Why We Are Committed to Ending Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a silent infection — many people do not know they are infected until serious liver damage occurs. Without treatment, chronic HBV can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Today, over 300 million people live with viral hepatitis. Every 30 seconds, someone loses their life to a hepatitis related illness. But we know it doesn’t have to be that way.

As an organization dedicated to child health, education, and community transformation, CVG integrates hepatitis B prevention and care alongside our existing programs, especially in vulnerable rural and conflict-affected regions. By integrating HBV screening, vaccination, education, and linkage to care within our community, CVG helps advance this vision — protecting children now and strengthening health systems for future generations.

Our Strategic Objectives

1.     Enhancing Awareness & Education Campaigns

CVG is determined to increase public awareness about hepatitis B and liver cancer across Cameroon through targeted education campaigns, publicly available training programs, and knowledge-sharing platforms to reduce stigma and encourage early detection and prevention of hepatitis B and liver cancer. We do this through:

–          The establishment of school-based Hepatitis B Clubs

–          Community seminars, church & mosque engagements

–          Radio talk shows, jingles, and documentaries

–          Training for teachers, parents, and youth groups

–          Development and distribution of IEC materials: posters, banners, infographics, digital media

2.     Expanding Access to Screening and vaccination

CVG is expanding access to hepatitis B screening, vaccination and treatment to meet WHO’s 2030 elimination targets, through advocacy and garnering the support of the Government of Cameroon. CVG seeks to achieve this by:

• Providing free or subsidised HBsAg testing campaigns
• Conducting targeted screening among pregnant women, prisoners, healthcare workers, university and secondary students, commercial sex workers, and outpatient clinic attendees and blood donors
• Integration of hepatitis B vaccination into community health events

• Support for health districts to roll out catch-up vaccination
• Advocacy for universal Hepatitis B Birth Dose (HepB-BD) in Cameroon
• Partnership with local councils and the EPI program

3.     Linkage to Care & Support

CVG will continue to advance patient-centered hepatitis B care through the empowerment of individuals living with hepatitis B, supporting their active participation in care management and their leadership roles in advocacy, and fostering patient-led support groups. CVG will drive this by:

• Strengthening referral systems to local hospitals and liver clinics
• Providing patient navigation support (follow-up, counselling, adherence support)
• Providing guidance on treatment eligibility and liver monitoring
• Supporting groups to reduce stigma and discrimination

• Developing policy briefs and supporting policy makers in evidence-based decision-making
• Training grassroots advocates
• Conducting community-based research projects

Our Achievements since 2021

• 100,000+ people reached through education
• 9,100+ people screened
• Birth dose (HepB-BD) advocacy expanded in two municipalities
• Municipal councils adopting HepB-BD into development plans
• 10+ radio stations broadcasting key messages
• Over 200 trained volunteers
• National High-Level Advocacy Workshops organized
• Active engagement with EPI Cameroon

How You Can Support the Programme

• Donate to expand screening & vaccination
• Partner with us to reach more communities
• Volunteer with us to raise awareness and educate the public
• Advocate by sharing hepatitis B information

Together, we can build a Hepatitis-Free Cameroon as CVG is dedicated to achieving a healthy and hepatitis B-free society, where every community has equitable access to testing, prevention, management, and treatment.

To strengthen learning outcomes, CVG establishes:

• reading clubs
• teacher training in literacy
• access to age-appropriate books

This reinforces school feeding interventions by improving school engagement and learning performance

Good vision is essential for children to reach their full potential. Poor vision in children is strongly associated with lower educational attainment, reduced self-esteem, and diminished future socio-economic opportunities. Many vision problems are preventable or treatable, with up to 95% of children needing little more than a pair of glasses to improve their sight.

The Challenge

Over 450 million children globally experience poor vision, with the highest prevalence in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Sub-Saharan Africa. Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with vision problems are up to five times less likely to attend formal education. Untreated vision problems limit learning, social development, and future life chances. Despite this, eye health is often overlooked in school health programs, particularly in LMICs. Without screening, children cannot access the treatment or rehabilitation they need, affecting their educational progress and quality of life.

The Solution: CVG School-Based Vision Screening

CVG’s Child Vision and Eyecare Program integrates vision care into the Nourish2Flourish School Feeding Program to ensure children receive comprehensive eye health services. The following key activities accompany our school feeding program:

•         Vision Screening in Schools and Communities
•         Early detection of poor vision in children.
•         Identification of other eye conditions that require treatment.
•         Provision of Eyecare Services and Assistive Devices
•         Provision of eyeglasses for children who need them.
•         Referral to specialized care when necessary.
•         Raising awareness about eye health and hygiene.
•         Encouraging positive behaviors that protect vision.

Our anticipated impact

•         Spectacles have been shown to reduce the chance of failing a class by 44%, improving educational outcomes significantly.
•         School eye health programs support inclusive education, ensuring every child can participate fully in learning.

These programs amplify investments in quality education (SDG 4), reduce barriers to poverty and hunger (SDGs 1 & 2), and enable future work opportunities (SDG 8).

Why CVG Focuses on Vision

By combining school meals programs and vision care, CVG ensures children not only receive the nourishment they need to flourish physically but also the eye care required to excel academically. Our integrated approach strengthens learning outcomes, builds confidence, and empowers children to achieve their full potential.

Supporting Girls’ Dignity, Confidence & Participation in School

Menstrual health is central to girls’ wellbeing, confidence, and educational success. Yet for many girls in Cameroon, managing menstruation safely and with dignity remains a daily challenge. To address this, CVG implements a comprehensive Menstrual Health Program as a complementary intervention to our Nourish2Flourish school feeding program. Together, these programs ensure students are nourished, supported, and able to participate fully in school.

Why Menstrual Health Matters

Menstrual health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being in relation to the menstrual cycle. Improving menstrual health is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on: Gender equality, Quality education, Good health and wellbeing, Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and Human rights and dignity.

Across low-resource settings, girls frequently experience limited or inaccurate puberty and menstrual education, stigma, taboos, and shame surrounding menstruation, lack of affordable, safe menstrual products, poor school WASH facilities (no water, privacy, or disposal options), menstrual pain without guidance or support, and limited social support from teachers, caregivers, and peers.

These barriers undermine girls’ confidence, mental well-being, and everyday participation in class. While menstruation may not always result in absenteeism, research shows it strongly affects concentration, psychosocial well-being, stress levels, and engagement in school.

Our Solution: A Holistic, School-Based Menstrual Health Program

CVG delivers a multi-component model informed by the latest global research and effective approaches used in Uganda, The Gambia, Tanzania, and across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our program ensures that girls can manage their periods safely, confidently, and comfortably while at school.

1. Puberty & Menstrual Education

We provide age-appropriate, culturally sensitive education sessions covering:

• Understanding the menstrual cycle
• Hygiene and safe product use
• Myth-busting and reducing stigma
• Emotional and mental well-being
• When to seek help or medical support

These sessions build knowledge, confidence, and positive attitudes around menstruation.

2. Menstrual Kits for Schoolgirls

CVG supplies girls with menstrual kits that include reusable or disposable pads, underwear, soap, a discreet storage pouch, and instructions for use and care. Training is provided to ensure safe hygiene practices and long-term product sustainability.

3. Improved WASH Facilities for Girls

We support schools to strengthen menstrual-friendly WASH environments through:

• Private, safe latrines for girls
• Functional handwashing stations
• Access to clean water and soap
• Disposal bins and waste management options
• Designated changing spaces

A supportive, hygienic environment allows girls to manage menstruation safely at school.

4. Menstrual Health Action Groups

CVG helps establish Menstrual Health Action Groups made up of girls, female teachers, school health focal points, and community volunteers. These groups serve as a safe space for learning, mentorship, peer support, and leadership development.

5. Community Sensitization & Parent Engagement

To sustain change, CVG engages communities through:

• Mother’s clubs
• Parent sensitization meetings
• Community dialogues
• Engagement with local leaders

These sessions address stigma, encourage open conversations, and build strong support systems for girls at home.

How This Complements the Nourish2Flourish Program

The Menstrual Health Program strengthens the impact of school feeding by improving girls’ confidence and self-esteem, daily school engagement, mental well-being, ability to concentrate and participate, hygiene and health, and overall academic readiness.

Together, these interventions create a supportive environment where every child—especially girls—can learn, thrive, and reach their full potential.

CVG is committed to ensuring that menstruation is never a barrier to a girl’s education. Through education, products, supportive environments, and community engagement, we help girls stay healthy, confident, and focused on their futures.

Building a Resilient and Nutritious Food System

At CVG, we believe that school meals can do more than just feed — they can help regenerate our food systems, communities, and environment. By integrating regenerative agriculture into our Nourish2Flourish school feeding program, we support local farmers, restore soil health, and provide nutrient-rich meals that benefit children today and future generations.

What Is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming approach that restores soil health, enhances biodiversity, and boosts resilience to climate change. Rather than depleting land, regenerative methods help rebuild natural ecosystems — from the soil up. This means healthier crops, more resilient farms, and stronger food systems. 

Why Regenerative School Meals Matter to CVG

• Dual Impact: Our school feeding program sources food from local, regeneratively-managed farms — creating a stable and sustainable market for smallholder farmers. 
• Soil & Climate: Regenerative farming restores soil carbon, improves water cycles, and helps landscapes become more resilient to extreme weather.
• Nutrient-Dense Meals: Foods grown regeneratively are often more nutrient-dense. By aligning them with school meals, we raise the quality of the food children eat every day. 
• Economic Opportunity: Procuring from regenerative farms can increase farmers’ incomes significantly. In Brazil, for example, income increases of 23–106% were observed where schools pay a premium for agroecological produce. 
• Value Creation: Investing in regenerative school meals isn’t just good for communities — it’s good for economies. There is a strong case for blended finance (public + private) to scale this model. 

CVG’s Approach to Regenerative School Feeding

As part of our Nourish2Flourish program, CVG is rolling out a regenerative agriculture‑aligned school meals model built around:

1. Local Procurement: Working with smallholder farmers who use regenerative practices and creating dependable market access through school meal demand.
2. Farmer Support & Incentives: Encouraging agroecological practices such as crop diversity, no/low-till farming, cover cropping, and soil restoration. CVG also offers training and connects farmers to finance mechanisms that support their regenerative journey.
3. Sustainable Financing: CVG implements financial models that blend public funding, impact investment, and institutional support. These are based on frameworks developed by global leaders in regenerative school meals, like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Regenerative Food Systems Alliance.  Aligning CVG’s program strategies with global best practices to mobilize resources for long-term regeneration.
4. Policy & Systems Integration: CVG partners with education, agriculture, and environmental stakeholders to build procurement standards that favor regenerative produce. We advocate for school feeding policies that support ecological farming, local sourcing, and farmer livelihoods.
5. Measuring Our Impact: We engage in tracking ecological outcomes such as soil health and biodiversity, monitoring social outcomes, including farmer revenues, job creation, and student nutrition, and using research-backed metrics to ensure our program contributes to climate resilience and community wellbeing.

Summarily, with this drive towards regenerative agriculture, CVG will ensure

• More nutritious, locally grown meals that fuel learning and health.
• Stable demand and fair prices for regeneratively produced food to boost income and resilience.
• Regenerative practices to restore soil, sequester carbon, and protect biodiversity.
• School meals become a lever for transformation, linking education, climate action, and food justice.