Typhoid, Malaria Killing more IDPs than Boko Haram – NGO Raises Alarm

Edited Newsweb Express

An NGO, Halima Factor Community Initiative, has raised an alarm over the high rates of deaths at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), camps in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, ravaged by Book Haram insurgency.

Halima Usman, founder of the NGO, raised the alarm, during a medical outreach which her NGO, in collaboration with the Society for Family Health, undertook at Wasa IDPs camp located in the suburb of Abuja, the nation’s capital, according to a report published by Daily Nigerian.

She disclosed that sicknesses such as Typhoid, Malaria and many other ailments are killing many more Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, than the fatalities inflicted on these refugees by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Mrs Usman, added that of the more than 300 IDPs that benefitted from the outreach, more than 200 people were treated on either malaria, Typhoid or other related sicknesses.

“If you look at statistics, malaria disease is one of the highest killers in Africa. I learnt that there is over 500 population living in here. So, you can imagine what this place would look like if there is no much medical attention to them.

“Last year, I learnt that a lot of children died of preventable diseases like Typhoid and malaria. So, we are doing this outreach not only to help them but also to bring people’s attention to this camp so that other people could also tow this path in helping them regain some sanity as human beings,” she emphasised.

Speaking on the significance of the outreach, Mrs Usman said: “It has been two years on and we have been working with different camps within the FCT like the Gongola, Durum, Kuchikoro, Wasa and many other IDPs camps.

“What we normally do is to look at the specific needs of each camp and bring in these needs to them. I must commend Mr Godpower Omoregie of the Society for Family Health for his generosity towards the success of this outreach.

“When I came into this camp, I think a month ago, I discovered that what they need majorly is medical outreach. While other IDP camps are located within Abuja, Wasa camp is peculiar, especially it’s near inaccessibility to most people. The camp is located in a far-flung.”

Mrs Usman, therefore, called on Other NGOs and corporate organisations and individuals to tow the path of giving back to their society by exhibiting a sense of belonging to the IDPs who, by omission or commission, are not the architects of their own destinies.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on other non-governmental organisations and other spirited individuals to come together and help these IDPs. These people need attention and help because they are human beings like us,” she said.

Newsweb

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