By Iroyin Yoruba Television
No fewer than 66,000 vulnerable residents in three local government areas of Borno State have benefited from a six-month humanitarian project providing integrated protection services, with women and children receiving particular attention under the intervention.
The project, titled Provision of Lifesaving Integrated Protection Response for Vulnerable Communities in Dikwa, Jere and Mobbar LGAs, was formally brought to a close at an event in Maiduguri on Tuesday.
The intervention was funded with $1.5 million from the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund and implemented by Street Child Nigeria in collaboration with local partners.
The programme focused on strengthening community protection systems, creating safer environments for children and providing services for women and girls facing protection concerns, including gender-based violence.
THREE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS BENEFITED
The intervention covered Dikwa, Jere and Mobbar local government areas.
The communities in these locations have faced significant humanitarian and social challenges over the years, increasing the need for protection services for vulnerable groups.
According to the Country Director of Street Child Nigeria, Jummai Musa, the project was designed not simply to provide short-term assistance but also to strengthen structures within communities that can continue supporting vulnerable people after the formal programme ends.
The approach placed community participation at the centre of the intervention.
Rather than relying entirely on external humanitarian organisations, the project worked with local structures and partners to improve the ability of communities to identify protection concerns and respond to them.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN AMONG KEY BENEFICIARIES
Women and children were identified as some of the groups requiring the greatest protection support.
The programme provided services intended to help children access safer environments while strengthening mechanisms for addressing protection concerns.
Women and girls also received assistance connected with gender-based violence services.
Such services are particularly important in communities affected by displacement, poverty and prolonged humanitarian challenges, where vulnerable people may have limited access to formal support systems.
The intervention also distributed dignity kits to women and girls.
Beyond immediate relief, the programme incorporated economic support, including skills training and start-up equipment for vulnerable women and children.
The objective was to help beneficiaries develop greater capacity to support themselves and their families.
COMMUNITY PROTECTION STRUCTURES STRENGTHENED
One of the project's major objectives was to strengthen community-based protection structures.
According to the organisers, community-based child protection management committees were established or strengthened in the participating communities.
Members of these committees received training and skills intended to enable them to respond to protection concerns within their communities.
This approach is important because community members are often the first to become aware when children face abuse, neglect, exploitation or other risks.
Having trained local structures can make it easier for cases to be identified and referred to the appropriate authorities or service providers.
It can also help communities develop mechanisms for preventing problems before they become more serious.
SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS AND ACCESS TO REDRESS
The programme also sought to improve access to services for people affected by gender-based violence.
Project partners included organisations with specialised expertise in areas such as child protection, general protection and legal services.
According to the organisers, these partnerships were intended to ensure that vulnerable people could seek redress and obtain appropriate support when protection violations occurred.
Access to legal and protection services can be particularly difficult for vulnerable residents who lack financial resources or do not know where to report cases.
Community-level structures can therefore serve as an important link between affected individuals and formal institutions.
LOCAL PARTNERS PLAYED A ROLE
Street Child Nigeria worked alongside several local organisations during the implementation of the programme.
Among the partners were Protection Without Borders, CEDAR Foundation for Disability and Novel Alliance for Development Aid.
The participating organisations brought different areas of expertise to the intervention.
The programme allocated part of its funding to local partners, enabling them to contribute specialised services in areas including disability support, child protection, legal assistance and other forms of community protection.
The involvement of local organisations can also improve the sustainability of humanitarian programmes because local groups remain present within communities after international or external projects end.
FROM RELIEF TO SELF-RELIANCE
An important component of the intervention was its emphasis on helping vulnerable beneficiaries develop greater economic independence.
The programme provided skills training and start-up equipment to selected women and children.
Such assistance is intended to go beyond immediate humanitarian relief by creating opportunities for beneficiaries to develop livelihoods.
Economic vulnerability can increase exposure to exploitation and other protection risks.
When individuals have access to skills, income-generating opportunities and support networks, they may have greater ability to meet basic needs without relying entirely on emergency assistance.
For women in particular, access to livelihood opportunities can strengthen household resilience and improve their ability to make decisions affecting their families.
GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT SEEN AS KEY TO SUSTAINABILITY
Project organisers said sustainability was incorporated into the programme from the beginning.
The organisation worked with government institutions so that relevant structures and approaches developed during the project could continue after the six-month intervention ended.
Government ownership is particularly important for humanitarian programmes because external funding is often limited by time.
Without a transition plan, community initiatives can weaken when project funding ends.
The organisers therefore developed a sustainability plan aimed at ensuring that government institutions and community structures could continue supporting vulnerable residents.
WHY COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP MATTERS
Community ownership can make protection programmes more effective because local residents understand the social conditions and challenges affecting their communities.
Local committees can also identify emerging concerns more quickly than organisations based outside the area.
Training community members gives residents a role in protecting children and supporting vulnerable households rather than leaving responsibility entirely to humanitarian agencies.
The approach can also encourage communities to develop locally appropriate responses to issues such as child protection, gender-based violence and social exclusion.
For Borno communities that have experienced prolonged humanitarian pressure, strengthening these local systems could provide benefits beyond the lifespan of an individual project.
HUMANITARIAN NEEDS REMAIN A CONCERN
The completion of the programme does not mean that humanitarian challenges have disappeared from the affected communities.
The scale of the intervention itself demonstrates the number of people who required protection and support.
Thousands of vulnerable residents still depend on functioning community structures, public institutions and humanitarian partners to access essential services.
The continuation of community-based protection mechanisms will therefore be important after the project closes.
Residents who have received training and support can play a role in maintaining awareness and referring vulnerable people to available services.
Government agencies and other organisations will also need to ensure that critical protection gaps do not emerge when the project ends.
IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING CHILDREN
Children remain particularly vulnerable during periods of humanitarian and economic hardship.
Displacement, family separation, poverty and insecurity can expose children to exploitation, abuse and other forms of harm.
Creating safe environments and strengthening child-protection committees can help communities identify risks and intervene earlier.
The organisers said the project specifically sought to give children access to safer environments where protection services were available.
Such measures are important because protecting children requires more than responding after an incident has occurred.
Prevention, community awareness, early identification and access to appropriate support are all necessary components of an effective child-protection system.
THE NEXT CHALLENGE IS CONTINUITY
With the six-month programme now concluded, the next challenge is ensuring that the structures established during the intervention remain functional.
Community protection committees will require continued support and coordination with government agencies and other relevant organisations.
The skills acquired by beneficiaries will also need opportunities to translate into sustainable livelihoods.
For women who received training or start-up equipment, access to markets, finance and continued mentoring could determine whether the economic assistance produces lasting results.
Similarly, children and vulnerable residents who require specialised protection services will need reliable referral pathways after the project's formal closure.
A MODEL FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT
The intervention demonstrates how humanitarian programmes can combine immediate protection with longer-term community development.
Rather than focusing exclusively on relief materials, the programme invested in local structures, training, legal support, livelihood assistance and community capacity.
Its reported reach of 66,000 residents across Dikwa, Jere and Mobbar shows the scale at which community-based protection initiatives can operate when adequate funding and local partnerships are available.
The longer-term measure of success, however, will be whether the communities can continue using the structures and skills developed through the programme.
For Borno's vulnerable residents, sustained local protection systems could help ensure that women and children have access to support even when emergency projects come to an end.
The completion of the intervention therefore represents not simply the end of a six-month programme, but a transition toward community structures expected to continue providing protection and support.
Maintaining that continuity will be critical to ensuring that the investment made in the affected communities produces lasting benefits.