Wellbeing Foundation Sponsors A Climber Headed To The Mount Kilimanjaro Summit In Support Of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) In Nigeria

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is pleased to announce our sponsorship of the Climb With Remi. We are sponsoring one brave climber headed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, in support of women, children, and elderly people in Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

There are currently 3.3 million internally displaced Nigerians , living in overrun and over-capacity IDP camps. Many of the IDPs are children, including a large number of newborns. In Borno State alone, over 100 babies are born daily in IDP camps with an average of five to six deliveries in each of the state's 21 camps. As the Newborn Champion for Save the Children Nigeria, Her Excellency Toyin Saraki is deeply concerned about the burgeoning newborn health crisis in these camps, with a large number of births occurring in camps that currently lack safe and clean birthing facilities.

To help facilitate clean deliveries in Adamawa State in February, Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) donated our Mama Kits, that contain all essential health commodities that can transform any location - even an IDP camp - into a safe and clean birthing area. Scaling up access to clean delivery kits is crucial if we are to meet the challenges of this potential newborn health crisis.

Led by Remi – whom at the age of 49 - is the oldest Nigerian to have climbed Kilimanjaro, the Climb With Remi initative is truly inspiring. Returning to the summit at age 50, Remi is bringing attention to the plight of IDPs in Nigeria. With her team in their late forties and early fifties, the Climb With Remi is a test of human endurance that shows the power of women at any stage of their life.

Recent research has shown that older people are vulnerable to malnutrition in humanitarian contexts. Due to their age, they have specific nutritional needs such as easily digestible and palatable food. In famine and displacement, where people are dependent on food distribution, older people often have difficulty accessing the distribution, or difficulty transporting rations home. Despite, these unique vulnerabilities, older people are neglected as a group in need of specific nutritional or food assistance.

We will be assisting the Climb With Remi campaign with daily facts and figures about the plight facing women, children, and elderly people in IDP camps over the course of this week.