Medicines For Humanity (MFH) recently honored The Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis – Cameroon with its 2013 Humanitarian of the Year Award. Ceremonies were held at the The Harvard Club in Boston.
Medicines for Humanity, a non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to reducing child mortality in impoverished communities worldwide, has been partnering with the Tertiary Sisters to address the high child mortality rates in the northwest province of Cameroon since 2006.
The Cameroon Province was established in 1935 when five Sisters were sent from the order's International motherhouse in Rome in response to a request for help by the Mill Hill Fathers working in that country.
The TSSF Province of Cameroon currently provides healthcare services to approximately 1.2 million Cameroonians annually through four hospitals and 18 health centers. All TSSF health facilities prioritize maternal and child healthcare services, currently reaching an estimated 400,000 mothers and children each year. The hospital in Njinikom was one of the first sites for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS in the country. Project Hope, a community oriented HIV/AIDS program with focus on maternal and child care, is a brain child of the TSSF. This program is recognized by WHO Cameroon as a “best practice” for integrated services for HIV/AIDS. Together, MFH and the TSSF are transforming maternal/child healthcare there.
The awards evening in Boston included a welcome reception, seated dinner, entertainment by faculty and students from The Berklee College of Music plus a video presentation detailing the organization's remarkable work in Cameroon. Attended by more than 130 guests, the evening raised more than $250,000 for MFH's ongoing work. (Credit: Jack Foley Photography)
