By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The June 13 attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area remains one of the darkest moments in the trajectory of armed herdsmen incursions in Benue  State with over 200 persons killed in one fell swoop.

Apart from  the dead and the injured, that attack  displaced no fewer than 5,000 residents who survived the incursion and turned many women, men, children into refugees, having been forced to flee their comfort zones into any available space for safety.

Available data indicates that over 2,000 children were displaced in that attack and a huge number of the figure are children of school age. The implication is that the crisis added to the out-of-school children situation in the state and country at large.

In fact, many of the children who abandoned school following the attack were left helpless in the camp where they daily roam all over the place while their mates attend school.

Sensing the danger of not having the displaced children in school to acquire formal knowledge, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,  has  stepped in to  fill  the gap and give the children    a sense of hope and fulfillment.

The global organisation through its Temporary Learning Space Services has brought succour the way of the children and their parents. Through this service all children of school age in the camp and those old enough for Early Childhood Education are now enjoying the benefit of learning.

Trained qualified teachers are brought in to the camp to ensure that the children and learners are well taught and that they enjoy all the benefit they would have gotten in a normal school setting.

And to further boost the morale of the children and enhance teaching and learning in the camp, the global organisation recently provided school bags, note books, and sports wears for the children to further encourage and support them to embrace learning in the camp.

Speaking during the presentation of the items, the UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Juliet Chiluwe, emphasised that education  is critical for  the  displaced children.

She noted the importance of the intervention to the lives of the children and urged the Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, BSEMA, among others to support the initiative to ensure that the children attend school and not drop out because of their situation. She disclosed that there are over 1,500 children at the learning spaces and “we are here to support them with educational materials such as exercise books, sports wears and school bags”.

“There is need for more educational and learning materials to be supplied. We need more teachers, white boards, and to also ensure that even when the children return back homes, they will continue to be supported.”

“As UNICEF, we remain committed to ensuring that each child does not miss out on their rights; in this instance, education cannot wait.

“So, after the displacement from Yelewata, UNICEF stepped in to address the needs of children and women and realised that the children were missing out on their learning. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and SEMA, we created temporary learning spaces to ensure the children do not continue to miss out on their learning,” she added.

On her part, the UNICEF Education Specialist, Enugu Field Office, Dr. Agatha Nzeribe,  said the intervention became necessary given the importance of education to the life of a growing child. “We are here because education cannot wait. Whenever you find a child you have UNICEF. Since the Yelewata incident UNICEF has been on ground helping here with temporary learning centres.

“In this intervention we have provided 1,500 bags, 5,000 exercise books and we are appealing to the Ministry of Education and Knowledge Management and Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, to support UNICEF with more items.

“It is important to note that this is a very critical time in the lives of the children and if they do not learn now they might not learn again,” she said.

Elated Woman Leader of Yelewata IDPs, Ngunenge Azayol,  who lauded UNICEF for introducing the learning services in the camp,  said it had given the children and their parents hope that their displacement was not the end of the education of the children.

Mrs.  Azayol said, “When we ran to the camp from Yelewata we stayed for days and our children were roaming in the camps without going to school since they all left home where they had their schools.

“As parents we were worried because having our children confined in the camp without going to school was a major set back for them and their future.

“So many of us the parents did not go to school but we know the importance of school to our children to enable them become useful to themselves and the society. That was why we were worried and disturbed by their situation.

“But everything changed  when UNICEF came and established the school in the camp. For so many of us the parents, that intervention remains the most important for us.

“Our children can now go to school within the camp and be taught. You can also see from the faces of the children that they are happy that they are learning.

“It gives us the parents joy and that is why we cannot thank UNICEF enough for this life changing intervention for our children.

“Aside ensuring that they are learning, UNICEF also gave them school bags, note books and other leaning and writing materials. It has made our children happy and  because  they are happy we are also happy. And it has brought smiles to our faces despite our challenges.”

And for Emmanuel Kyanjo, the school services brought back life to the children and it is the greatest gift our children receive in the camp.

“They are our children and we know that the coming of the school has greatly impacted them and you can see that they are always eager to be in school every day because they derive joy by being in class either their mates and learning. For me that is the greatest gift they have given our children and we will remain eternally grateful even after we return  home,” Kyanjo said.