VSF Distributes Toys, Grinding Machines To Borno IDPs
The Victims Support Fund (VSF) has distributed several units and cartons of children’s toys, grinding machines and drugs to over 6,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from destroyed Bama town and its environs in Borno state; to meet their basic and recreational needs in the ‘hospital converted’ refugees’ camp.
Bama is 78 kilometres South East of Maiduguri; the state capital; and had been severally attacked; before being completely destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents on September 1, 2014.
The displaced women, according to camp authorities, had been using grinding stones for their corn meals and porridges to survive insurgents’ attacks and traumas.
Presenting the grinding machines and drugs at the Bama camp the Executive Director of VSF, Prof. Sunday Ochoche said the presentation of these relief materials will provide succor to women who have the responsibility of managing the cooking and other basic needs of life in camp.
He said the distribution of children’s toys, grinding machines and drugs could significantly make a difference to the quality of lives of children and women in the camp.
His words: “Today’s function of Victims Support Fund is small; but symbolic and very important in our view. Bama is probably the worst affected town of Boko Haram attacks. It is virtually an empty town razed down completely by the insurgents.
“There is this pocket of life here of the IDPs not one of the biggest camps that nobody has heard about. We came here; did our little survey and realized that they were here. The military under the able leadership of the Brigade Commander, Brig-Gen. Musa Aliyu and one or two other agencies have been providing the best they can to support this camp here in Bama.”
Prof. Ochoche noted that there are some critical issues that
need urgent intervention. Such interventions, according to him, include the health care needs of displaced persons and the recreational facilities for the 2,140 children below the ages of five.
“The military had been almost exclusively providing the medical
requirements for the camp in an environment with so many children and women; you can appreciate what that is,” said Prof. Ochoche.
He added: “They have used their human and material resources to provide medical support for the camp. We also realized that a number of the items needed for the camp to function effectively, especially the women was lacking. The grinding machines they had here had broken down. And when we came we saw women literary having to grind all their grains and vegetables on the stone.”
On recreational needs of children, he said: “We also noticed with the number here and considering that children and women are primary areas of focus of VSF. We thought that there was need for us to respond to a number of their basic needs in partnership with UNICEF to provide drugs to enable the military provide the medical support to the IDPs.
“The children in camp have been particularly on our mind and we have come here with significant quantity of toys, recreational facilities, table tennis tables, swings, to enable them have some more decent and lively life in the camp.
He said before now, not much attention has been paid to the IDPs in camp at Bama, which was destroyed by insurgents in September last year he however noted that some modicum of life is gradually returning with the support of the military and Borno state governments.