From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF (UNICEF), in partnership with JASPI and Benue State government, has trained members of the Community-Based Child Protection Structures (CBCPS) at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Mega Camp, Mbayongo, in Makurdi, Benue State.
The Child Protection Manager, UNICEF, Abuja Office, Mona Aika said the officers are being trained to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation of any child or any child protection concern that may arise from the camp and community.
Aika who spoke to newsmen at the training flag off said “We are here at IDP Mega Camp, Mbayongo to join the community members that have been identified to be Community Child Protection Structures to be part of the Child Based Child Protection Structure.
“They have been identified to support the service provision when it comes to Child protection, the prevention and response to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation to any child protection concern that may arise from the community.”
He explained that UNICEF is working and supporting the Benue State Government to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to members to make them their eyes and ears and to provide services when it comes to Child Protection. This also ensures that services are provided closer to the households, closer to the people, and closer to the children.
The UNICEF child protection expert said they are implementing the program with a partner called JASPI and the state government in a tripartite partnership to facilitate the monitoring, follow-up, coaching and mentoring of the community structures to ensure that they are capable of delivering the service on ground.
According to him, the trainings are being done in phases to reach all the 13 camps in Benue state and their host communities. “Today we have around 40 community members that are part of CBCPS and 10 members from the host community. This will be replicated across the IDPs camps that have the services available for children. 330 CBCPS are to be trained in a phased approach starting with the first batch today,” he said
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Anna Itodo-Benjamin who was represented by the Orphan and Vulnerable Children Officer at the Ministry and UNICEF Focal Person for Child Protection, Mr Fidelis Alumunku, said the training is sponsored by UNICEF to enlighten community people and those in camp about Child Protection process.
Alumunku said the program would enable them have community-based structure at the camp and in the community adding that where there is an existing structure, they would strengthen it and form one where there is none.
On her part, the Executive Director of JASPI Health and Gender Development Initiative, Henrietta Doosuurshater said the Trainers of Trainers who have already been trained will engage the CBCPS structures to facilitate training sessions at the various IDP camps and host communities.
She explained that for the IDP camp community, leaders of IDP camps, educational and religious institutions, leaders of any recognized association that exist in the camp, health care workers and camp security would be trained while for host communities; traditional leadership representatives, Community Youth, women and Men, health care workers, recognized Association in the host community and local security would be trained to prevent and respond to issues of child protection including child abuse, early marriage, neglect, among others.
The manager of Mega IDP Camp, Mark Terver said he would monitor all processes and ensure that all members of the structures are active for the success of the program while one of the trainees, Louisa Awunde, block leader from Welfare Quarters Unit, Mega Camp, said “I have learnt how to handle children even if they’re not mine, l learnt that I should take every child I see as my own. When I get back to my unit, I will gather my block members and teach them.
“I’m happy and grateful for the training, and I pray God to continue to send people like this to us. I also want to urged them to keep it up with the good work they are doing.”