RED CROSS PARTICIPANTS SERVE PEOPLE IN DOUALA

Thousands of Cameroonian citizens have dedicated their free time to helping fight the Coronavirus epidemic, commonly known as COVID-19. The Cameroon Red Cross Wouri Divisional Chapter has dispatched 200 volunteers to help combat COVID-19 in Littoral Region's Wouri Division with financial and material support from UNICEF.

Manga Ngock Andre, 53, a Red Cross First Aid volunteer and President of the Mambanda, Bonaberi-Douala Red Cross Club, is one of them. He is assigned to the Saint Albert LeGrand Catholic Hospital in Bonaberi, Douala. Ngock, who wears his Red Cross overalls and is always on "red alert" near the UNICEF-donated hand-washing station, reaches out to both hospital visitors and passers-by.

“I tell them that hand hygiene saves lives. We need not wait for government to tell us to regularly wash our hands under running water with soap before doing so. When it concerns humanity, I am ready to devote all of my time in order to save lives. The secret is in being courteous to people. The Matron, medical doctors, and all other workers always stop by or come out of their vehicles to wash their hands before entering the hospital,” Says the President

Dika Laetitia leads a team of Red Cross volunteers who manage a hand-washing station at the entrance of Saint Luke Clinic on Rond Point Deido in Douala. "Commercial motorcycle riders are so enthusiastic about the project that they assist us collect water to replenish the keg and also urge their colleagues to wash their hands on a regular basis," Laetitia adds. "There is no longer a need to sensitize bike riders." They come in large groups and on their own to wash their hands," she says.