The United Nations Children Education Fund UNICEF says over five thousand conflict-affected out-of-school children are receiving humanitarian intervention including mental health support in Borno State.
UNICEF and European Union (EU) are working together to provide community-based psychosocial services in safe spaces aimed at improving children’s mental health in six local government areas of the state.
In a statement, UNICEF says the project also supports vulnerable children across Borno with protection and health services, vocational and basic literacy skills, access to justice and security, under a holistic humanitarian intervention.
The statement adds that the project has so far provided 15,552 out-of-school children with vocational training; 1,610 out-of-school children with literacy and numeracy skills and 5,194 children enrolled into integrated Qur’anic schools across focus LGAs.
UNICEF revealed that 300,000 children have been killed in Nigeria’s north-east, while over one million have been displaced in the last twelve years.
UNICEF’s representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins called for immediate end of the conflict in Nigeria.
“The scars of conflict are real and enduring for children, too many children in north-east Nigeria are falling victim to a conflict they did not start said the UNICEF Chief”.
The EU-funded programme in Borno State is a component of a three-year ten million dollar Early Recovery and Resilience package to support children, youths, and communities in Borno State.
Dauda Iliya