February 27, 2019
Yemen: Joint INGO Message On Funding
Our teams are currently responding to the ongoing insecurity that is affecting displaced communities in Borno state. Borno state has the highest numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region, with an estimated 2.2 million people currently displaced there. The vast majority of the people we treat are those fleeing fierce fighting in the north.
At the onset of the crisis, our first clinics in the region opened in Garba Buzu and Kawarmella camps in October 2016. In 2021, Doctors of the World supported 7 clinics in Maiduguri, Jere, and Damboa where we provide access to primary healthcare, treatment for malnutrition, psychological support, and care for survivors of gender based violence (GBV). We further trained a total of 75 (40 male, 35 female) unique staff members during this project, including 30 community mobilizers and 45 medical staff, on a variety of health topics (GBV, MHPSS, nutrition, etc).
Each clinic that we operate is staffed by male and female clinicians, midwives, pharmacists, several nurses, registrars and employees to ensure crowd control. The majority of our patients are women and their children, so we focus on providing antenatal care, family planning, and healthy child development.
Our teams work closely with the Nigerian authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) to host immunization campaigns for children. Each DotW-supported clinic in Borno’s IDP begins the day with a health and hygiene information session for anyone in the community who wishes to attend.
We also employ community health workers who go house to house providing health education. If they encounter someone who is unwell and has not yet visited the clinic, our health workers provide them with support and encourage them to get in touch with a member of our staff or to visit the clinic.
Although there has been an increase in humanitarian assistance to Borno state, the situation remains unstable.
Many families remain in limbo, unable to return to their homes, concerned about where they will find their next meal, and uncertain as to what the next day will bring.