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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Over 1,000 internally Ddsplaced children at the Benue State Mega Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Makurdi have received educational materials through an intervention by OPay Digital Services Limited in partnership with the Comfort Centre for Child Advocacy, Response and Empowerment (C-CARE).
The initiative, tagged “The Education Support Project,” provided school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, shoes and educational games to children in the camp as part of efforts to improve access to education despite the challenges posed by displacement.
Speaking during the distribution, Executive Officer of C-CARE, Barr Olarewaju Ihechi, described the intervention as a significant step towards ensuring that children affected by the humanitarian crisis do not lose access to learning.
She expressed appreciation to OPay for funding the project and actively participating in the exercise saying “Our desire is to ensure that children in this camp continue to learn despite the crisis they have experienced. Education remains key to their future and to the development of Benue State and Nigeria.”
Olarewaju explained that the organization profiled children in the camp ahead of the exercise in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA).
According to her, the profiling identified 1,000 children, with the intention of ensuring that every registered child in the camp received educational support.
She also stated that the organization hopes to extend similar interventions to other IDP camps across Benue State as resources become available.
Also speaking, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager of OPay Digital Services Limited, Mr. Itoro Udo, said the intervention reflects the company’s commitment to supporting education and vulnerable communities in Benue.
He noted that the IDP camp project is OPay’s third major educational intervention in the state, following scholarship programmes at Benue State University and Benue State Polytechnic.
Udo commended the people of Benue for embracing the company’s initiatives and expressed optimism that more corporate social responsibility projects would be implemented in the state.
In his remarks, Headteacher of the Mega IDP Camp School, Mr. James Nyibiam, described the intervention as the first of its kind specifically targeted at school children in the camp.
While acknowledging previous distributions of food and relief materials by humanitarian organization’s, he said educational needs had received little attention until the OPay’s intervention.
Nyibiam disclosed that many displaced children had spent years out of school before volunteer teachers established learning activities within the camp.
According to him, although classroom spaces are gradually being provided through support from humanitarian organizations, pupils still lack desks and chairs and many continue to sit on the floor during lessons.
He appealed to the Benue State Government and other development partners to complement OPay’s intervention by providing classroom furniture and additional learning materials, noting that the exercise books distributed would not adequately meet the needs of pupils across different classes.
Representing BSEMA, Mr. Banki Felix commended OPay and C-CARE for supporting education in the camp, describing the donation as one that would encourage displaced children to concentrate on their studies.
Also the Unit Head, Out-of-School Children, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ruth Ningir, said the intervention was carried out in collaboration with the Benue State Government.
She explained that the ministry approved and monitored the exercise as part of its mandate to protect the welfare and educational rights of vulnerable children, adding that reports of the intervention would be submitted to the ministry.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiary families, Mr. Barnabas Benjamin, whose two children benefited from the programme, appreciated OPay for easing the financial burden on displaced parents.
He appealed to the company and other partners to replicate the intervention in other IDP camps across Benue, including those in Guma Local Government Area and other communities hosting displaced persons.
The event featured cultural performances by pupils of the Mega IDP Camp School, who entertained the visitors with Tiv traditional dances in appreciation of their kind gesture.
