From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
ActionAid Nigeria in the last one week has given assistance to 350 women headed households in six affected communities within the local government areas that have in the recent past, suffered from crisis.
In a statement signed by Lola Ayanda, gave the names of the affected areas as Okokolo, Oshigbudu, Odugbeho, Adana, Aila, Olegomakwo communities in Agatu local government areas of Benue State.
The support by ActionAid according to the statement is with cash for food and dignity items worth N7.9M, aimed at reducing the hardship caused by the incessant crisis.
Each of the identified household According to the Statement received N14,000.00 as cash for food while women in the community received dignity kits (sanitary towels, wrapper, hygiene kits etc) worth N11,000.00.
It would be recalled that communal crisis in communities in Agatu local government area left many women hopeless having lost their farmlands, a major source of income and husbands who are breadwinners.
“The crisis in Agatu local government area impacted negatively on the lives and livelihood of community members, reason ActionAid began a weeklong emergency intervention to provide appropriate aid to affected families in the local government area.”
“Towards reaching, the affected persons, ActionAid, a team of 14 youth volunteers, selected from the communities led the process and ensured that the most vulnerable households within the communities were identified as beneficiaries.”
The intervention by ActionAid according to Lola is to assist improve the coping capacity and alleviate the sufferings of the household heads intensified by the crisis.
“Towards achieving the intervention objectives, ActionAid Nigeria, worked with Justice Development Caritas Foundation (JDCF) in collaboration with Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to carry out the emergency humanitarian assistance targeted at the six (6) affected communities”.
“ActionAid is a global organisation, dedicated to the fight against poverty. Its vision is a world, without poverty and injustice, in which every person enjoys his or her right to life with dignity.”
Presently, ActionAid works in over 40 countries across the globe and has been working in Nigeria since 1999.