UNICEF SUPERVISES SENSITISATION OF FLOOD AFFECTED COMMUNITIES

ANAMBRA State Social Mobilization and Technical Committee (SOMTEC), a United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) assisted project, domiciled in the state Ministry of Information, has supervised the sensitisation carried out by Household Interpersonal Communication Outreach teams (HIPC) on the need for disease prevention and to avoid violence against children living in Anambra communities affected by 2022 floods.

According to the SOMTEC Project Desk Officer, Grace Onwukwe, the state team has been on ground supervising the sensitisation carried out by the HIPC outreach team members in 16 communities of the flood affected LGAs in Anambra State.

“One of the adverse post flooding effects apart from disease outbreak include economic hardship. UNICEF is concerned with children’s protection. Whenever there is flooding, people affected are usually quartered in government reserved Internally Displaced Persons(IDP) camps. There, you may see a lot of people from various families and different background, so parents need to be careful and watchful over their children.

“Sometimes, these children are not sent to school but are subjected to child labour, child abuse, all forms of inhuman treatment in the name of punishment and molestation in the hands of paedophiles,” said Mrs Onwukwe.

Mrs Onwukwe further encouraged flood victims to try and shoulder the responsibility of raising their children under watchful eyes despite the economic hardship to avoid regrettable consequences.

Also, the UNICEF facilitator, Chineze George-Ileka discouraged parents from using foul and abusive language against their children, saying that it affects them negatively.

Mrs George-Ileka warned that indecent dressing is another cause of rape in the society, urging them to teach children to speak up anytime any person  whether from the opposite sex or same sex starts touching or caressing them privately.

At Okoti, the HIPC team members, Chukwudi Obah and Anthonia Okechukwu spoke about washing the hands from the elbow regularly with soap or ash under running water. “Critical times for hand washing include after visiting public places, before cooking, eating or breast feeding infants, after visiting the toilet or disposing children’s faeces”.

At Nza Ozubulu, HIPC members, Onyinye Ibe and Chinonyerem Obineli, advised families against open defeacation because flies that perch on excreta find their way to people’s food.

At Ugbenu, HIPC members Chinaecherem Nweke and Nebenanya Diana taught families to Keep the kitchen and surrounding clean.