Succour has come the way of 1,500 most vulnerable women and children in four Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Benue State, as each gets N15,000 from ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and First Step Action to cushion the effect of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Flagging-off the intervention at Daudu, Agbagena, Ichwa and Gbajimba IDP camps, AAN Manager, Humanitarian and Resilience, David Habba, said the emergency intervention, which is drawn from Startfund, would reduce the hardship and vulnerability caused by the pandemic.
Habba maintained that COVID-19 increased the vulnerability of displaced women resulting in sexual abuse and exploitation.
According to him, misconceptions on COVID-19, which are fast spreading among locals in the communities, have also infiltrated the IDP camps, putting more displaced persons at a higher risk, as most of the camps lack adequate essential hygiene kits necessary for curbing the spread of the virus.
“Shelter will be built for camps without adequate shelter. This intervention is proudly sponsored by StartFund,” he noted.
Also, the programme Officer, FirstStep Action, Mngohol Korshima, said a team of 15 women was set up within each camp to lead the process and identify the most vulnerable households within the camps to be included as beneficiaries.
According to her, households will be supported with cash for food items of their choice and hygiene materials, which will further assist to improve the coping capacity of the most vulnerable households whose suffering has been intensified by the pandemic.
Senior Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on State Emergency, Cyprian Tsenongo, said, even as the state government had been proactive in caring for the displaced persons, the laudable intervention from AAN and Firststep Action would go a long way in mitigating the suffering of the IDPs in the state.
In her remark, Camp Manager, Saudi Camp III, Comfort Slugs, expressed optimism that the beneficiaries would make maximum use of the offer, and thanked the donors for the offer.
Speaking with The Guardian, two beneficiaries, Christiana Lutso and Roseline Alahaji, lauded AAN and the partners for the donation and promised to use it judiciously.
The intervention held for six days from January 13, 2021. ActionAid is a global organisation that is dedicated to the fight against poverty. Its vision is a world without poverty and injustice, in which every person enjoys their right to life with dignity. The organisation, which has been in Nigeria since 1999, is said to be working in over 40 countries.
