Yola, Nigeria – A Multi-Purpose Community Hall (MPCH) built by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was commissioned last week (20.05) by Rt. Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the Executive Governor of Adamawa State. The facility was constructed with funding from the Republic of Korea under a new project aimed at preventing gender-based violence (GBV).

“It is the government’s promise to support such laudable ventures by utilizing it and devising means to sustain its functions over time,” said Chief Crowther Seth, Deputy Governor who represented the Governor at the occasion. “It is novel and tallies with the agenda of the state government as enumerated in the 2021 budget,” he added.

This project aims to deal with the root causes of GBV while enhancing the capacity and skills of women and girls. The Multi-Purpose Community Hall, shall provide a safe space for activities such as lay counselling, basic emotional support, skills development and other activities targeting especially children and teenagers.

“Building the facility and preparation of the programme is one thing, and the good maintenance in the long-term is another,” said Ambassador Kim Young-Chae of the Republic of Korea. “I am sure that Adamawa State will take good care of our joint project so that people in need benefit without interruption in the years to come,” he added.

“The Multi-Purpose Community Hall has been designed to promote and strengthen a response system that complements the existing local resources, both at the state and community levels,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission. “It is a comprehensive response between IOM and WFP on the one hand, and the Federal government and the Republic of Korea on the other, to address the needs of vulnerable groups while displaying the triple nexus in action – moving away from humanitarian response and into development,” he added.

According to the Nigeria Humanitarian Needs Overview 2020, GBV, including sexual violence, is widespread in the region, in part due to the ongoing conflict, insecurity, and living conditions in camps for IDPs and informal settlements and host communities. Generally, women and girls in Adamawa State have restricted mobility due to the ongoing conflict, exacerbated by the prevailing gender norms that tend to discriminate against women and girls.

This USD 2 million project will not only benefit women and girls, but also provides for the needs of other community members such as boys, husbands, parents, and religious leaders. This initiative will promote women’s and girls’ psychosocial wellbeing, create social networks to reduce isolation or seclusion, enhance integration into community life, and generate conditions for their empowerment.

Ambassador Kim Young-Chae, together with IOM’s Frantz Celestin and Simone Parchment, WFP Deputy Representative also visited the community farm where they talked to local farmers. Ambassador Kim Young-Chae was guided around the Malkohi Market that IOM constructed in collaboration with the Adamawa State government.

The crisis in north-east Nigeria has led to increase in GBV, including sexual violence. IOM continues to provide lifesaving humanitarian services including Shelter, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Non-Food Items (NFI), Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) livelihood, Capacity Building and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) assistance to more than 2.1 million IDPs and affected communities.

For more information, please contact Stylia Kampani at IOM Nigeria, Tel: +234 906 273 9168, Email: skampani@iom.int