A Non-Governmental Organisation, Hope for the Village Child Foundation, has distributed food items to 215 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable children in Kasuwan Magani Community of Kaduna State.
Kasuwan Magani, an outskirt community in Kaduna, under Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA), has a number of IDPs hosted by the community, who are living within the indigenous people, not isolated in camps.
The food items distributed to the IDPs were rice, beans, maize, vegetable oil, tomato pastes, and seasoning, among others.
Deputy Director of the foundation, Sister Juliana Ekwoanya, said their encounter with vulnerable people when on field work, had constantly called for the idea of food donation.
According to her, when they go on field exercises on various activities in line with their foundation’s mission, they often come across women with malnourished children.
Ekwoanya, who is also in charge of the foundation’s health section, added that women with malnourished children also go to the hospital for medical services.
She said the foundation had to delve into soliciting for food support to assist the IDPs and other vulnerable children.
Ekwoanya noted that the food items may not be enough, but would help cushion the hunger the beneficiaries were battling with.
“In the course of our interaction with them, some do tell us that they sometimes stay a whole day without food.
“One of them told me that she only boils water in the morning, afternoon and evening, then drink it just to keep the intestine warm because there is nothing to eat”, she said.
She explained that the food items they distributed to the IDPs were about 20 per cent provided by Microvis Bank, while 80 per cent came from the international society.
Leader of Imams forum under the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Kajuru chapter, Malam Akilu Muhammad, said the gesture by the foundation needed to be emulated because people are in very difficult conditions.
He said it was a joyful moment to see both Muslims and Christians all along with their children benefitting from the foundation’s kind gesture.
“Kasuwan Magani filled with so many people from neighbouring and far communities who are bedeviled by bandits and kidnappers, have found home here, but they still have numerous challenges.
“We from JIBWIS are trying our best to ensure our contributions to the IDPs. We collect Zakat (a religious duty for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth to help the needy) from farmers and distribute the grains judiciously among them,” he said.
Muhammad also said that they take responsibilities of some of the IDPs education.
The Kajuru LGA Youth Coordinator, Mr. Jonathan Peter, said the gesture by the foundation was timely.
He said despite the Kasuwan Magani community being divided along religious line, the food distribution exercise has brought the Muslims and Christians together.
Peter added that women, girls and children, being the most affected by insecurity which displaced them, are more vulnerable, noting that some members of the host communities take advantage of them.

“Some of the IDPs, resident in Kasuwan Magani, find it very difficult to feed their children, we think food items distributed to them will sure go along way”.

He thanked the foundation for the support and called on other wealthy groups or individuals to emulate the kind gesture.