Insurgency: Borno Government Commends UNICEF for Supporting 200,000 Displaced Children
By Alex Uangbaoje, Maiduguri
Borno State Government on Saturday lauded the effort of United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for supporting over 200,000 children displaced by insurgency under the Child Protection System.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Alhaji Yahaya Dankoli, made the commendation when UNICEF presented a vehicle and child protection kits to his ministry in Maiduguri.
Dankoli said the items would equip the staff of the ministry toward supporting and protecting children in rural communities.
He said lack of mobility, working tools and access to communities liberated from Boko Haram terrorists were major challenges confronting the ministry.
“We have just received a hilux van, two sets of computer as well as projectors for the coordination of our activities of child protection.
“This meaningful partnership will surely go a long way in alleviating the plight of our vulnerable children, especially those who had been made orphans by the Boko Haram insurgency,’’ he said.
He explained that the ministry in partnership with UNICEF had recently graduated about 1,700 orphans who underwent various skills acquisition programme in one of its centers.
He said that the 12-week programme was designed to provide means of livelihood for the beneficiaries.
Mr Samuel Manyok, the UNICEF’s Child Protection Manager, said the organisation had provided nutritional and child protection support to about one million children affected by conflict in the North-East.
Manyok said that the donation was to show UNICEF’s strong commitment towards supporting victims of violence and those displaced by Boko Haram.
He pledged UNICEF’s continued support to the Borno Government to implement its annual work plan to enhance protection for the children.
