NDE lifts Yola IDP camp with medicines

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has donated medicines worth more than N20million to the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlements in Yola, Adamawa state. The donation was done in collaboration with the Health Partners International Canada and Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment in the continuation of its efforts at empowering boosting the welfare of IDPs in the North eastern part of Nigeria.

The representative of the Director General of the NDE, Ibrahim Ladan and Dr. Khalid Mannan of the health partners International Canada delivered the medicines to the Centre recently.Health Partners International Canada is a humanitarian organization that strives to increase access to medicines and good health in vulnerable communities by working with partner agencies and organizations. 

The deputy director, Information and Public Relations of the NDE, Edmund Onwuliri, said the donated medicines consist mostly of live saving drugs for pregnant women and children. It covered a wide range of antibiotics usable in treatment of various infections. It also included multivitamins, supplements for mothers and children, drugs for asthma and high blood pressure among others. It was the second time that the HPIC is donating medicines to IDPs in Nigeria and has expressed willingness to send more medicines in the near future.

The medicines, which were delivered to Asma’u Joda and Prof Bashir Aliyu, were later taken to the Women and Adolescents Centre. Both the representative of the DG of NDE, Ibrahim Ladan and Dr. Khalid Mannan participated in the stocking of the medicines. 

They also partook in the medical outreach to the village of Jiri, a 30-minute drive from Yola. They witnessed the medical services provided to the people of Jiri including children, pregnant women, elderly and young patients. 

Following the exercise, both Ibrahim Ladan and Dr. Khalid Mannan thanked the medical team and the executives of the Centre for Women and Adolescent Empowerment. They also expressed satisfaction with the great work done by the Centre and hoped for a continuous collaboration in the provision of medicines to the IDPs in the State.
Asma’u Joda and Prof Bashir Aliyu run the Centre for Women and Adolescents Empowerment. 

The Centre works with IDPs and helps to empower women through rehabilitation and training in various skills. It also conducts medical outreach programs in conjunction with medical teams to various IDPs settlements to provide primary medical care, antenatal follow-ups, deworming of children as well as counseling. It also arranges transfer of complicated cases to secondary or tertiary hospitals where necessary. 

The team visited IDPs settlement where it met with the village head and interacted with some village women who have been trained in the art of cap making. The trained women expressed happiness and disclosed that they now make decent income from their learnt trade to support their families.