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Temitayo Okereji
In a bid to ameliorate the sufferings of Internally Displaced People particularly women, the Dr Yemi Adegboye Foundation (DYAF) has empowered women that relocated to Abuja following their displacements by insurgents.
The over 150 women in the IDP Camp in Karu, surburb in Abuja were provided with relief materials such as rice, beans, noodles among others to boost the level of their nutrition.
Speaking at an event where the materials were released to them, the Founder of the Foundation, Dr Yemi Adegboye said that the target is to reach out to women, children, the less privileged, disabled from the IDP camps who needed to be properly taken care of.
She said the empowerment programme is being done because it aligns with the implementation of Global Agenda of Sustainable Deveopment Goal 2 in Nigeria, which includes the elimination of hunger (zero hunger) by 2030.
Based on Global Hunger Index (GHI), Nigeria has a score of 27.3 in 2022, which means Nigeria has a level of hunger that is serious.
Malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 percent of all deaths of under-five children, and in Nigeria, according to UNICEF, an estimated two million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
She said, “We aim to work in partnership with donors, international organizations and the government, to implement our vision. We initially reached out to about 300 women, and subsequently about 150 women on a quarterly basis with food items.
“Going forward, we want to scale up and reach out to all the women on a monthly basis. We also want to reach out to women in other IDP camps in Abuja environs.
“There are lots of women who have been displaced and living in abject poverty, struggling to eat and survive. We are therefore calling on the government and international organizations to partner with us so we can do more and reach out to more IDP women, children, the less privileged and the disabled.”
In addition to zero hunger, she said the Foundation aims to assist in ending all forms of malnutrition and aspire to have a nation where the women, children, the less privileged and the disabled are provided with nutritous and sufficient food all year round.
She said, “We are here to implement the vision of our Foundation, and our vision is to have a nation where malnutrition and poverty is eliminated among the women, children, less privileged and the disabled. So, by doing this we give out food.
“Most times when these women are displaced, the men tend to find a way in getting things sorted for themselves, but the women are left home with the children, and are more accepted by the displacement.
“Based on UNICEF record, Nigeria has the highest burden of stunted children all over the world. This is why we focus on women and children. This Foundation is not only based on IDP camp, but to empower women with money to help support their families and set up businesses through transfer just for accountability.
“The IDP camp women are fed on a quarterly basis. So, we want to scale up on monthly basis. Also employ permanent staffs. This is why we are calling on international organizations, government to partner with us and make foundation a successful one in order to reach out to more women.”
She said the plan of the Foundation is take the empowerment programme to other parts of the country, adding that beyond feeding women from IDP camps, others have been empowered with funds to start-up businesses.
“When we started, we gave some women money via bank transfers to start-up businesses and help their families,” she added.
