The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to strengthen the capacities of local actors in addressing malnutrition among children and tackling other emergency situations.
Speaking at a Dialogue Session with Local Actors in Northeast Nigeria on Thursday in Damaturu, Josephine Nneka, an emergency specialist at UNICEF’s Maiduguri office, said the initiative was designed to enhance access to children in hard-to-reach areas.
“Due to security and other challenges, UNICEF and other development partners cannot be everywhere. But with local actors, we can be able to reach any child wherever he or she is. This is in line with our vision,” she said.
Read Also: Katsina govt inaugurates committee to combat malnutrition
Ms Nneka explained that no fewer than 105 local actors in Borno and Yobe states were undergoing training in emergency response and financial management.
She added that their services also covered public enlightenment on exclusive breastfeeding, preparation of balanced diets with locally available foods, water and sanitation education, as well as reuniting abducted children with their families.
Mohammad Jalo, director of rescue operations at Yobe’s Emergency Management Agency, said the dialogue would help harmonise the roles of various stakeholders to avoid duplication of efforts during emergencies.
He noted that with donor fatigue increasing, the emphasis on local capacity building would promote sustainability, ownership and greater participation in humanitarian response.
Mr Jalo expressed gratitude to UNICEF for selecting Yobe as host of the session after three consecutive years in Borno.
Also speaking, Kachalla Mustapha, executive director of Roadmap for Women and Youth Development, said the engagement had improved his organisation’s capacity to access UNICEF’s support for emergency response.
He assured that local actors, with their knowledge of the terrain, were ready to serve communities effectively.
