To address humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, Australia said it had allocated $3m to help fight hunger in the region.

It also said that it had dedicated an additional $2.4m to existing projects to combat malnutrition in Niger, adding that its total global contribution to the World Food Programme for 2015-2016 was $43.3m.

The Australian High Commission in Abuja in a statement on Monday stated that Australia’s contribution to the WFP was being used in all four countries to assist up to 400,000 of the region’s refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and the communities hosting them to gain access to life-saving food assistance.

“Special attention is being paid to children under five, pregnant women and nursing mothers faced with malnutrition,” it added.


 
In a related development, a logistics firm, Greater Washington Nigeria Limited, has donated foodstuffs to about 600 schoolchildren displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents at the New Kuchingoro Internally Displaced Camp, Abuja.

Items presented to the coordinator of the IDP school, Mr. Sanwo Olatunji-David, included cartons of noodles, bags of rice and cartons of vegetable oil.

The GWL manager in Abuja, Mrs. Fidelia Dickson, who presented the items on behalf of the company, said the donation of foodstuffs would be a continuous process.

She explained that the donation was meant to show the company’s love for the children who were forced to relocate from their community by the Boko Haram fighters and take abode in the Federal Capital Territory in order to survive.

Dickson said, “On behalf of Greater Washington, we appreciate your efforts in taking care of the children and the God who is using you to take care of the children will bless you. This donation is a continuous effort, we will partner you to care for the children.

“We are also calling on other public-spirited individuals to come to the assistance of the schoolchildren. We would discuss further with the management of the IDP school to see how we can assist in the area of school fee payment for other displaced schoolchildren in Orozo, Nyanya and other parts of the FCT.”

Olatunji-David in his response explained that his organisation, Life Builders Initiative, had been running two schools for about 600 children displaced by Boko Haram fighters for over two years.