A CHARITY NETWORK FOR THE MBANKOLO INCIDENT

After the recent Mbankolo tragedy that took lots of lives on Sunday 8th October, 2023, in Yaoundé, Centre region, Cameroon, many people and organizations took humanitarian duties to help the victims involved.
To begin with, an active trend called “Je suis Mbankolo” started on social media to support the victims and those who died during the incident.

A lady called Leontine Djine recently launched a fund raiser on the website gofundme.com . She created this fund raiser, to help the victims, show love and support in a way that she can. She also calls on people to join the fundraiser and aid the helpless people as she says on the website; “Hi my name is Anny Leontine. I’m collecting the funds to help the victims of landslides in Mbankolo a neighbourhood in Yaoundé-Cameroon in Africa. This unfortunate incident took place on October 8th, 2023 due to heavy rain. According to sources many persons are dead and many others injured and missing, home and properties destroyed. Please help raise funds to support families struggling because of this tragedy and show our love care. We can’t sit silent and do nothing. Together we can rise. The funds will be used to provide the victims with basic necessities and as well as money to start a small trade and build their lives back. Thank you in advance for your support.”

Added to the list of charity for the Mbankolo incident, the Archbishop of Yaoundé, My Lord, Jean Mbarga shared his condolences with the victims and told them that his church will be committed to assist the victims in anyway they can and he also organised a Mass for the departed souls to pay his last respect. In an interview with the Cameroon news agency, he said; “We decided to come and give compassion to these people, let them know we are together in this situation. We are going to give them more help, spiritually and socially. we will come again to listen, pray, and assist in any way we can, to help them overcome the situation.”

To continue the support, G-Laurentine Assiga, who is President of “Le Réseau des Journalistes Culturels de Cameroun”, also launched a charity mobilization work for the victims, she calls on people to give what they can to aid the victims as they lost a lot during this tragedy. She recently posted on her Facebook page thanking someone who donated 3 studios with 2 years free rent to 3 victims in her post she said; “Hello Warriors, the mobilization continues! Great joy this morning with this call from 1 follower who offers 3 studios with 2 years of free rent to 3 victims of #Mbankolo. Thank you, Lord. May God bless you all abundantly…”.
A social media influencer called Peupah Zouzoua, posted on his page how people have been donating money to get material necessities for the victims and he calls on people to donate as well to aid the victims he included that be it materials for the students involved, food or even sleeping materials will be of much help to the victims.
Not only did these people offered charity gestures to the victims, the government was not left out as they did a remarkable gesture as well to show sympathy with the victims.

With all these gestures, it shows the bond between the Cameroonians as when a brother feels pain everyone does and tries to help in the best way they can. Let the love keep leading in Cameroon.

To give a recap on the incident, actually a week ago, a massive landslide hit the district of Mbankolo, Yaoundé, Cameroon. This incident happened precisely on October 8th 2023 after a heavy rainfall. This landslide swept away everything in its path and left at least 28 dead with a non-identified body, 110 wounded, 27 houses destroyed and 30 to be destroyed. For the wounded, they have been admitted in 4 different hospitals which are; L’hopitale de districte de la cité verte (District Hospital of Cité Verte), L’hopitale Déo Gracias, L’hopitale Centrale (Central Hospital) and CURY (Centres Des Urgences de Yaoundé).

Delia Nyadi