27, January 2023
Buea: Population rises against drug abuse 0
The use of hard drugs is gradually becoming a trend in Buea and many youths find it pleasing to get involved, but the older folks are against the spread of this dangerous weapon of mass destruction.
Recently, some residents in Bomaka, a neighborhood in Buea, took to the streets to protest against hard drugs which created many addicts in the area.
To demonstrate their seriousness, the angry protesters went into the various homes and hideouts of the addicts and brought them to the street where they were administered some public thrashing which has left many addicts thinking.
Since the area is not very populated, it was easy for them to be identified and following the public flogging, many addicts have relocated and the drug dealers are also leaving town, aware that the population might be cooking up something against them.
Talking to one of the protesters, he said that after consuming these substances, the addicts get involved in crimes and make the place unsafe for others, especially young people who are vulnerable and still struggling with identity issues.
According to sources in Bomaka, when these addicts are arrested by the security forces, they are released immediately upon bail and it has become a form of business between the two parties, a reason why the angry population took it upon itself to deal with the issue.
By Cecilia Manjang
2, February 2023
UK: National Lottery Community Fund and Bisong Foundation Initiative- A productive partnership 0
Bisong Foundation free community workshops are designed to raise awareness around the benefits of mental health and wellbeing.
Correspondingly, Bisong Foundation will be organizing workshops with people from ethnic minority backgrounds residing in Cambridge. The Cambridge come together will focus on raising awareness around mental health and the reduction of stigma including providing beneficiary coping mechanisms to persons facing mental health challenges. This project will be staged in the historic city of Cambridge from February 2023 to December 2023.
The atelier aims to foster increased awareness around mental health, and educate people about the challenges of mental health with the intention of influencing their attitudes, behaviours and beliefs towards the achievement of a defined purpose or goal.
Bisong Foundation has secured the services of mental health practitioners including nurses and mental health support workers to facilitate the interactive sessions that will include airing of video documentaries on mental health, encourage participants to discuss issues they face, including questions and answer sessions.
The Bisong Foundation project will build strong relationships in and across ethnic minority communities in Cambridge as they meet, create new friends, build community cohesion which will all lead to less strife and disagreements. Some participants will be meeting for the very first time and we hope these connections and friendships they create last for a lifetime.
Although the awareness campaign will be directed towards ethnic minority groups, Bisong Foundation is encouraging the wider Cambridge community to take part and learn ways on how to confront and deal with stigma or misconceptions of mental health problems.
Michael Bisong who heads the foundation and who also moonlighted as a football player for the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon reportedly expressed his gratitude to the National Lottery Community Fund for supporting the project.
Bisong who now is a chartered Cambridge residence opined that “according to NHS England, there is a growing mental health crisis across the UK with at least one in four people experiencing some form of mental health crisis each year” Bisong is urging everyone to attend the workshops which will provide a better understanding of how mental illness can affect a person’s life, learn ways to reduce the stigma, and how they can become more proactive in dealing with their mental health.
For more details about the project and how to join any of the workshops, please call
07445 842529 / 07956 057504 / 07899 280834
For more information about Bisong Foundation visit www.bisongfoundation.org.uk
Bisong Foundation free community workshops are designed to raise awareness around mental health, and help people to take preventative actions to combat or prevent the mental health problems.