US-based Nigerian woman urges sustained support for IDPs

A Nigerian woman based in the US, Iby Ikotidem, on Monday called for sustained assistance to victims of insurgency in the North East.
Ikotidem made the appeal while unveiling items of her second round of intervention to Internally Displaced Persons in parts of the country in Abuja.
She explained that the donation was being anchored by her NGO, Hope’s Door Foundation, an initiative for IDPs in Borno State.
According to her, the project is designed to help victims of insurgency by providing shelter, food, clothing, healthcare and education needs.
“The vision of Hope’s Door Foundation is to offer an internally coordinated and compassionate response to the needs of IDPs from the North East and to provide sustainable health and social services, especially targeting the heightened vulnerable among them; children, adoIescence and women,” said the philanthropist.
Ikotidem disclosed that she was partnering with corporate bodies and individuals with like minds in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa to galvanise support for the IDPs.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the items raised in support of the IDPs included dozens of women under wears, prenatal drugs, toothpaste and tooth brushes and cartons of school notebooks.
Other items were more than 4,000 pencils and 2,000 crayons as well as sanitary bags, 3,000 pairs of slippers and dozens of toys.
Ikotidem said the organisation had donated similar relief materials to IDPs in Borno, Adamawa and Nasarawa States earlier in the year and planned replicate same in the FCT and the leprosy centre in Akwa Ibom State.
The donor noted that though she was a Christian from Akwa Ibom State, she graduated from the University of Maiduguri and was moved by the plight of the IDPs.
“Compassion has no boundaries, no religion, state or tribe,” she said, describing insurgency as the “worst crisis ever witnessed in Nigeria”.
NAN.