As part of its overall support to
families displaced by violence in the North, the International
Organisation for Migration (IOM) has relocated 189 families from a
school to Bakasi camp in Maiduguri. Each family was provided with a
newly built shelter by IOM along with a non-food item (NFI) package.
This voluntary relocation is part of a
government-led drive to vacate schools where internally displaced
persons (IDPs) were initially settled in order to be able to reopen them
for classes in April.
Richard Danziger, the IOM Regional
Director for West and Central Africa (WCA) reassured the IDPs of IOM’s
commitment to providing shelter and NFIs to alleviate their plight. He
stated that “providing assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs)
in the North-eastern part of Nigeria is imperative as a first step
toward long-term stability in Northern Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad
sub region.”
Justus Zare, Permanent Secretary to
Borno State Ministry of Education who is also the secretary to the
Relocation Committee explained that efforts are being made to improve
the situation of the camp. He said “shelters are being provided,
drilling for water is completed, solar panels are installed and we are
happy with IOM and other partners for assisting us.”
IOM is also conducting baseline
assessments and registration for IDPs living in camps and host
communities under the Displacement Tracking Matrix project. In addition,
psychosocial services are provided to the IDPs and referrals are made
for appropriate treatment where applicable.
Two years ago, many displaced people
were housed and shielded in school facilities when schools were shut
down due to Boko Haram offensive. Surviving family members were
scattered across various schools used as temporary camps in the state.
The humanitarian crisis in Northern
Nigeria continues and yet the aid community is facing significant
funding gaps to sustain interventions. IOM is appealing for USD 15
million for continued shelter support, displacement tracking and
biometric registration, camp management and camp coordination (CCCM) and
psycho-social support.
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