Naigahelp (German: "Naigahelp - Organisation für Afrikahilfe", meaning'' Naigahelp organisation for aid in Africa'') is a

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and Humanitarian Logistics, logistic assistance, usually in the short-term, to people in need. Among the people in need are the homelessness, homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters, wars, and famines. Th ...

organisation which provides medical assistance for health centres in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

.
Official Website

Creation

Naigahelp emerged from an informal organized clique of German students, who tried to work against the grievances in Developing countries, low income countries by means of supporting other charity organizations, e.g. for the treatment of

noma Noma, NoMa, or NOMA may refer to: Places * NoMa, the area North of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C., US ** NoMa–Gallaudet U station, on Washington Metro * Noma, Florida, US * NOMA, Manchester, a redevelopment in England * Noma District, ...

. While working in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

as medical attendants, the two ''Naigahelp'' raisers experienced the particular incident which led them to the idea of founding their own organization. A young girl went to the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

they worked in, suffering at first only from a small wound suppurating due to an infection. But in consequence of the non-professional wound dressing it couldn't heal and the girl got a

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

. The two young assistants had recognized the inadequate treatment methods for quite a long time, but it wasn't changed until a

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

surgeon visited the hospital and accomplished an

incision and drainage Incision and drainage (I&D), also known as clinical lancing, are minor surgical procedures to release pus or pressure built up under the skin, such as from an abscess, boil, or infected paranasal sinus. It is performed by treating the area wit ...

to the wound.
Remembrances of a Naigahelp founder (in German) Encouraged by this, the two founders decided to build up their own organization, which should not only distribute medical drugs and equipment to the hospitals, but also provide skill enhancement programs for the hospital stuff, in order to avoid such malpractice in the future.

Projects and Missions

Mission structure

The main operational hub of the Naigahelp community is the city of

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. While the European associates are managing the financial aspects, local co-workers organize the field missions in Cameroon and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Most of the projects are carried out in the South West Region in Cameroon, around the town of

Buea Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region (Cameroon), Southwest Region of Cameroon. The city is located in Fako (department), Fako Division, on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, and has a population of about 800.000 inhabitants as of 2 ...

, but the organisation is also active in Nigeria, where it works on educational und medical missions throughout the country. Through educational missions are students taught how to improve the future with their own ideas. Cooperation includes Taraba, Adamawa, Niger, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and many other states. It is planned to work on the

HIV/Aids The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

prevention also. Naigahelp has also lined up a range of Volunteer projects for young people who like to do voluntary services in Africa. This includes not only medical missions, but also social projects like work in orphanages or a wildlife centre.

Current field missions

In January 2012, Naigahelp has sent a big consignment to the ‘’St. Joan of Arc Higher Institute of Medical Sciences’’, Buea, including new echography equipment. Within this, an information campaign about worm diseases was carried out in the area of Fako Division in South West Cameroon.

References

{{reflist 4. Chapter ''Current field missions'':"German volunteers upgrading Fako health facilities", ''The Recorder'', Cameroonian newspaper on 23 January 2012 about the Naigahelp work (Not online) 2011 establishments in Germany Health charities in Germany Health in Cameroon Medical and health organisations based in Baden-Württemberg Foreign charities operating in Cameroon Organizations established in 2011