As part of urgent humanitarian response to provide succour for the Borno state flood victims, Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria has set up a Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to the affected households.
This, it said, was part of effort to mobilise a rapid response to the needs of flood affected communities in Maiduguri by initially using internal humanitarian funds, technical expertise and over a decade long experience in humanitarian action in the North East.
TheHintsNews reports that last week’s flooding in Borno State is one of the worst in 30 years, affecting 400,000 people, and leaving children and families without shelter, healthcare, school, clean water and food.
SCI Country Director, Mr. Duncan Harvey while addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, said the organisation was also setting up health and nutrition outreach services to the affected households; rehabilitation of sanitation facilities, and conducting hygiene promotion and community awareness raising.
He emphasised that SCI was currently on the ground to provide urgent rescue service, lifesaving response and rehabilitation of affected communities.
Harvey expressed worry that the flooding was happening at the height of a food and nutrition crisis —the lean season, saying in addition to the immediate need for food and clean water for the IDPs, water-borne diseases and malaria are major risks, as open defecation in the camps is widespread.
The country director stressed that the first cholera cases have already been reported, adding that this was a major health risk that needs an urgent intervention.
He stated: “Save the Children’s urgent response plan to the crisis includes but not limited to Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to the affected households; setting up health and nutrition outreach services to the affected households;
“Rehabilitation of sanitation facilities, and conducting hygiene promotion and community awareness raising; child protection in emergencies through setting up Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) help desk to provide psychological first-aid and psychosocial support to children and caregivers in the camps; the rollout of safe family sessions and establishing minimum protection monitoring activities, among others.”