in literacy programs supported by UNHCR. 533 school kits, donated by UNICEF, were distributed in schools of Yaounde and Douala. In Douala, 73 primary school children benefited from catch-up sessions; 53 of those who attended the refresher courses were admitted to a higher class.
In 2015, regular financial assistance was provided to 370 people with specific needs, including 103 elderly people, 56 unaccompanied/separated children, 118 chronic patients, 60 people living with disabilities and 33 detainees. 237 people received one-time emergency assistance, including assistance to families of deceased towards burial and funeral costs.
The main achievement in terms of durable solutions was resettlement. By the end of 2015, 86 cases comprising 350 individuals, including 6 from Rwanda, 5 from Chad, 5 from South Sudan, and 5 from Mauritania, 1 each from Burundi, Central African Republic, Liberia and Guinea, departed to various resettlement countries.
132 cases of SGBV were identified and assisted. 42 SGBV survivors were received by UNHCR’s partner for judicial assistance or counselling in Yaoundé and Douala. Court proceedings were initiated in for 10 SGBV cases Yaoundé and Douala. A number of cases, mainly domestic disputes, were resolved through traditional dispute resolutions (mediation, conciliation). All benefited from medical services and/or material services or regular financial assistance program, as well as psychosocial support services.
To assure access to quality status determination, the backlog of pending asylum claims from previous years was reduced in the urban program, with 5,396 individuals recognized as refugees at first instance, 68 on appeal and a further 405 after applying to have their cases reopened. During 2015, 4,349 new asylum-seekers were registered. At the end of the year, the operation decided to regularize the situation of PoCs who had the “A Qui de Droit” document during the biometric verification.
In Douala 151 new born refugees were identified, for whom 134 birth certificates were issued. In Yaounde, 207 birth certificates were delivered to refugee children.
The biometric verification started at the end of 2015, to harmonize the protection documents issued to refugees. The contents of the documents were revised to ensure that the Cameroonian law on refugee status is clearly noted on the documents. Both fingerprint and iris-scanning technology were introduced to reduce fraud, double registration and issues with identifying refugees correctly. The verification started on 15th December 2015 and 5,722 individuals have been verified up to the reporting date. The operation will continue in Douala and Yaoundé through beginning 2016.
2017