“I pray that God will repay you for these gifts”
Widow & many others receive urgent aid in Cameroon
The Far North region of Cameroon is the country’s poorest region, bordering Nigeria to the west and Chad to the east. And for Christians who live there, the area has become synonymous with fear and risk. Since 2013, the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has terrorized rural villages in the Far North, launching repeated attacks—the triangle-shaped area is so vulnerable to attack that it has been designated as a “red zone.” One Christian from the region even commented that at night, most of her village leaves to sleep in the mountains, braving snakes and insects, fearing yet another attack from Boko Haram.
Aflame, in partnership with others, has distributed emergency food aid to Christians in this area on several occasions. Our help goes to Christians who have have fled their houses because of brutal attacks by Boko Haram. Their fighters often cross the border from Nigeria into Cameroon, just to do raids and to loot.
Widow Damaris
One such survivor is widow Damaris. She told Aflame representatives: “They first attacked my village last year in July. We were at home, but they chased us away. They burnt the house and afterwards we picked up what was left.
“When we, the women, fled up into the mountains, the men stayed at the bottom of the mountain to defend (our homes and other belongings). After each attack we would return. But a while later, they would attack us again.”
One night, Damaris’ husband was killed while defending his property.
“As soon as I saw his body I cried, and my heart started beating fast. Then in the evening I fainted. They took me to the hospital and gave me medicines to calm me down.”
Damaris fled her village and found refuge in the town of Tourou. She was among 400 Christian families, or 2,700 persons, who received food aid from Aflame and our partners.
“I am thankful for the food aid that you have given me. Really thank you. I pray that God will repay you for these gifts.”
This emergency distribution in Cameroon, is one of many food distributions Aflame has done in Africa.
