NEWS:UNFPA Builds Friendly Center For Women and Girls at Malkoi Host Community, IDPs Camp in Yola.

By Musa Isa Ahmed

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Aishatu Jumai Al-Hassan marks the formal Commissioning of Women and Girls Friendly Center established by UNFPA.

Al-Hassan made her speech specifically on Women and Girls she said,  as a mother of women in Nigeria she felt that there is need to;  eradicate poverty on IDPs, educate them on how to adopt child spacing, discourse their issues with the humanitarian agency who advised them on conflict resolution and also to develop their skills on tailoring and other skills acquisition.

The Minister maintained that there is need to develop IDPs' life which can result to the productive segment of women in their normal life, Malkoi Host Community and IDPs settlement. Malkoi is a small village very close to the existing IDPs camp with a number of thousands IDPs living together as a community.

There are IDPs from Borno, Yobe and Northern part of Adamawa state depending on Government because they struggle to feed themselves through farming and other available jobs in the town. They venture into different business which include selling of food stuff etc. They also have a small market around to take care of themselves as one family.

Also, she said the Federal Government and the State Government will provide a vehicle to the host community for hospitality and other emergencies and also bring INEC to register their voters card.

"Plans are on the way to ensure that many activities on how to develop the IDPs' life in to reality simplified to enable them get back to their normal  life, this is one of the support by UNFPA."

Speaking earlier , Dr. Danladi Idris UNFPA, Program Manager, Yola disclosed that the establishment of a friendly center for women and girls is to support them to forget about the past and start doing something in other to help their family. In addition, he said this center is on going in three IDPs camp in Adamamwa state.

" We've train about 40 Women and Girls on tailoring and other skill acquisitions, we have a hospital with employed Doctors and counseling room where we advise IDPs on how to solve their problems. We also have enough space for them to Share ideas, all at the center and had given about 40 sewing machines and dignity kits to Women. More are coming and it is for both host community and IDPs"