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United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has handed over 400 WASH and Dignity Kits to Kwara State Government for onward distribution to the victims of violent attacks on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of the State.
The handing over of the items came barely 24 hours after a team from Kaduna UNICEF office visited the community to access the degree of destruction in the wake of the terror onslaught on the local community.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr Gerida Birukila, handed over the kits to the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Usman Yunusa Lade, at the State Headquarters of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Ilorin.
Items in the kits included bathing soaps, laundry detergent, nail clipper, washing line, safety pins, plastic soap container, towel, reusable menstrual pads women underwear panties, petroleum jelly, kettle, child potty, plastic cup, Jerry can and bucket among others.
Dr Birikula disclosed that another batch of 1000 WASH and Dignity Kits would be sent to the State for donation to the victims afterwards.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, who decried the ruins that followed the attacks, said the items were donated to mitigate the crisis on the part of the victims.
Report says a number of locals were gruesomely murdered when terrorists opened fire on the residents of Woro community on the third of February this year. Many others, including pregnant women and children were also abducted.
The UNICEF team lead mourned the departed souls and called on the authorities to expedite action on the negotiation for the release of the abductees.
“Some of the items we have given is to support the community. Like the dignity kits, maternity kits amongst others. An emergency health team have been established, and are ooking after people. But it is not enough because of what is happening. Most of the parents and the people there said what they really want is their loved ones to come back.
“We really call on those who took the community members to release them, especially the young ones and pregnant women who are in captivity, and need the care. That is necessary for them to deliver safely. So, we hope that they will heed to this.
“We are also asking those who are involved in negotiation to do it fast and request that they (abductors) release the pregnant women, the young children and the vulnerable ones, including the elderly who are in captivity.
“We ask other people to come and support the Woro community. Our presence really brought hope. I know the entire world have heard what happened in Kaiama and they know that they are not alone. But they need to hear this from us. They need to hear that efforts are being made to bring back their loved ones,” Birukila said.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Water Resources, Yunusa Lade, noted that the donation would bring succour and address the problems of the victims of the Woro attacks.
While expressing appreciation to UNICEF for the donation, Lade urged other global agencies to emulate the gesture as government cannot solely shoulder the responsibility.
He said, “This intervention is very laudable. We understand that it will not eliminate the grief they are currently going through. But at least, it will give succour to people who have been affected in the unfortunate incident in terms of relief and other necessary things that have been brought, which is the Wash and Dignity Kits. It will go a long way in solving their problem, and we believe that it will serve the purpose that is meant.
“Like we used to say, development or intervention is not the responsibility of government alone, we are always opened to individuals, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, who are capable to extend their gesture to us in terms of need, and not just in terms of need but when always necessary. Because it is always good to put in place some preventable measures so as to forestall whatever crisis that may arise.”
The General Manager of RUWASSA, Olufemi Oladipo, in his remarks, described the donation of the kits as a welcome development, saying that his agency needs the presence of UNICEF more in the water sector.
Mr Oladipo therefore called for increased support from international agencies and private individuals to help alleviate the suffering of people in the community.
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