By Billy Graham Abel Yola
The Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria in collaboration with United States Agency for Development (USAID), have donated the sum of N30,000 cash each to 500 internally displaced persons and also planted 15 trees in Malkhohi IDP camp of Adamawa state as part of its event marking the World Humanitarian Day and in support of climate change initiatives.
Deputy Executive Secretary, Caritas Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Peter Babangida Audu explained the purpose of the visit as to share and celebrate with IDPs and to, in solidarity, support them.
He noted that the 19th of August has been set aside to mark the World Humanitarian Day in order to remember those men, women, youths and children who are at the front line of providing succor to humanity in need.
He reiterated that after the disbursement of cash, they would soon decide on the skills or trade to train them, so as to build their capacity and be self-reliance.
Babangida said, Caritas have supported capacity building initiatives and mentoring farmers on Climate Smart Agricultural techniques across different states of the country especially in training of vulnerable groups on organic farming.
“We have provided solar lanterns to over 10,000 students and vulnerable households, distribution of energy saving cooking stoves to over 10,000 households, trained 112 women trainers from 57 Catholic arch dioceses on the inclusion of rocks to the wood they use for cooking.
“These women equally trained 11,426 rural women across parishes in 32 dioceses on clean energy cooking method with an aim of reducing smoke emission in the atmosphere.” He stated.
Agric Specialist Caritas, Joseph Ndala said “Climate change has been one of the major cause of crisis because everything is diminishing; water, the environment has been badly damaged due to lots human practices that involves farming and deforestation .”
“This is an avenue to see that we promote climate friendly habits in order to curtail the activities of humans, so as to bring habitat environment to being and to promote security and planting of trees which will create good environment for the people thereby encouraging afforestation, reducing erosion in creating environment for mammals and animals to survive,” he stated.
He decried the security challenges on the country which resulted in the low turnout of farmers at their farmlands and also applauded creation of liquid organic fertilizers in order to encourage farming and reduction of harvest chemicals in our foods which has been causing all sorts of ailment like Cancer etc.
Naomi Dauda praised Caritas for such an intervention adding that she would make use of the funds judiciously so as to become self reliant.
The Adamawa States Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) Executive Secretary, Muhammed Suleiman, attributed the genesis of the recurring crisis with climate change adding that climate change plays a great role in our survival and means of livelihood.
He praised Caritas Nigeria’s effort for marking the World Humanitarian Day with the IDPs and planting of several trees in the IDPs camp.