IDPs: Danish Refugee Council Strengthens Synergy for Vulnerable

Onuminya Innocent in  Sokoto

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international support donor agency, has stated that all hands must be on deck as it takes steps and commitment to drive more support and result-oriented advocacy to improve the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) situation in Sokoto and Zamfara States.

The donor agency is operating and providing intervention and support services in thematic areas across 40 countries in the world.

It focuses more on economic recovery, protection, shelter, settlement, peacebuilding and humanitarian support among other critical human needs in times of displacement.

Speaking at a workshop in Sokoto, the Coordinator, Samson Peter Ayok, said DRC observed with passion that Northwest Nigeria has suffered a lack of attention amid the growing number of IDPs as a result of insecurity and other natural occurrences hence displacing lot of inhabitants and households.

“We are focusing on Sokoto and Zamfara States to offer rapid response to situations of displacements.

“We are building on our approach strategy by encouraging better partnership that will further drive our objectives for success,” he explained.

Ayok said DRC was operating in the two regions of Northeast and Northwest across four states of Adamawa, Borno, Sokoto and Zamfara, with the vision and mission to promote dignified life for all displaced refugees.

He said: “We equally assist and protect them from harm and safeguarding their legal rights as well empowering them towards better future.”

The coordinator, however, disclosed that the council was pushing to encourage synergy with other socio-economic, religious and cultural organs as CSOs, the media, opinion and community leaders to adequately respond to displacement situations in Zamfara and Sokoto States respectively within the one-year project.

This, he explained, was aimed at further providing the space to appreciably localise all strategies as well work with other critical national organisations (NGOs) to strengthen capacity for adequate response to situations.

“This will assist in speedy identification of crisis situations, locations and affected victims or persons for quick implementation of designed package as intervention,” he stressed.

The coordinator commended the strategic role and efforts of the Sokoto State Government reaching out to various donor agencies for support to vulnerable displaced persons across the state.

Also, in his remarks, the Executive Director, ASATTAHIR Foundation International, Professor Tanko Yahaya Baba, said the foundation had since inception in 2011, positioned it activities on IDPs in health, food, and nutrition projects by providing emergency interventions especially at informal centres for displaced persons in Zamfara. And Sokoto States.

“We are working basically on general system strategy and capacity building to reach out to crisis locations with intervention,” he said.

According to Baba, the foundation has provided intervention in form of support across the two states, adding that: “We visited Kauran Namoda, Bodinga, Tangaza, Binji and in some areas in Sokoto (Ramin Kura). All these are informal IDP centres.

“We supported over 2,000 vulnerable displaced households. You can only do this with comprehensive information and data collection.”