Since 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been working with influential local women in Cameroon’s Far North region, where insecurity and local practices can severely affect access to critical healthcare. Through strategies that see them as key intermediaries, women known as matrons and mother leaders are working to fight against malnutrition and infant mortality, saving lives amid an alarming humanitarian crisis.
As one of the nine matrons trained and supported by MSF, Yeza helps in raising awareness about maternal health, vaccinations follow-up, and guiding women toward the needed medical care.
In 2023, just 49 per cent of deliveries occurred in hospitals across Cameroon, while the Far North region saw 18,720 home births. Maternal and neonatal deaths remain shockingly high in both settings, with 595 deaths in communities nearly equal to the 631 deaths in hospitals.
A community approach to improve access to healthcare
In the Mora health district, where MSF is present, maternal and child mortality persists due to limited access to healthcare, economic instability, and the consequences of a long-lasting regional conflict. In 2024, the localities of Kourgui, Amchidé, Kolofata, and Limani recorded 1,266 home deliveries, compared to just 885 at the Kourgui health centre supported by MSF.
In response, MSF has launched an innovative community outreach strategy. Matrons and mother leaders living in community are key intermediaries in ensuring people can access healthcare and in breaking down barriers between community members and medical services.
Mother leaders, meanwhile, play a key role in raising awareness about eating habits and encouraging pregnant and breastfeeding women to visit health centres. They also organize cooking demonstrations using local, affordable foods to fight malnutrition, a dangerous health issues in the region.
“Every week, we visit different neighborhoods to raise awareness. The main challenge for families with ill children is the distance between them and health centres. But thanks to our efforts, more women are seeking consultations,” says Neche Maïzena, a mother leader.
In 2024, mother leaders and matrons reached close to 36,500 people and referred more than 1,100 patients for various conditions, including antenatal and postnatal care, assisted deliveries, vaccinations, malnutrition, and sexual violence. Of those, 1,025 (91 per cent) arrived at the Kourgui integrated health center, a 40 per cent increase over 2023.
Measurable impact on communities
The capacity-building efforts for matrons and mother leaders have led to tangible improvements. Since the matron strategy was introduced in 2023, the rate of women attending antenatal consultations in the first trimester and referred by matrons has increased to almost 10 per cent, up from just over 6.5 per cent the previous year. Although the figures are still low, this marks a significant leap in improving access to care.
“Women often hide their pregnancies in the first few months, but with the help of the matrons, we can detect early signs and encourage them to go to the hospital. We explain the benefits of antenatal care for their baby,” adds Yeza Aoudi, matron.
In 2024, MSF provided about 14,500 sexual and reproductive health consultations at the Kourgui health centre and 1 380 deliveries.
Humanitarian crisis with growing needs
The ongoing crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, has worsened humanitarian conditions in the Far North, making access to healthcare even more critical for both people who are displaced and host communities. Since 2015, MSF has been delivering essential medical and humanitarian aid, including emergency surgery, treatment for malaria and diarrhea, and nutrition and reproductive health services.
