© Action contre la Faim Nigeria
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Covid-19 : Action Against Hunger Nigeria remains resolute to providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities
Times as this reminds us that humanitarian assistance in hard to reach areas and conflict regions remains paramount to saving millions of lives. As the world grapples with responding to the Corona Virus pandemic, otherwise referred to as COVID19, Action Against Hunger Nigeria remains resolute to providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities.
For the month of March 2020, In the North East Nigeria, we activated an emergency preparedness and response plan for Covid 19, which included but not limited to distribution of personal protective equipment for 31 health facilities. Taking into consideration that health workers are crucial in the response to disease outbreak, over 128 health care professionals and providers were targeted to receive training on how to respond to the corona virus pandemic.
Also important, installation of hand washing systems at the health facilities. We also trained 74 water, sanitation and hygiene volunteers from 16 communities, where the intervention of hygiene promotion is ongoing, these volunteers move from house to house to educate households on COVID19 and hygiene promotion. In addition to practical approaches to hygiene practice, posters are also available at the health facilities and communities.
Thus far there exist no cases in the North East but in Borno State there were five suspected cases tested and all result confirmed to be negative. Borno state government has set up an isolation centre at the upgraded Abba Kyari Memorial Hospital, Maiduguri.
© Action contre la Faim Nigeria
Our health and water, sanitation and hygiene teams remain at the frontlines sensitizing individuals and communities on the basic required hygiene practices for Covid 19, a measure to curtail the spread of the corona virus pandemic. Health and Water Sanitation and Hygiene are major priorities for us at Action Against Hunger against lives cut short, for clean water against killer diseases and for changing minds against ignorance and indifference, thus we continue to believe that prioritizing hand washing is a powerful public health intervention towards saving lives especially vulnerable individuals in difficult contexts in Northeast Nigeria.
According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview from OCHA, 7.9 million people – more than one in two people in the three crisis-affected states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2020, mainly in Borno state where we intervene. In total, 600000 persons suffer from global acute malnutrition and 3.8 million are in food insecurity.
As the number of active cases in Nigeria rise, 627 cases on April 20, we have trained and equipped community volunteers to ensure beneficiaries are fortified with proper information & tools to stay safe. Influencing the public with appropriate messaging at the accurate time remains vital toward protecting and saving vulnerable people from pandemics.
"We are happy that Action Against Hunger continues to have us in mind and glad that we have information on the COVID 19 pandemic that will help us create awareness to our people as well as protect ourselves"
In 2019, Action against Hunger supported 1,923,308 persons with life-saving activities, in nutrition and health, food security and livelihood, water sanitation and hygiene accross Borno, Yobe, Jigawa and Kano states, Nigeria.
Nigeria
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