IDP CAMP INSPECTIONS
- Posted In : Recent Update
- 0 : comment
The Touch of Grace (ToG) team worked with disadvantaged people in Europe and Africa throughout 2016. In October, we went to Nigeria to assess the situation faced by internally displaced people. This trip was the result of fundraising efforts that started in June.
We went to three camps that are home to some of the one million internally displaced Nigerians. At these camps, which are controlled by the government, we found that people have basic safety and shelter. However, the living conditions are terrible, with a lack of facilities such as proper sanitation and drinking water.
There are also a lot of broken families—children dying from sickness, women dying in childbirth, and children being raised by grandparents because there is no one else to look after them. We gathered a lot of valuable information and established crucial contacts on the trip.
The purpose of going to Nigeria was to assess the camps, but we also used the opportunity to distribute direct aid. This included 33 cartons of noodles and some used clothing, which wegave to a group of about 90 mothers.
Foundation for the Future
Our intention is to use the experience and newly-formed contacts in Nigeria to increase our level of activity, helping people affected by war and other personal traumas. Those activities include:
- Providing food and other aid
- Providing basic education to those living in camps
- Working with government agencies to speed up the resettlement of families
- Improving accommodation by helping to build good but low cost houses
- Working to fight malaria to improve the health of those in the camps
The education of children suffering through conflicts and other disasters is a key priority for ToG. We work to do all we can to help achieve the second millennium development goal of universal primary education.
The practical steps we plan to take to achieve this include working with parents to ensure education is valued. We will also offer assistance, particularly to widows, so that as many children as possible can get the education they deserve.
Our plans include partnering with schools in the regions we work in so we can help them assist families facing difficulties sending their children to school. We also plan to work with teachers and partner with local leaders to establish long-lasting commitments to education. In the long-term we also plan to establish a fund where potential university students can obtain loans to help their education.
We are actively working in other areas in addition to education. This includes our Empowerment Project:
- Empowering children – Working directly with children to help them develop skills, knowledge, and emotional intelligence as well as providing practical assistance.
- Empowering women – Supporting and helping women who are marginalized and/or discriminated against, including widows, disabled women, and women living below the poverty line
This work is crucially important, and we are grateful for your support to help make it a reality.