Uniting Cameroonians in Qatar for common good

The Cameroonian expatriates may not be in significant numbers in Qatar but they are lot more visible with their sense of community and care for each other. Cameroonian Community in Qatar (CCQ) is a vibrant group of expatriates, who come together to do welfare and socialise with each other.
Taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Qatar, the community members have been carrying out various social, cultural and voluntary works for the welfare of the Cameroonians and to highlight the generosity of the host country.
Bomi Jackson, CCQ chairman, recently reflected on the organisation and its objectives in an interview with Gulf Times. Sharing how and when the idea of forming the community group came, the CCQ chairman said: “For decades now, Cameroonians in Qatar have faced several challenges ranging from personal career development to legalisation of official documentation and procurement of passports, and many other legal requirements all centred on a lack of sufficient diplomatic representation. Precisely, the time and cost of obtaining the above documents have cost many Cameroonians their jobs and eventual exit from the country.”
Jackson added: “Our vision is to foster the wellbeing of all Cameroonians living in Qatar by creating a sustainable and relevant socio-welfare organisation and network that will stand the test of time as we seek to support Cameroonians living in Qatar.”
Through the community group, all Cameroonians in Qatar work together as a united people, with equal opportunities, under the banner of a cohesive and viable front to address the numerous issues that concern them. “Cameroon provides manpower to Qatar. There are multiple opportunities to organise and participate in various initiatives benefiting our fatherland and our host nation Qatar. The community’s activities are designed to improve and promote the image of Cameroon in particular and Africa in general, and ultimately to raise our standards and profile by organising activities designed to challenge our capabilities and raise awareness. From time to time and with the support of many stakeholders, CCQ has been able to represent the fellow Cameroonians in many legal cases, thereby supporting the consulate in the absence of a physical embassy in Qatar. This has greatly enabled our people to get fair treatment in various issues.”
CCQ is well structured with five major organs which include; general assembly, executive committee, zonal co-ordinators, advisory committee, and ad-hoc electoral committee. “The general assembly is the highest authority of CCQ and represents every Cameroonian in Qatar irrespective of their religious beliefs, political views, language, or ethnic background. The executive body represents CCQ on day-to-day affairs and is made up of 15 members elected by the general assembly and headed by the chairman. The administration of CCQ is further broken down into 11 zones representing mainly the different municipalities of Qatar with each zone headed by a zonal co-ordinator. The advisory committee is made up of experts in various fields ranging from healthcare, legal, career development, finance, humanitarian, and diplomatic affairs. The advisers are appointed to provide expert guidance to the executive committee and zonal co-ordinators.”
Discussing what CCQ has been doing for the community during the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns, Jackson said: “Our activities have been focused on keeping our people as well as other communities safe. We have been supporting stakeholders in the healthcare sector by sensitising our community towards the coronavirus and how to be safe.”
Speaking about the latest voluntary work done by CCQ, the chairman said: “A typical nature of a Cameroonian is that of hospitality. While expressing our hospitality by donating blood to save lives, we also exposed our community for other communities to see and know who we truly are, and at the same time educating our members on the fact that we are part of a bigger community that we all must contribute to.
“I also want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Cameroonians who voluntarily came out to donate O-positive and O-negative blood types. I thank the members of the community leadership team who accompanied the people, especially Head of Event Organisation Leslie Katche who led the planning and execution of the donation drive.”
Jackson finally said: “In a nutshell, we are a non-profit, non-political, non-religious, and non-ethnic organisation, made up of Cameroonians living in or visiting Qatar. Our main aim is to unite our people for the common good of all its members and stakeholders.”