Wives of members of the House of Representatives are set to render assistance to Internally Displaced Person’s in the various camps across the six geo-political zones of the country. Wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salamatu Gbajabiamila, disclosed this when she led members of the 9th House of Representatives Members’ Spouses Association (9th HORMSA) to the Kuchingoro IDPs camp in Abuja for the maiden edition of Project Uplift.
Mrs. Gbajabiamila who was accompanied by the wife of the Deputy Speaker, Mrs. Nafiza Idris Wase, and the wife of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hajia Hajara Alkali Baba, among others, said the project uplift by the spouses of the members was meant to provide succour and lift their spirit in the camp. According to her, the association has been undertaking charitable causes since its inception, in line with its objectives, by impacting meaningfully on the lives of Nigerian women and children particularly in the provision of food and medical facilities in different parts of the country.
“The information we have gathered shows that the people of the camps do not have access to public hospitals or healthcare facilities. Moved by this sad reality, we communicated with the authorities in charge of certain IDPs camps to identify the people’s key needs, many of which are acute and immediate. It is on that basis that we are here under the umbrella of ‘Project Lift’. She stressed that the issue of women and children is central to the ideals of 9th HORMSA which was the reason behind the plan to take Project Uplift to some identified IDPs camps in the six geo-political zones.
“The mission of Project Lift is to spread love and compassion to women, our sisters, across these communities, and remind them of their dignity, role and status in society, in spite of the temporary hardships they face. To achieve this, Project Lift will visit and distribute relief items to women and children living in IDPs camps across the country”. She also urged relevant government agencies to double their efforts at ensuring that the plights of the IDPs are improved while intensifying plans to return them to their homes.
In his goodwill message, Director-General of NPHDA, Prof. Faisal Shuaib, who was represented by Dr. Sam Obasi, asked the IDPs to take the issues of personal hygiene, vaccination, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and open defecation seriously as they have severe health implications if taken for granted. The highlight of the event was the presentation of several home items to the women in the camp, while the children also had a great time with games, dance and educational pep talks.
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