Frequently Asked Questions

AFCA is a registered Cameroonian non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded and led by medical professionals. We run free medical campaigns — temporary clinics set up in schools, town halls and health centres — in communities where getting to a qualified clinician is difficult or unaffordable.

No. AFCA does not operate a permanent facility. We assemble a complete temporary clinic for a day or two in a specific community, treat what can properly be treated in that setting, and refer everything else into the existing health system with written documentation.

Licensed doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and laboratory scientists who volunteer their time, supported by a coordination team handling planning, procurement and logistics. AFCA has no salaried outreach staff. You can see how a campaign team is composed on the our team page.

No. AFCA is independent and non-partisan. We work in formal cooperation with district health authorities because that is a legal and clinical requirement, and we partner with councils, chiefdoms, schools and faith institutions as hosts — but treatment is never conditional on anyone’s politics, religion or origin.

All ten regions. We prioritise by need rather than geography, and campaigns are delivered in English and French with local-language interpretation. See where we work for the criteria we use to choose a site.

Yes. Registration, consultation, screening, testing and any medication we prescribe and hold in stock are all free. There is no fee at any stage and no expectation of a gift. If anyone asks you for money at an AFCA campaign, report it to the campaign lead immediately.

No appointment and no referral are needed. Bring any previous prescriptions, test results or hospital cards you have, because they help the clinician a great deal, but nobody is turned away for not having documents.

Anyone who comes. We do not means-test, and we do not restrict care by nationality, residence status, religion, language or origin. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who are visibly unwell are prioritised in the queue.

General medical consultation with a licensed doctor; screening for blood pressure, blood sugar and malaria; maternal, newborn and child health checks; free dispensing of prescribed medication we hold; community health education; and written referral to a partner facility for anything needing more than a one-day clinic can offer.

We cannot perform surgery, provide inpatient care, run advanced imaging or complex laboratory work, or manage an emergency that needs a hospital. We also cannot guarantee that every medicine a patient needs will be in stock. In all of those cases the patient leaves with a referral and an explanation of where to go and why it matters.

No. Bring it with you and show it to the clinician. Never stop or change a prescribed treatment because of anything you read on this website — only on the advice of a clinician who has examined you.

It depends on turnout, which is often higher than expected. Arrive early, bring water and shade if you can, and speak to the registration team if you or someone with you becomes unwell while waiting.

Yes. Consultations take place in screened spaces, and your information is not discussed outside the clinical team. Photographs are only taken with consent, and we never publish an identifiable patient image or story without written permission.

Licensed doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dispensing officers and laboratory scientists can join the clinical roster. Non-clinical volunteers are equally needed for registration, crowd flow, translation, logistics, procurement and communications. Register on the volunteer page.

No. A large part of what makes a campaign work is not clinical — keeping the queue orderly, translating, moving supplies, registering patients and keeping records. Those roles matter and they are always short-handed.

There is none. Many volunteers give one day a year. You are invited to campaigns as they are scheduled and you decide each time whether you are available.

Yes. Clinical volunteers must provide proof of qualification and a current licence to practise before being assigned to a team, and work only within their licensed scope on the day. Anyone who cannot be verified does not see patients.

Volunteers are not paid. Where a campaign budget allows, shared transport to and from the site and a meal on the day are provided. This is confirmed with you in advance rather than assumed.

To the costs that cannot be volunteered: medication and consumables, diagnostics and test kits, transport and logistics, venue set-up, and printed health education materials. Clinical time is donated, so a gift converts almost entirely into treatment. The breakdown is on the donate page.

AFCA never contacts you unprompted demanding an urgent transfer, and never asks for money to be sent to an individual’s personal account. Payment details are only issued in response to a conversation you started, by a named member of the team. If anything feels wrong, stop and verify by calling +237 6 79 62 34 55.

Yes, and it is often more useful. Items must be unexpired, correctly labelled and documented. Talk to us first so that what arrives is what the next campaign actually needs.

Every gift is acknowledged in writing. Donors are told which campaign their support went to and what it paid for. Larger and restricted gifts receive a written report once the campaign has been closed out and reconciled.

Yes. A company, foundation, diaspora association or faith institution can underwrite one complete campaign in a named community and receive full reporting on what it delivered. Start on the partner with us page.

Councils, chiefdoms and traditional authorities, district health services, schools, parishes and community associations. An individual can raise a community with us, but a campaign needs an organised local partner to proceed. Use the campaign request form.

A suitable venue with enough space for screened consultation areas, help mobilising residents in advance, a point of contact who is reachable, and agreement from the competent health authority. We handle the clinical team, the medicines and the equipment.

It depends on authorisation and, above all, on funding for medicines being confirmed. We do not announce a date until we can actually deliver it, and we would rather tell you honestly that we cannot yet fund your campaign than fix a date we might have to cancel.

No. A host community is never asked to pay AFCA, and must never charge residents to attend or to be seen.

Clinical records are kept confidential within the clinical team and used to treat you, to make a referral, and in aggregate and anonymised form to report on what a campaign delivered. They are not shared with third parties for any other purpose. See the privacy policy.

We use them only to reply to you and to administer the volunteering, partnership or donation you contacted us about. We do not sell or rent contact details, and you can ask us to delete yours at any time.

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