Douala: Eight-year-old scrap collector struggles to support family

Eight-year-old Alain has become a symbol of extreme poverty in Cameroon after videos of him collecting scrap metal in Douala gained widespread attention on social media. Living in a one-room plank house in the Yassa neighborhood, Alain works daily to provide income for his widowed mother, Catherine, and his three siblings.

Since his father’s death three years ago, Alain and his 11-year-old brother have been unable to attend school due to a lack of funds. Alain earns between 500 and 600 CFA francs per day, which his family uses to purchase food and basic necessities. The family has also struggled to pay rent, falling approximately ten months behind.

The boy's situation has sparked national indignation, though some observers have noted a lack of response from certain social media influencers in the northern regions of the country, highlighting broader structural inequalities and regional economic disparities.