Volunteer in Cameroon

If you would like to pass on your business or vocational skills to the Cameroonian population, you will prove to be a great asset as a volunteer in Cameroon. After all, there are several volunteer projects that focus on teaching the local population business skills so that they can build a better life and future for themselves and their families.

Are you particularly passionate about helping women? If so, you might like to join a project that offers microfinance opportunities to women. These kinds of programs are meant to empower women so that they are not as dependent on men. Many of the women that benefit from your work as a volunteer in Cameroon might even be widows, which is why your help could potentially provide them with a whole new outlook on life.

However, there are also plenty of other opportunities for you to become a business volunteer. For example, your marketing skills will prove to be a great asset. You will find that empowering the Cameroonian people by giving them the skills they need to start their own business will be an incredibly rewarding experience for you.

Do you love to teach? Do you want to enable access to education as a basic human right? In this case, your help at education volunteer opportunities in Cameroon is very much needed. Once again, you will likely be stationed in one of Cameroon's rural areas, as this is where the need for teachers is the greatest. Since one of the official languages of Cameroon is English, you should have no problem teaching your students. Make up your own lesson plans and prepare for a career in education by becoming a volunteer in Cameroon!

Do you consider yourself a bit of an IT expert? Do you think that you could teach others a thing or two about tech? Tech volunteers are in high demand in Cameroon. Whether you want to work with children or adults, providing tech training to the people of Cameroon will prove to be immensely rewarding. After all, you will be providing these people with skills, which will allow them to pursue careers, which they would not have had access to otherwise.

Your help as a community and construction volunteer is very much needed. Make sure to choose your volunteer program based on your passions and your individual skill set, as this will ensure that your volunteer work is really meaningful to you. Your project’s focus can be

• supporting women
• working at a local youth outreach program
• the construction of new schools and hospitals

If you love to play sports, you will also find the right volunteer opportunities in Cameroon. How about you share your passion for soccer with the local youth? While sports is one great way of bringing the local youth together, your volunteer program might use this opportunity to provide educational information about Malaria, HIV/ AIDS, drugs and the like as well.

Access to clean water continues to be a huge issue for many rural dwellers in Cameroon. Lack of access to such uncontaminated water sources is thus a contributing factor to the poor health of many Cameroonians. However, there is something you can do about this if you become an environmental volunteer in Cameroon. Your job might be to help with extending the clean water supply to more and more communities. In addition, education is crucial, too.

If you are interested, you cannot just help to put the required clean water infrastructure in place. Instead, you can teach the locals about both the importance of clean water and what they can do to conserve water. As such, you can help both the environment and the Cameroonian population by joining environmental volunteer opportunities in Cameroon.

There are several ways in which you can support the local community as a healthcare volunteer in Cameroon. In particular, Malaria is a big problem for this country. As such, you can do your part to prevent the spread of Malaria by educating the local population about how to best protect themselves. In rural areas, Cameroon is faced with both a big health and sanitation problem, which you can help to address as a volunteer in Cameroon.

In turn, you might want to consider volunteering at a hospital or health care project to do your part to give these people a better quality of life along with a longer life expectancy. From public health education to providing healthcare to the local people, there is plenty that needs to be done. Keep in mind that you will likely be stationed in a rural setting as a healthcare volunteer in Cameroon, as this is where your help is needed the most.

From regular HIV/ AIDS screenings to administering vaccinations to the locals, passionate volunteers can really make a difference in Cameroon's healthcare sector. However, even if you do not have a background in the medical field, you can still help. Perhaps you would like to volunteer in Cameroon by becoming a nutritional trainer.

As a volunteer in Cameroon, you will likely stick out a bit, simply given the color of your skin. Since the locals will thus be able to tell that you are a foreigner, you should keep the following tips in mind for your own safety:

• Do not walk around at night
• Avoid going to the more isolated/ poor areas of town unless you are going there with your volunteer program
• Always lock your car doors when driving
• Do not wear expensive jewelry
• Only take small amounts of cash/ valuables with you
• Avoid traveling through rural areas at night
• Be careful at soccer matches - fights can break out easily
• Please be sure to avoid political demonstrations altogether

Ideally, you should visit your doctor 4 to 6 weeks before you leave for Cameroon. After all, you will need to make sure that you have gotten all of the routine vaccines, which include the following:

• MMR
• Diphtheria/ Tetanus/ Pertussis
• Chickenpox
• Polio
• Flu (optional)

Since Yellow Fever is a risk in this African nation, you should also consider getting the Yellow Fever shot. In addition, the following vaccinations/ medications are recommended as well:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Malaria
• Typhoid
• Meningitis
• Rabies

However, you will want to speak to your doctor to find out which of these vaccinations/ medications you really need based on your previous health record.

About 70 percent of all people in Cameroon are Christian. Islam is the second biggest religion in this Central African nation with about 20 percent of the population being Muslim. Other religious groups tend to follow traditional African religions. Moreover, you will even find a few Orthodox Jews in Cameroon as well. In turn, the country's religious diversity should make it easy for you to find your place in Cameroonian society.

There are some general requirements volunteers should comply upon their arrival in Cameroon:

• Please check the current validity of your passport. The passport should be valid at least 6 months after your expected return home date.
• Make sure your passport has at least two blank Visa pages. Cameroon requires that you have adequate unused pages in your passport, allowing for any necessary stamps upon arrival and departure.
• Please check if a transit visa is required for any connections.
• Make sure to be in possession of a valid return ticket for your travel home.
• A valid International Vaccination card showing proof of protection against yellow fever.

The following information refers primarily to citizens of Australia, Switzerland, the USA and the majority of the member states of the EU.

If you want to travel to Cameroon for up to 30 days, you can enter the country with a tourist visa. For this you will need the following documents:

• A document duly signed by a Travel Agency or Tourist Operator if such is the organizer of the trip;
• A hotel Reservation duly signed by an authority of the hotel or a Lodging Certificate legalized by the Community Office of the locality to be visited,
• Proof of guarantee of repatriation (Attestation of Insurance company or other authorized agency);
• Proof of Financial sufficiency (Current bank attestation);
• A fee of 100€ (3-day processing time) or 110€ (Expedited Visa).

If you are planning to volunteer in Cameroon for up to 3 months, you have to get a so-called Temporary Visa. This can be obtained at your closest Cameroonian embassy or consulate. In addition to the above-mentioned documents, you will need a justification for the visit. Please make sure to have all details clarified at the embassy.