Agency, PLAN International To Partner on Disaster Affected Children

By Hudu Yakubu Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has expressed it’s willingness to partner with PLAN International, a UK based Non- Governmental Organization as it relates to the impact of global warming and climate change on Children and Girls.

The Director General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss disclosed this when he paid a courtesy call on the Country Director of PLAN International, Mr Charles Usie in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.

Alhaji Idriss stated that “sometimes at disaster scenes children and girls are badly affected, so we need NGOs like yours for assistance and professional support”.

He further explained that out of school children portend greater hazards if not properly managed as they could be recruited by insurgents and other bad elements in the society.

” partnering with PLAN International will give us an insight into managing girls and children education with a greater moral and material support. It will give us material support to assist a child in school as well as counselling support for children during disasters”, he said.

The FEMA boss who stated that the Agency enrolled over 2000 IDP children into public schools, added that free medical attention has been given to IDP women and children for about 5 years now in our District Hospitals.

While revealing that FEMA intends to expand its programs, promised to share it’s annual plans with PLAN International and also to invite them to her programmes.

Responding, the Country Director of PLAN International, Mr Charles Usie said ” this is the first time a Government Agency is visiting them. Instead, they move to solicits for collaborations with Government”.

He assured the FEMA Team the willingness of his organization to partner with them.

He also hinted that PLAN International is currently running a nutrition programme in the FCT targeted at a hundred thousand children and girls providing sensitive supplements for children and lactating mothers.

According to him, “‘the agenda of the organization in Nigeria is to add value, ” when there is an issue let us know, share your annual plan with us and we will build it into our budget”. 

Usie said, the PLAN International which has existed for over 85 years began operations in Nigeria in 2014, with the biggest humanitarian offices in Nigeria, focused on empowering girls and children.