A
team of psycho –social support counselors trained by Actionaid Nigeria
with support funding from UNFPA have commenced counseling of victims of
Boko Haram on Sexual Gender Based Violence and other related issues in
Borno State.
Our
correspondent who visited the NRC IDP Camp in Beneshiek, Kaga local
Government saw the team interacting with the displaced people at the IOM
Safe Centre at the camp.
In
what looks like an orientation or an introductory meeting, the PSS Team
informed the IDP community of their mission and explained to them what
they were expected to within the next two months in the community.
The
team leader of Kaga Local Government, Mala Kachala described their
meeting with the community as fruitful, adding that, “with the kind of
response we have received from the people today about this project, I am
sure we are going to make serious impact in this community because the
people are so cooperative with us. We are really encouraged by the
turnout and we hope they will come out and speak about any kind of
violence that has been meted against them”.
Sani Abubakar, a resident IDP said the meeting with the Actionaid team has exposed them to some rights they ought to enjoy at the camp.
Hauwa
Bukar, did not have time to narrate her entire story but a scratch of
clearly reveals a highly traumatized women left with a paralyzed husband
and seven children to cater for from the small bean cake frying
business she does every day in front of the camp.
According
to her, her hitherto energetic husband developed high blood pressure
after a Boko Haram attack in their community that sent everyone packing.
He never recovered from that attack and it presently confined in a
house paralyzed with stroke.
Her
greatest worry is how to raise the seven children with N300 she makes
from her kwese business. “I woke up every day and think of how to feed
the children and take care of my husband. Sometime I feel like taking my
life. I thank God for these people (Actionaid) for coming. From what
they said, I have someone that can listen to my problems and help me
solve them”, Hauwa informed our correspondent.
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| PSS INTERACTING WITH IDPs AT NRC IDP CAMP, BENESHEIK |
Explaining
the scope of the program, the Project Manager Health,
Actionaid Nigeria Maryann Obidike, said forty Psychosocial Support
Counselors (PSSC) underwent five days intensive training under the
program, ‘Prevention and Response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence
(SGBV)’ at Command Guest House in Maiduguri where they were trained to
give psychosocial Support on Sexual and Gender Based Violence to
displaced people at designated IDP Camps and host communities.
She
informed that the PSSC are divided into four groups, ten each to
cover liberated communities in four LGAs of Borno State which include
Pulka in Gwoza, Beneshiek & Mainok in Kaga, Rann in Kala-Balge and
Banki in Bama Local Government Areas.
