By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has donated Cholera kits, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, kits as well as Health Commodities to the Benue state government for persons displaced from Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, LGA, of the state following the armed herdsmen attack in the area.

The displaced survivors of the June 13 attack are currently taking refuge at the Makurdi Ultra Modern International Market on Abu King Shuluwa Road.

Making the donation, Friday, on behalf of the global organisation, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Gerida Birukila explained that the intervention became necessary in order to protect the displaced persons from disease out.

She stated that the donation would help the state provide adequate care for the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs who were clustered at the camp.

She explained that among items given the state government through the Commissioner for Health and Human Services were “cholera kits and that includes things for hygiene. And we have also given some medicines, tablets for water treatment among other things.”

The Chief noted the importance of taking care of the water and sanitation needs of the IDPs and check incidents of cholera outbreak hence the need to provide the necessary support to avert such outbreaks.

She said: “We saw that there are a lot of new mothers around with their babies so we are also providing health care, immunization and treatment.

“We are working closely with other partners like the Red Cross, International Organization on Migration, IOM, and with the state government as well to ensure that we ease the suffering of the IDPs.”

While assuring that there would be strict monitoring of the distribution and use of the donated items, the Chief said “we have been in the state before and now and after the crisis and so we would ensure that we work with the government and with other partners that are in the camp and make sure that this items are used for the displaced people.

“So we are here for a long term and we have been here in the start for some time. This is going to be a continuous thing to ensure that those who need them get them. We have cholera kits which include soap, hygiene kits, treatment for water like aqua tabs. And we also have medicines like antibiotics, pain killers and other health commodities for the displaced persons.”

Also, UNICEF Health specialist, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo pointed out that UNICEF had been on ground as a major partner in the state.

She disclosed that “currently there are about 15 registered IDPs camps in Benue state and UNICEF is supporting in 10 of them. So beyond the short-term interventions, we also have plans for the mid-term and the long-term recovery efforts and their re-integration into their ancestral homes. This is just a fraction of what we have already been doing.

“In terms of the crisis, it is an unfortunate one but the partners are committed to working together with the state agencies to mitigate the impact. So UNICEF and other UN agencies are on ground including CSOs and local NGOs and we are all committed to impacting on the lives of the women and children that were affected and of course the men.

“So it is a cross sectoral response, we have the WASH colleagues, we have the child protection, nutrition, education, it is a holistic support for the state.”

Receiving the items, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Yanmar Ortese lauded UNICEF for its diverse interventions to support the people of the state.

He stated that “UNICEF has always been UNICEF and they always live by their name and what they normally do for humanity. Hence they reacted quickly when they heard that we have this humanitarian crisis here.

“In this place we have old women and men, children, pregnant women, people with different backgrounds coming to cluster in one place. We expect various kinds of diseases like cholera outbreak, problems of under-five health problems which includes diarrhea, Malaria as well as upper respiratory track infections.

“UNICEF brought kits, water sanitizers, antibiotics, anti Malaria among others. And it is quite a welcome development and we appreciate them on behalf of Governor Hyacinth Alia for this gesture and we believe that it will help us combat several diseases if we record any outbreak.”