Driver Vincent Ndi delivers needed medications and helps evacuate people from dangerous areas in northwest Cameroon—even during the rainy season when roads are nearly impassable.
Written by Cameroon Mission Staff; Photos by International Medical Corps
First published May 8, 2024 by International Medical Corps
“It’s a passion for me to help my brothers and sisters in the villages with no means to access health and nutrition services,” says Vincent Ndi, our driver in Cameroon.
Vincent, who has more than 27 years of experience as a driver in all regions of Cameroon, joined International Medical Corps in 2021 to support our response to the humanitarian crisis in the northwest region. He has driven staff to locations around the country, driven supplies, medications, non-food items and ready-to-use therapeutic food to remote villages, and helped evacuate people from dangerous areas. He has faced many challenges in his work—traversing terrible road conditions, roadblocks, floods and landslides, and crossing rivers and mountains. Though Vincent says job is “not easy,” he says that a strong, experienced and wise driver can overcome all of these challenges.
He explains how he is able to make treacherous journeys during the rainy season, when he has to drive through areas that are extremely muddy and impassable by car. “In these cases, I go with digging tools and start digging to create a passage for the vehicle’s tires. I then use stones to make sure that the car does not get stuck. However, the vehicle is heavy, especially when loaded with supplies. If it rains again while we are passing through a hole, we can get stuck. In one instance when this happened, we were unable to move the car. We spent the night inside the car, which was a very difficult experience. We had no food, no water and were exposed to many risks.”
Vincent’s Cameroon colleagues see him as a dedicated and hardworking driver who is always willing to do whatever he can to help out his colleagues.
“Vincent is always well organized—he knows the trip ahead of time,” says Nutrition Manager Juliette Mbelle. “He is very experienced, and we trust him. He is kind, respectful and accountable.”
“Vincent is a fantastic driver,” adds Northwest Field Coordinator Bader Al Nammur. “He is always willing to go the extra mile, and he is always calm and collected—even in the most difficult situations. He is a valuable asset to our team, and we are grateful to have him.”