Foundation Donates Books, Desks to over 800 pupils, Empowers 100 Women in IDP Camps

by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna

‘Civitas Auxillium Foundation’ (CAF), a non-profit organisation focusing on supporting vulnerable persons, who are victims of conflicts and war, has donated desks, chairs, notebooks and textbooks to over 800 pupils living in internally-displaced persons (IDP) camps in WASSA, Abuja.

CAF has also commenced the process of training women at the IDP camps with the aim of empowering them.

According to Chief Operation Officer of the foundation, Elizabeth Duyile, “About 5 primary schools were direct beneficiaries of the CAF program, namely, Moving Star Academy, Tanzak Best Academy, Seat of Wisdom Academy, ECWA Zion Academy, Desert Preston Academy, and Well-Bred Academy with over 900 pupils.

“We’ve so far given over 2,000 notebooks, 30 textbooks and kits, which consist of pencils, erasers and pens, distributed to more than 300 pupils of five primary schools. The coming days, we shall also be reaching out to more pupils and students,” the Chief Operation Officer said.

Elizabeth Duyile also revealed that the foundation had provided free skills acquisition training and financial support for over 30 women in 2022, while it is currently training about 70 women at the camp and, by the end of the week, these women would be empowered with start-up packs and loans.

“Currently, we are training about 70 women from the WASSA Camp and, once their training is over, we shall give them seed loans and other things to enable them to start various businesses. We shall also be monitoring and supervising them so that they can grow in their chosen trades.”

She disclosed that the IDPs, who were dislocated from states like Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger and Taraba are over 5,000 in the WASSA Abuja camp.

Elizabeth Duyile, who doubles as the Technical Lead of the Foundation, stated that “The camp has only two boreholes that cater for the need of over 5,000 persons, while toilets, bathrooms and electricity are lacking in the camp.

“It is when there is peace that development can come to all Nigerians, including the IDPs,” she stated, adding that, “We are working with other organizations to see how we can improve the lots of the IDPs.”

The Foundation’s Chief Operation Officer, therefore, called on Nigerians to assist IDPs living across camps with proper skills training, saying, “So they would be resettled out of the camp and make good living for themselves.”