USAID-BHA launches rapid response fund project in Benue

A Rapid Response Fund project funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA) has been launched in Benue State.

The project is aimed at providing a lifesaving multisectoral intervention to the crisis-affected population in Benue State.

Speaking during the launch of the project in Makurdi on Thursday, Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Laurent De Boeck, said that the poor living conditions of displaced persons in Benue State informed the programme to tackle some of the humanitarian needs of the IDPs.

The Rapid Response Fund project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA).

Boeck said that the aim of the project is to provide a lifesaving multisectoral intervention to the crisis-affected population in Benue State.”

He said that during their first visit to the state, they discovered that the living conditions of displaced persons in the state were unacceptable.

Boeck added that with the approval of the state government, they collated IDP data in the state not only to know their number but also to identify their needs and those of their host communities for effective and efficient support.

He commended the Benue State Government and all the relevant stakeholders for their level of coordination so far.

Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Mr John Anisa, Rapid Response Fund Programme Manager, said it was a small grant mechanism that provides rapid humanitarian assistance to communities during external shocks resulting from natural and/or man-made disasters.

Anisa said the programme, which started in Nigeria in 2023, is currently being implemented in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States through the provision of grants to national and international non-governmental organisations.

The launch of the project, according to Anisa, was the first in north-central Nigeria and for the displaced people of Benue State.

He said that the exercise, which would last for six months, targets shelter and settlements, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), protection, and multipurpose cash assistance.

He said, “A total of 213,640 people would benefit from different aspects of the programme, including building 6,500 emergency shelters for the displaced.”

Also, the Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Ms. Melissa Jones, said the US government was committed to helping the world’s most vulnerable people.

Represented by Mr Patrick Robin, Senior Humanitarian Advisor, Ms Jones said USAID expends N333 million annually, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in North East and North West Nigeria.

“USAID is launching its first humanitarian response in the North Central region to respond to the needs of IDPs affected by inter-communal conflicts, herders/farmers clashes and external shocks in Benue State,” she said

Ms Jones further commended IOM for championing the project that sort of provides the immediate needs of IDPs in Benue.

She commended the Benue government for developing a durable solutions plan that seeks lasting solutions to the problems of IDPs in Benue and their safe return to either their homes or safe areas.

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