Problem statement
Communities across Cameroon face complex and interconnected challenges that affect health, education, safety, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability. These challenges are often intensified by poverty, limited infrastructure, conflict, and environmental pressures.
Women, children, youth, and displaced populations are particularly affected by these challenges and often experience limited access to essential services needed for their wellbeing.
Hope Spring For All Nations focuses on addressing these challenges through community-centered solutions that strengthen resilience and expand opportunities for vulnerable populations.
Rural and Fragile-Context Inequality
The problem is more severe in rural and crisis-affected areas. UNICEF highlights major urban–rural disparities in Cameroon, with significantly lower access to safe water in rural communities. Globally, World Health Organization / WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report that access to safely managed drinking water is 38 percentage points lower in fragile contexts, such as conflict-affected regions of Southwest Cameroon.
Conflict and Displacement Disrupt Access
In Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, conflict has damaged infrastructure and weakened maintenance systems. UNICEF reports that many children now rely on unsafe water sources, often walking long distances to rivers and streams. In some communities, children are missing school due to the time spent fetching water.
Weak School WASH Infrastructure
The first root cause is the lack of functioning water systems in schools. In Cameroon, only about half of schools have access to clean water, and a 2025 assessment in the Northwest and Southwest found that 69% of schools lacked a reliable and affordable drinking water source. A peer-reviewed study also found that one-third of schools did not meet basic WASH standards, with the majority being public schools.
Climate Stress Is Worsening the Crisis
Climate change is already affecting water access in Cameroon. UNICEF reports that climate variability, population growth, and urbanization are increasing pressure on water systems, making reliable access even more difficult for schools and communities.
Water Collection Exposes Girls to Protection Risks
This is not only a water issue—it is a protection issue. Long journeys to fetch water expose girls to harassment, violence, and abuse. UNICEF reports that water collection increases the risk of gender-based violence, a finding supported by studies in Cameroon that highlight multiple layers of risk for girls.
Gendered Burden Falls on Girls
When water is not available on-site, girls are often responsible for collecting it. UNICEF data show that in households without water on premises, women and girls are responsible in 7 out of 10 cases, with girls more likely than boys to spend time fetching water. This reinforces inequality and directly affects girls’ education.
Poor Sanitation and Menstrual Hygiene Limit School Attendance
Even when girls attend school, inadequate sanitation facilities remain a barrier. In Cameroon, only about 30% of schools have proper sanitation, and very few provide water, soap, or private spaces for menstrual hygiene. Global evidence from UNESCO and the World Bank shows that lack of these facilities leads to absenteeism, discomfort, and reduced participation for girls.
Weak Systems and Maintenance Gaps
The issue is not just infrastructure, it is sustainability. Studies show that many schools rely on limited Parent-Teacher Association funding to maintain water systems, which is often insufficient. The WHO/UNICEF Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water highlights broader system gaps in financing, monitoring, and governance. Many communities do not just lack water, they lack systems to keep water flowing.
Our Solution
✅Expand Safe Water Access in Schools We install or improve water systems in schools so children have safe water during the day. Girls no longer have to leave school to search for water. (UNICEF – school WASH solutions)
✅Strengthen Safe Water Use at Home We train families and students to treat and safely store water at home, reducing illness and extending safe water beyond the school. (WHO; UNICEF)
✅ Promote Hygiene and Safe School Environments We support simple hygiene practices, such as handwashing and safe sanitation, to make schools healthier and safer for girls. (UNICEF; UNESCO)
✅Sustain Functioning Water Systems We work with school leaders, parents, and communities to maintain water systems long after installation. (WHO/UNICEF GLAAS).
✅Build Community Ownership and Accountability We engage families and local leaders from the start, ensuring systems are protected, managed, and sustained over time.
Our impact
Hope Springs For All Nations is contributing to measurable and meaningful improvements in the lives of vulnerable children, women, and families across Cameroon by reducing preventable risks and strengthening community resilience.
Children are accessing safer and more inclusive learning environments, leading to improved school attendance, reduced dropout, and greater participation of girls and marginalized learners.
Families are making healthier decisions, with increased awareness of maternal and child health, disease prevention, and timely use of essential health services.
Communities are experiencing improved daily well-being, with better access to clean water, safer sanitation, and strengthened hygiene practices that reduce preventable illness.
Women, children, and vulnerable groups are safer, supported by stronger awareness of rights, improved community protection mechanisms, and increased access to survivor-centered support.
Households are better prepared to cope with climate and environmental shocks, adopting sustainable practices that support livelihoods, food security, and environmental protection.
Across all our work, impact is strengthened through community ownership, local capacity building, and partnerships, ensuring that change is sustainable and rooted in dignity.