VSF to give scholarship to 30,000 orphans in Borno IDP camps

The Victim Support Fund (VSF) says it will give no fewer than 30,000 orphans in Borno Internally Displaced Persons’ camps free scholarship this year.

Mr Emanuel Ojo, Programme Manager of VSF in the state, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Sunday.

Ojo said that the pupils would be selected from 28 IDP camps in the state capital.

According to him, the VSF will sponsor each of the children to undergo their nursery and primary schools in selected schools in the state capital.

He said that the agency would provide uniforms and learning materials for the pupils.
He explained that the agency had given support of N20,000 each to about 1,000 nursing and lactating mothers in IDP camps in 2015.

The women were drawn from Bama, Gwoza, Kukawa, Dikwa, Ngala, Marte, Munguno, and Nganzai local government areas, adding that the areas were worst hit by the insurgency.

He noted that VSF had so far empowered over 3,000 women with N20,000 grant at the IDPs camps in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

“The goal was to assist 5,000 IDPs who are worst hit by the insurgency to enable them set up their businesses, generate incomes and become self reliant.

“The women were encouraged to form cooperative societies of 50 groups where we encourage them to open account on their own.

“We want to see how we can assist these women who have suffered a great deal in the hands of the insurgents,’’ he said.

He said the agency is planning to scale up the numbers of beneficiaries from 3,000 to 4,000 by September this year in the three affected states.
“About 1,500 would be selected from Borno, 1,500 from Adamawa while Yobe was earmarked 1,000.

“This month we will be flagging off our Victim Support, we are looking for areas where we can make positive impact in these states,’’ he said.
Ojo said that there is also a plan to support the rehabilitation, reconstruction and relocation bill.

“So we are presently into construction of 500 houses in Borno, rehabilitation of police out posts, health facilities and community centres,’’ he said.