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Asake Okin: Hakuna Nyumbani! Let’s Join Hands to Help Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria

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IDP-300x225I must have missed the Social Studies class or I was carried away with my teacher’s eloquence and “poshness” that I don’t recall whether she taught that migration happens willingly or unwillingly. For a very long time, I thought people always migrated willingly.

A few months ago, Brandon of  Humans of New York (HONY) in conjunction with UNHCR did several posts on migrants across Europe. Honestly, one or two stories made me cry. It was very easy to get carried away and assume that it was an isolated European problem. Sadly, here in our backyard, people are migrating daily and a significant number of them get displaced.

The first time I heard about internal displacement was during the post-election violence in Kenya and the next time I heard about it was when Boko Haram struck in Nigeria.

Most displaced persons have certain common attributes:

  • Left home due to fear or/and unrest;
  • Lost source of income;
  • Got separate from two or more friends and family; and
  • No longer have basic amenities

Brandon’s post made me realize that:

  • Humanity is beyond race and organized religion;
  • Anyone can get displaced; and
  • A little something can give hope to a displaced person.

Based on an assessment carried out in Q4, 2015 by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Nigeria is estimated to have 2,152,000 internally displaced people with Boko Haram insurgency accounting for 85% of this number.

Boko Haram activities have reduced in recent times and it is very easy to forget there are displaced persons in need of assistance especially around resettlement.

Personally, I do not run any NGO however I have seen few people/ organizations with structured assistance. Below are a few of them: (please conduct an independent verification prior to donating funds)

The “Angel 4 Life” Foundation (A Nikki Laoye Initiative)
47 Raymond Njoku street,Off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi
Nikki Laoye’s Angel 4 Life foundation – 0139296779 – GTB

AACE Foods Feed the Children Fund
https://www.gofundme.com/AACEFeedDechildren

http://www.aacefoods.com/cms/2/about_us.html

Muslim Hands Nigeria’s office
34 college roads off Yaya Abatan road, Ogba. Lagos
Muslim Hands Nigeria 0500134114- Sterling bank.

ActionAid Nigeria
Plot 477, 41 Crescent,
Off Sa’adu Zungur Avenue,
Gwarinpa, Abuja.
0812 888 8825-7

If you know any organization that is working on resettlement of family, please share

Till next time, remember to “Always help someone, you might be the only one who does” Unknown.

Side note: Swahili 101
-Kuna means to have

-Hakuna can be translated as “There is no” or “not to have”

-Nyumbani means home

Photo Credit: NAN-Photo

Discover the many facets of the girl behind ASÀKÉ-Ọ̀KÍN - a supply chain professional, brand marketing manager, volunteer fundraiser, amateur photographer, and graduate student. Explore her occasional blog for insightful posts on life, friendship, and everything in between. Visit http://asake-okin.blogspot.com to learn more.

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