United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says it has initiated Resilience and Social Cohesion programme to support 500,000 people in Borno and Yobe.
The three-year programme is being implemented in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and German Government.
Mr Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria disclosed this on Thursday in Damaturu.
He said the programme would target children 0-23 months, pregnant women, school-age children, adolescent girls, female-headed households, and people with disabilities.
He listed the two benefiting local government councils as Bade in Yobe and Shani in Borno.
The UNCEF official said the programme would provide life-saving services to 156,888 direct beneficiaries and 362,307 indirect beneficiaries in the participating LGAs.
He said the programme would contribute towards attainment of seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including poverty eradication and zero hunger.
Others are access to quality education, gender equality, good health and wellbeing, climate action, peace, justice and strong insttutions and partnership for goals.
Hawkins said UNICEF remained grateful to the German Government for supporting pathways to child survival and peace in North-East region.
Also, the Yobe Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Muhammed Gagiyo, said the government had institutionalised social protection with provision of state’s social protection policy.
Represented by Alhaji Modu Ma’aji, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Gagiyo said the government had also established state’s social register for poor and vulnerable households.
He, therefore, urged the organisations to make effective use of the register in its beneficiary selection and targeting.
The Commissioner commended UNICEF, WFP and the German Government for choosing Yobe for the project, and pledged government support to facilitate successful implementation of the programme in the state. (NAN)
