UNFPA; Trains 150 IDPs on Skill Acquisitions

BY; Catherine Philip Jelani

Ministry of Women Affairs with funding from UNFPA have scale up the Skill Acquisition training for 150 Internally Displaced Women and Girls at Malkoihi and Damare (NYSC) Camps in the following areas;-

1.    Tailoring

2.    Soap/Pomade making

3.    Cap making

4.    Bag knitting  

Interestingly, Action Aid with funding  UNFPA have mobilised 30 counselors that are currently providing Psycho Social Support in the camp and host communities. in view of the above, the monitoring team visited the camps and host community to ensure:-

1.  Proper monitoring, support and scale up the skill acquisitions programme in the camp.
2.     Ensure availability of training materials.
3.   Proper sorting of participants.
4.  And, to ensure linkage between psychosocial services rendered at the camp.

Mrs Anna Balami a representative of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development is in charge of coordinating the participants for the training. She said that 75 women will be trained at each of the camps.

She also explained that the selection exercise is based on their area of interest i.e. every woman is at liberty to choose the kind of training she wishes to acquire. However, the ministry coordinates all responses from partners in the state.

State Focal Person Mr Daniel Tizhe said that the training will commence immediately the sorting is over adding that the Skill Acquisitions Programme will go hand in hand with the Psychosocial Support and that the exercise will be conducted at the Safe Space provided by UNFPA in the two camps.

However, on Thursday 7^th of January 2016, Auwal Abubakar of UNFPA and Mrs Gladys Dzarmah of the State Planning Commission, Mrs Anna Balami  and Mrs Anna Alahira of State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development were at the camps to ensure;

·       Proper monitoring  

·       Availability of training materials

·       Psychosocial support etc.

·       Successful training

Similarly, on Friday 8^th 2016, Auwal Abubakar of UNFPA received Mohammed Ismail a Humanitarian Coordinator and Christian Sabum a Psycho Social Support Specialist in the state. Their mission was to offer Technical support as well as to conduct a supportive supervision.

Auwal took them round the camps in the company of the staff of State Planning Commission, the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, NEMA staff, Focal Person of UNFPA together with UNFPA staff.

 Mohammed and Chris were very impressed with the level of progress and activities in the camps particularly in the Humanitarian and Psycho Social Services provided by the United Nation Population Funds UNFPA through the support of State Planning Commission.