Bringing Good Health to the Next Generation in Cameroon with Vitamin A

Noé is 86 years old, but that doesn’t stop him from working day and night to protect the health of children in his community. He even chose to remain active in community health programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite being at high risk for complications from the disease.

“Community health requires us to think of others before ourselves,” Noé shares.

Noé has worked for over two decades with the Déido Health District, where his village, Bonamouang, is located. Under his leadership, the local health committee has worked with Helen Keller Intl and the government of Cameroon to help all eligible children receive vitamin A supplements, at no cost to their families.

A Small Vitamin with Great Impact

Noé is so dedicated because he knows that vitamin A is crucial for growing children, supporting their vision, preventing blindness, and strengthening their immune systems. Helen Keller has long been at the forefront of Vitamin A supplementation ‒ in the 1970s, Dr. Alfred Sommer discovered the importance of vitamin A while he was working for Helen Keller, determining that it could both prevent blindness and decrease the risk of childhood mortality by a third.

Unfortunately, too many children still die of vitamin A deficiency, with GiveWell estimating that 200,000 child deaths can be attributed to vitamin A deficiency each year. In Cameroon, the Ministry of Public Health estimates that roughly one in three children suffers from vitamin A deficiency.

For over 30 years, Helen Keller has been working with the Cameroonian government to help all eligible children receive vitamin A and other benefits during the biannual Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Actions Weeks. In partnership with organizations like Helen Keller, the events aim to reach children under age five and pregnant women, when high-quality health care can have a huge impact on children’s future health. In addition to vitamin A, the campaigns provide deworming medication, routine vaccinations, and health screenings. These events provide a predictable focal point for community health, allowing people to get care for multiple health concerns in a single visit and follow up in the future if needed.

Leaving a Legacy of Good Health 

Noé is a cornerstone of the health weeks in his district, and many mothers have learned about caring for their children’s health from him. Marie Nana, a mother of five, shares, “Noé taught me how to have my children supplemented and to understand the importance of vitamin A. He is a true friend of the community.”

With the long-term efforts of community health heroes like Noé, more children can look forward to healthy futures. Despite challenges such as funding delays, heavy workloads, and low financial incentives, Noé and his colleagues reached every child who needed vitamin A supplements – a huge jump from the year before, when only 88% of eligible children were reached. Noé’s keen sense of organization and his closeness to the community have allowed him to help fill coverage gaps in Déido.

“He’s very rigorous and doesn’t tolerate failure. He teaches us to work with discipline and perseverance,” shares Rosalie, a community health worker who collaborates with Noé.

The head of the Déido Health District, Dr. Christian Nelle Jembe, has also noted the huge impact Noé has had on his community. “With over 25 years’ service, Mr. Noé is a veritable living library. But who will be able to replace him? He set the bar very high for community health.”

Like our co-founder Helen Keller, Noé is always looking toward the future. Today, he is working to pass on his knowledge to younger people, hoping they will carry on his legacy. With the indomitable support of community health heroes like Noé, we can help reach more children with critical interventions like vitamin A supplementation.