Groups sign N6.m MoU to support IDPs

Two Non-Governmental Organisations- Grooming (People for Better Livelihoods) Centre (Grooming Centre), and Sesor Empowerment Foundation (Sesor), recently signed a N6, 675, 000 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support Sesor’s work with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Lagos and Benue states.

This agreement builds on a successful long standing partnership the two NGOs have had since 2014. Grooming Centre has been supporting Sesor through various stages of its relief and rehabilitative work for IDPs in 8 states. Their partnership kicked off with Grooming Centre funding Sesor’s relief missions for displaced persons to Benue (caused by herdsmen attacks) and then later in 2014, to Plateau, Gombe & Adamawa. Their support resulted in the publishing of Sesor’s ground-breaking collaborative publication (‘Do they know it is Christmas?’) which told the stories of some displaced persons in certain camps in the 3 states.

In 2015, Sesor learnt that there were displaced persons who had fled the from the North East to Lagos and partnered with Grooming Centre to bring relief to them. A year later, both NGOs partnered to provide micro-loans of N20,000 each to them in a 6-month pilot economic empowerment project supporting displaced women to start up micro-businesses in Lagos. The pilot proved a success with 76% of the women paying the micro-loans fully by due date.

The new MOU doubles the loan amounts for the women who completed the first pilot; provides new loans of N30,000 each for 25 new participants in the Lagos project; funds a relief mission to Benue to support persons displaced by herdsmen attacks and; provides a grant to cover 10% of Sesor’s core operational budget for advocacy and other programme-related work.

Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony in their head office in Lagos, the CEO of Grooming Centre, Dr Godwin Nwabunka expressed gratitude and promised better days for IDPs.