From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
No fewer than 2,100 out-of-school children have been identified at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at the Federal Housing Estate, North Bank, Makurdi, the Benue State capital, which is one among the many IDP camps across the state.
Menroi Rural Priority Foundation, an NGO chich identified the out-of-school children, stressed the need for them to be enrolled in school without further delay.
Speaking with newsmen in Makurdi last weekend, President and Founder of the Foundation, Dr Kohol Iornem, noted that the organisation was established with the aim of taking care of the less privileged and orphans, as well as assisting traders in their businesses by giving them interest-free loans.
Dr Iornem who is the President of Mutual Union of Tiv in the United Kingdom (MUTUK) said that he established Menroi as a way of impacting communities in the state, adding that “We in the UK don’t forget our kith and kin back home.”
“Menroi is saying ‘no to hunger’ as one of the goals of SDG has been implied (Zero Hunger); promote healthy living and good personal hygiene practices in children living at the camps.”
Ironem further assured that his Foundation would play its part in ensuring that IDP children who have attained school age and have been identified are enrolled in schools.
“The children need to go to school. They are about 2,100 children in the camp with no means of educational pursuit. We hope that these would be looked into.
“Some of the activities we have embarked on to assist them on the interim include, teaching the children to learn six simple steps to personal grooming; that when they wake up, they brush their teeth, take their bath, wash their underwear, apply body cream or pomade, comb their hair and get dressed.
“After which they can have breakfast and prepare for the day’s activities. Some of the items we supplied for this activity are
toothbrushes, toothpaste, bathing soap, washing detergent, vaseline and comb.”
He also explained that through the Menroi Christmas project, IDPs at the Federal housing estate, North bank, Makurdi had benefitted from a Christmas package from the organisation.
Iornem, who is also an aspirant for the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency seat for the House of Representatives for the 2023 elections, said other items distributed to the IDPs, during its first and second projects were rice, cooking oil, seasoning, salt and tomato paste among other items.
“The objective was to provide clothing items for the less privileged who could not afford to buy clothes during the festive period and protect them against cold during the harsh weather (harmattan period).
“We distributed clothing items to the IDPs; distributed food items to sixty widows; distributed sixty hygiene packs to children at the IDP camp.
“We ensured that most of the women that were targeted are widows at the camps, who do not have support from husbands to cater for their families. We also gave them food items to enable the widows to celebrate Christmas with their children and families.
“However, we discovered that the basic needs of these IDPs is food. The campers need as much food as they can get. They do not have farms anymore and so cannot afford to farm their own food.
“It was quite a memorable experience for the children, as the kids played around happily and the widows sang and danced in appreciation.”
On MUTUK, Iornem further stated that “I am a lover of Tiv people and even when I first went to the UK, I used to sit with them (Tiv) in the UK, which led to my election as the Vice-President of MUTUK, two years later I was elected President and because of my good works, I was asked to do a second term.
“And as you are all aware, leadership is not easy and my first agenda was to reconcile the members and reposition MUTUK as a leading charitable organisation in the U.K. and the reconciliation has boosted our numbers.”
Responding, the Camp Chairman, John Azenda, thanked the MUTUK President, Dr Iornem for once again remembering the IDPs in the camp.