St John in Cameroon

Who we are

St John in Cameroon came into existence on the 1st January 2008 with a status of ‘provisionally registered’ by the Order of St John. The Priory for South Africa is acting as the ‘god parent’ to the new St John organisation, to help it grow and develop programmes in First Aid and home-based care over the next few years. It is then hoped that this will eventually lead to full recognition of the organisation as a St John Association.

St John Ambulance Cameroon has a membership of over 200 members, and 76 volunteer members composed of adults. Membership is open to any person “with the calling to serve humankind”. Membership is not limited to age, sex, race, occupation and religion.

Cameroon at a glance

The Republic of Cameroon is situated in central and western Africa. It borders Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independence from France under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, and on 1 October 1961, the formerly-British Southern Cameroons united with its neighbour to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest, and the largest cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi, and for its successful national football team. English and French are the official languages and the majority of Cameroonians are subsistent farmers.

The population of Cameroon in 2005 was 16,348,000. It was ranked 144 out of 177 in the United Nations 2008 Human Development Index.

What we do

  • We provide First Aid cover at public events such as National day celebrations, school athletic games, football matches, Races and other public activities that justify such services.

  • Render aid to the sick, wounded, disabled or sufferings.

  • Assist in the event of Civil or Social Emergency

  • Assist in the areas declared as disaster zones

  • Provide training for the development of young people (youth programme)

  • Offer training on First Aid to volunteer members, and also give health talks to the public.

Public Duties:

We offer our services during public gatherings organized by the Government. Many local communities count on St John Ambulance volunteers to take care of any emergency that may occur. We also visit local market places to check vital parameters of traders and buyers.

Road Safety:

We sensitize the public by way of organizing seminars, especially to motorcycle riders, taxi and high way drivers on road safety. We also plan to conduct First Aid training to the beneficiaries.

First Aid and Home based care training:

St John Cameroon is at the moment offering First Aid training only to volunteer members, and shall offer most comprehensive state –of- the art training programmes to companies, businesses, communities and individuals at different levels, immediately after an international training of trainers offered by the Priory for South Africa, is accomplished in Cameroon, not long from now.

There is also great need for care givers within homes, to offer this service to the needy, especially those afflicted by the AIDS pandemic. St John Cameroon, after the training of trainers offered by the Priory for South Africa, shall train staff and volunteers as instructors in Home Based Care (HBC), who in turn train community members as caregivers to minister these services to the needy.

First Aid posts and clinics:

We run First Aid posts and clinics in strategic places, especially in areas where people have no access to, and cannot afford basic health care.

Youth Programme:

Youths are trained on First Aid and the prevention of home and school accidents. They are taught how to avoid places they can easily contact diseases, sex education is also taught.

Our key partners

St .John Cameroon works with the Government of the Republic of Cameroon key Ministries like; Territorial Administration, External Relations, Health, Youth Affairs, Social Affairs, local government bodies and agencies. Also works in collaboration with the Cameroon Red Cross.