As part of efforts to cushion the devastating impact of 2022 floods on women and girls in some communities in Anambra State, a non-governmental organisation, SafePath Alliance for Women and Girls (SAFEPATH-Nigeria) has provided relief materials to women and girls, who lost their belongings to the flooding.
The relief materials were presented to over 30 households during a visit to Eziaguluotu Community in Anambra East local government area of the State.
The NGO made the donations with support from ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) under the strategic opportunity funding project titled ‘A multi-faceted and inclusive Approach to protection of Human Rights of Women, Girls and Vulnerable survivors of Flood Disaster in Anambra State’.
It was jointly implemented in two communities within the State by two women’s rights organistions (WROs), SAFEPATH-Nigeria and Barrister Chika Rita Okwuosah Foundation (BCROF).
The Director of SAFEPATH-Nigeria, Nkechi Jane-Frances Odinukwe, noted that the visit to Eziaguluotu Community was the second one they made to a flood-affected community in Anambra State as they had already visited Umunankwo Community in Ogbaru local government area of the State.
She stressed that the visit to Eziaguluotu was not only to supply emergency relief materials to survivors but for the two WROs to visibly observe how survivors have re-settled in after the flood and how they are coping with their day to day lives.
According to her, considering that the floods have almost become an annual occurrence, the visit equally provided a chance for the two organisations to explore opportunities for promoting increased access to voice and leadership in ‘community disaster management structures’ for women in communities.
In the words of Mrs. Odinukwe, “Anambra floods and other environmentally-driven disasters have become a frequent occurrence in most communities within the state and we all know that there is a gendered effect to such recurring natural and man-made disasters; women and girls bear the greatest impact since they carry the burden of keeping the home, taking care of the young/elderly and providing other household essentials like food, energy for cooking and potable water.
“It is, therefore, important for women to play a key role in how such disasters are prevented and adaptively managed. Women cannot continue to play beneficiary roles during disaster periods, they need to be right at the center of decision making conversations around resource allocation, management and rehabilitation of survivors so that they can better protect their own interests.”
She mentioned that although there is an already existing structure within the community that coordinates the activities of women, the structure has not received any form of formal training on disaster management, climate change, reproductive health issues or other key thematic areas that could empower rural women.
She expressed the expectations that thier visit will help SAFEPATH-Nigeria explore more ways to work with women community groups to build their capacity to take up decision-making roles before, during and after disaster periods.
Mrs. Odinukwe revealed that SAFEPATH-Nigeria and BROF were providing both food and non-food items as relief materials to women and girls who survived the flood.
While thanking ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) for helping to make the visit possible, she equally highlighted that essential reproductive health materials like sanitary pads and panties have been included as part of relief items so that adolescent girls and young women will take better care of their bodies.
Some of the items received by the survivors included; sleeping mats, buckets, Nigerian-made wrappers, bathing soaps, rice, salt, food seasoning, noodles and vegetable oil.
She pointed out how extra efforts have been made to reach certain category of women like persons with disability, pregnant women, nursing mothers, women heads of households and single mothers with the relief materials.
While thanking SAFEPATH-Nigeria and BROF, the Women President General of Eziaguluotu community, Mrs. Esther Onwu, said that several lives were lost during the flood disaster including that of a young child who drowned while home alone when the flood hit the community because his parents had left him to go to their farm.
While expressing appreciation to SAFEPATH-Nigeria and BROF, she also shared that the two organisations were the first and only NGOs that have visited the remote rural community or reached flood survivors with the strategic relief materials.
She mentioned that many elderly women and young children sleep on the bare floor with empty rice bags as they cannot afford sleeping mats or other essential items.
She, therefore, urged SAFEPATH-Nigeria and BROF to further assist the community with trainings and more relief support as women in the communities have little or no formal training around ecological or climate change issues but simply grapple with flood unprepared.
Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) were fully on ground during the visit and helped supervise the distribution of the materials to survivors.
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