In 2021, the Urban Community of Yaounde (CUY) initiated a campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (Minsanté) to aid mentally ill homeless individuals in the capital. As of now, the municipality reports that over 800 homeless individuals afflicted with mental disorders have been rescued from the streets of Yaoundé. This information was revealed during the project’s inaugural annual steering committee meeting, chaired by the city’s mayor, Luc Messi Atangana, on April 15.

165 individuals (comprising 115 men and 50 women) were relocated to Jamot Hospital for suitable care from January to April 2024, the committee revealed. The municipality pointed out that some of these patients originated from regions outside the Centre, where Yaoundé is the capital, and had somehow found their way to the capital. These patients, primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia and behavioral disorders linked to drug use, are treated in a specialized unit called “Village de l’amour,” which has been renovated by the CUY. During this period, 108 patients—75 men and 33 women—were discharged and reintegrated into society after undergoing treatment at this medical facility.

The campaign, titled “Zéro malade mental dans les rues de Yaoundé,” is designed to gather, transfer, treat, and reunite with their families those afflicted with mental disorders who reside on the streets. Patients who have been stabilized or cured and returned to their families continue to be supervised at home to prevent relapses or to provide necessary care. The CUY reports that since its inception nearly three years ago, the project has assisted 819 individuals, “with 693 successfully discharged and reintegrated into society.”

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