Stories by Ibrahim Ramalan
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), victims of the tragic circumstance of Boko Haram insurgents, are presently housed in government camps, some in their newly found homes in the forests, while others are left in a lurch to live sub-human lives in shanties and vulnerable slums across the nooks and crannies of this country. Relocated from the north-eastern states as far back as 2014, some of these persons have been surviving in their various camps and make-shift shanties on the goodwill of some none-governmental organizations, individuals, groups as well as faith-based organizations.
A visit to some of these camps would reveal so appalling a picture of not so human friendly existence. Blueprint observed that the IDPs, living at the Wasa IDPs camp in the outskirt of FCT, were living in deplorable conditions.
However, based on the saying that ‘it is better to teach person how to catch a fish than to give him a fish’, Wasa IDPs have responded to a call by the Light of the Ummah in collaboration with Hope For All Foundation to get empowered in a one-month intensive training in the art of shoe and hand-bag making.
The IDPs through their chairman, Ahmad Bukar expressed their gratitude to the foundations and many other spirited individuals, groups and organisations for coming to their rescue in proving them with skills that could make their lives meaningful.
Speaking earlier, the Amir of Light of the Ummah Foundation, a NGO that is into provision of humanitarian services, education support and empowering the internally displaced persons, Malam Yahaya Umar, appealed to government and well meaning organisations to contribute in making the lives of the IDPs meaningful.
“We see it as a very important part of our objectives to empower the IDPs, that is specifically why we are empowering them in the line of shoe and hand bag making. Our hope is that by the time this people are back into their respective locations.
“We therefore call on the government and other well-meaning individuals and organizations to contribute in making the lies of the IDPs meaningful,” the Amir said.
Collaborating with them is the ‘Hope For All Foundation’, an NGO that into entrepreneurship and psycho-social support for internally displaced persons, founded by Zainab Aliyu Garba aka ‘Mama IDPs’.
Speaking to Blueprint, Malama Garba said her passion and love for humanity has always been the motivating factor towards helping the IDPs.
“I feel that these people need as much help as they could get. That is why we decided to feed them forever by teaching them skills so that at the end of the day they could be able to cater for themselves and their children, even after their stay here.
“Also, as they displaced, they are definitely traumatized. So we decided to give them a kind of a psycho-social therapy by keeping them busy, maybe they might forget their sorrows,” Mama IDPs said.
One of the IDPs living in the camp, Victoria Moses, 27, from Goza, while narrating her ordeal on how she escaped the Goza town to get herself in this camp, told Blueprint that she had to spend seven days on the road begging to be transited from one location to another until she got herself in this camp. “My mother is still in Goza now. I don’t know whether she is still alive or dead,” she submitted.
To her, coming to this camp is also like running from prying pan into the fire because the both situations are that of hopelessness; however, this empowerment would go a long way in ameliorating her condition.
She said: “Here in this camp we always have to wait until people of kind heart bring in food before we could eat. Somebody would take breakfast by 11: 00 AM and he doesn’t know whether he would have a lunch or dinner. No good water and shelter is shattering. No work for me and any hope or future for all of us here. Now if I learn how to make bags and shoes, at least I could be self reliant.”
