75,000 Nigerians could starve to death: UN

 
The UN Children's Fund has delivered a dire warning that 75,000 children in Nigeria will die over the next year.

As many as 75,000 children will die in Nigeria over the next year in famine-like conditions created by Boko Haram if donors don't respond quickly, the UN Children's Fund warns.

The severity of malnutrition levels and high number of children facing death make the humanitarian crisis confronting northeastern Nigeria perhaps the worst in the world, according to Arjan de Wagt, nutrition chief for UNICEF in Nigeria.

Most severely malnourished children die of secondary illnesses like respiratory infections, de Wagt told The Associated Press. "But with famine, you actually die of hunger,'' and that is what is happening, he said.

Severe malnutrition is being found in 20, 30 and even 50 per cent of children in pockets of the region, he said.

UNICEF on Thursday doubled the amount of its appeal for Nigeria, saying $US115 million ($A150 million) is needed to save children whose "lives are literally hanging by a thread.'' Only $US24 million ($A31 million) has been raised so far, the agency said.

The lack of money has meant some 750,000 people living in accessible areas could not be helped this year, spokeswoman Doune Porter told the AP.

Most of the estimated 2.6 million people who fled Boko Haram's insurgency are subsistence farmers who have been unable to plant for two years or more.

SOURCE: AAP

Boko Haram violence taking “devastating toll” on children

Years of violence by Islamist Boko Haram militants have taken a “devastating toll” on children living in the Lake Chad basin, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

The insurgency displaced 1.4 million children in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger and left at least another one million trapped in areas that are hard to reach or under the control of Boko Haram, the agency said.

An estimated 475,000 children across Lake Chad are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, up from 175,000 at the beginning of the year, according to the report.

“Humanitarian needs are outpacing the response,” warned UNICEF regional director for West and Central Africa Manuel Fontaine.

In north-eastern Nigeria alone, where Boko Haram has its strongholds, an estimated 20,000 children have been separated from their families.

About 38 children have been used to carry out suicide attacks in the Lake Chad basin so far this year, the UN said, bringing to 86 the number of children used as suicide bombers since 2014.

Earlier this week, the World Food Programme warned that the number of people who need food aid in north-eastern Nigeria has almost doubled to 4.5 million between March and August.

Boko Haram poses a steady threat to communities in the north-east of Nigeria and has also launched offensives in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

Inspiring Story Of Rosmary Amponsah, A Welding Student Who Is Following Her Passion Against What People Say

In many African societies, there are some certain occupations that a woman is not expected to venture into. When they do, they are often faced with all sorts of stigma and discrimination, but thankfully many women are overcoming these barriers!

Unicef Ghana shared this inspiring story of Rosmary Amponsah, a welding student who is following her passion against what people say. Read below:

My mother said I should become a policewoman, a nurse or a doctor.

She said those are the jobs that people respect. When I left high school, there was very little to do. I worked at a filling station selling petrol but had very little fulfillment. I always asked myself, what if this company collapses or the owner decides to sack me?

My father brought me here to learn welding. My mother hated the idea and always compares me with my sister who went into nursing training. But my dad supports me. Everybody says it’s a man’s job. In my class, there are fifteen boys and I was the first girl to join them.

I walk a very long distance to get to school and each time, I get someone who passes a negative comment. Like the last time, one man saw me and said if I continue with this job I can’t get married and it would be difficult to give birth.

I think they are trying to pull me down but I’m not interested.

Rosmary Amponsah, Welding & Fabrication student, Bechem (BA/R).

Future For Our Girls

On 14 April 2014 the insurgency group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from their local school in Chibok in Nigeria. Two years on, most of the girls are still missing. And they are not alone: We estimate that a total of 2,000 women and girls, as well as many boys have been abducted.

Distressingly, girls and women that do return face mistrust and persecution. Communities fear they may have been radicalized, and their children born of sexual violence 'tainted' by the blood of Boko Haram fighters. This puts them at risk of discrimination and even potential violence in the future.

A new project by International Alert and UNICEF seeks to address this. We aim to give returning women and girls a future and support their re-integration.

Together with our partners, Federation of Muslim Women's Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and Herwa Community Development Initiative, we run collective therapy sessions and dialogue clubs where survivors can talk about their experiences. We also help local communities prepare for their return by fostering empathy and trust.

The project is in early days, but is already helping transform lives. Read some of their stories below.

But there is an urgent need - and opportunity - to scale up this work. This is why we are calling on the international community to not only #BringBackOurGirls, but also step up support for the girls and their communities when they do return.

Please join us to help raise awareness of these issues, and help build a better #FutureForOurGirls!

SOURCE: International-alert