Living Conditions in Cameroon

Communications

Mail

Mail from the U.S. to Cameroon often takes two to four months to arrive. Advise your family and friends to number their letters for tracking purposes and to include "CAMEROON-WEST AFRICA," “Airmail” and “Par Avion” on their envelopes. During pre-service training, letters and packages should be sent to:

“Your Name”
Peace Corps Trainee
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 215
Yaoundé, Cameroon

Peace Corps staff help with the collection and distribution of packages. Volunteers are responsible for custom clearance charges.

Once you swear in as a Volunteer and are at your permanent site, you will set up a postal box at the local post office.

Telephones

Cell phones are popular in Cameroon and can easily be purchased in all major cities. Cost varies depending on the complexity of the device and brand, but a basic phone can be purchased for less than $30 USD. Peace Corps makes arrangements for Trainees to purchase a basic smartphone shortly after arrival in Cameroon and provides a monthly amount for phone credit. Volunteers can buy a local SIM card for an unlocked phone from the United States. SIM cards cost about 100 FCFA ($0.20). Volunteers should not assume that they will have phone network coverage from inside their homes in Cameroon. Our housing policy states that Volunteers must have phone reception within at least 30 minutes walking distance from their home. It is easy to dial or text the U.S. from a cell phone and it usually costs about $0.25 a minute. Local calls and SMS texting to local phone numbers are inexpensive.

Internet

Internet is widely available throughout Cameroon, though many Volunteers will only have intermittent access or may need to travel to neighboring areas to use it. In locations with adequate internet connections, Volunteers may also be able to use WhatsApp or Facetime but be aware that low bandwidth can make this difficult. Note that you should not expect to have internet access in your home nor at your site. Volunteers need either a laptop computer or a tablet to access online learning courses, training materials and to produce quarterly reports. See “Packing Guidance” for more information about electronic devices. Peace Corps cannot provide technical support and will not reimburse Volunteers for any needed repairs or theft of their devices. Be sure to insure any high-value items.

Housing and site location

During pre-service training (11-12 weeks), Volunteers will live with Cameroonian families. After training, Volunteers will have their own house or apartment in the community where they are posted. Volunteers are assigned to small villages and towns throughout Cameroon and their site assignments will depend on the project, host country and community needs, housing availability, and Volunteers’ preferences. Arrangements for housing are made by the Peace Corps and depend on resources available in the community. Peace Corps Cameroon provides a motorcycle helmet, a medical/first aid kit, a mosquito net, a water filter and other items (see “Packing Guidance”). Peace Corps may also provide a bicycle and a bicycle helmet, upon request.

Upon swearing in, Volunteers will receive a modest settling-in allowance to purchase household necessities and furniture. A Volunteer’s house may have walls made of concrete or mud bricks and most likely a tin roof. A typical Volunteer house has a sitting room, a bedroom, and a cooking area. Some houses have inside toilets/shower areas, while others have nearby pit latrines. Most Volunteers have electricity (even though not always reliable), but running water is not common. In Cameroon, all appliances are powered with 220 volts. However, there may be large fluctuations in power, and most appliances should be protected with a surge protector and/or voltage regulator. These can be purchased throughout Cameroon. Some Volunteer sites are isolated, and travel can be difficult due to the poor quality of roads and infrequent public transportation. Other sites are short distances from one another and are near paved roads.

Living allowance and money management

Volunteers receive a monthly allowance in local currency that is sufficient to live at the level of the local population. The allowance covers food, housing, household supplies, clothing, transportation to and from work, utilities, communication, recreation and entertainment, and incidental expenses. Peace Corps Volunteers are expected to live at a level that is comparable to that of their host country counterparts. The Peace Corps discourages Volunteers from supplementing their living allowance with funds from home. However, Volunteers often wish to bring additional money for vacation travel. For this, ATM and credit cards are preferable to cash. If you choose to bring extra money, bring the amount that will suit your own travel plans and needs.

Food and diet

If there is one country on the African continent that can be described as a land of plenty, Cameroon certainly deserves the title. Cameroon is the breadbasket for this region. Local foods such as rice, corn, millet, plantains, beans, cassava, coco yams, sweet potatoes, and okra, together with meats, fish, poultry, and seasonal fruits and vegetables, provide the bulk of the diet. However, food availability varies significantly by region: in the south and west of the country, a wide range of vegetables and fruits are always available. In the more arid north, variety is far more limited. Meats, fish, and poultry are generally available everywhere. Some of the villages where Volunteers are posted have a weekly market, and others must depend on a neighboring market for various items. Some canned and imported Western foods and products will be available in towns where Volunteers live or in the larger regional capitals, but they can be expensive. Being a vegetarian should not pose a problem. However, the stricter your diet is, the more challenging it will be. Cameroon’s climate is generally favorable for vegetable gardening, and many Volunteers maintain personal gardens or incorporate gardening into their secondary projects.

Transportation

Public transportation in Cameroon is relatively reliable. A train runs to the Grand North (Adamawa Region) each day. Bus routes run between Yaoundé and other major cities and towns. Planes, however, have limited routes, and are frequently late or canceled. Taxis are available and relatively inexpensive in most cities, although Peace Corps requires that Volunteers use vetted taxi drivers in the capital city Yaounde. Motorcycle taxis are available throughout the country. Please note that Cameroon is still one of the very few Peace Corps countries that allows Volunteers to ride as passengers on motorcycles. For that reason, Peace Corps has very strict policies in place as to how, when and where Volunteers may ride a motorcycle. Finally, minivans or “bush taxis” traverse both paved and unpaved roads, bringing passengers and their belongings (including bulk produce and small livestock) to all but the tiniest villages.

Due to the poor condition of the roads and the fact that some major routes have yet to be paved, transportation can be difficult and time-consuming—especially in the rainy season. Since the transport infrastructure is limited, every means is used to its fullest capacity. This can mean squeezing six or more people into a city taxi or bush taxi or sharing seats on the train. In doing this, you must take an active role in choosing the safest, most reliable transport. This means refusing to enter vehicles that are poorly maintained or driven by irresponsible chauffeurs and instead waiting for the next vehicle.

Social activities

Cameroon is a secular country that observes national, Christian, and Muslim holidays. With over 250 languages and ethnic groups, a variety of customs are practiced, including music, dance and food traditions. Local festivals, weddings and funerals are important events to show solidarity with one’s community and celebrate its traditions.

Many communities rely on farming as their primary source of income, while others engage in small businesses. Social gatherings, which are organized as a type of village savings and loan system, help people to meet, spend time together, and improve their communities. These gatherings have different names: tontine, Njangui, réunion, etc., depending on the context.

A variety of sports are played in Cameroon, and among them football (soccer) is most popular. It is very common for village elites to organize soccer tournaments for youth during holiday periods, and pride in the national team (The Indomitable Lions) is widespread. World class sports figures like Samuel Eto’o (soccer player) and Francis Ngannou (MMA world champion) receive VIP treatment on almost all popular occasions.

Professionalism, dress, and behavior

Professionalism in the Peace Corps requires an awareness of the host community workplace culture, community values, and local customs. To maintain a positive, culturally appropriate professional standing within a host community or workplace, Volunteers may need to adjust their style of dress, hair style, facial hair, make-up, piercings, manner of greeting others, etc., to demonstrate respect for local culture and customs. How you present yourself, in both informal and professional settings, is a reflection of you as an individual and of you as a representative of Peace Corps and the United States. In the U.S., dress (and other elements of personal appearance) may be seen as an expression of personal freedom and identity. In many host countries where Peace Corps Volunteers serve, the way you dress and present yourself may be interpreted as an expression of regard—or disregard—for those host community members around you.

Volunteers are encouraged to spend time in their communities, develop their language skills, and get to know the individual members of their community to better understand their traditions, culture, and local norms. As mutual trust is established over time, there may be opportunities for Volunteers to adjust their personal appearance and dress outside of the more rigid local standards. Volunteers are encouraged to discuss these potential adjustments with staff and other cultural mentors.

In Cameroon, much emphasis is placed on being clean and neatly dressed, particularly in a professional setting. Peace Corps’ dress code for the office, training, and official events is usually business casual. Business casual dress in Cameroon includes dresses, khaki pants, slacks, and skirts, as well as short-sleeved polo shirts and long- or short-sleeved shirts. Shorts, dresses or skirts that fall above the knee, undershirts, halter tops, tank tops or spaghetti straps, t-shirts, and flip flops are not acceptable. Any clothing that is visibly torn, stained, or dirty will be viewed as disrespectful and should not be worn in a professional setting.

Visible body piercings (other than earrings for women) and tattoos are not common in professional settings. They may draw unwanted attention in public that could make Volunteers feel uncomfortable.

Clothing culture in Cameroon can vary between urban and rural settings and by region. Volunteers may feel comfortable adopting local clothing styles within their communities.

Volunteers who wear a hijab may feel free to do so.

Trainees will participate in an orientation on culturally appropriate behavior and cultural sensitivity during pre-service training. Peace Corps staff will provide training on how to adapt personal choices and behavior to be respectful of community norms and will be available for ongoing support.