The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has held a poverty and social protection outreach in Usmanti Community, along Muna Road in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The outreach, held adjacent to Alkomi Police Hospital, brought together community members and beneficiaries of social protection interventions, with a focus on raising awareness about poverty and promoting access to government support programmes for vulnerable families.
The initiative is being implemented by a consortium comprising Bread for the World, BfdW, ANEEJ and NISD, with co-funding from the European Union.
Speaking during the programme, ANEEJ Programme Manager, Innocent Edemhanria, said the outreach was designed to educate community members on available social protection programmes, their eligibility requirements and how vulnerable households can access government interventions.
Edemhanria noted that the high level of poverty in the country makes social protection programmes critical, stressing that lack of awareness about registration procedures and other requirements remains a major barrier preventing some vulnerable people from benefiting from government support.
The Ward Head of Usmanti Community, Bulama Bukar, recalled that ANEEJ had previously visited the community and provided financial assistance to some residents.
He said some beneficiaries received N44,000 and N9,000 respectively, but noted that many other vulnerable members of the community are yet to benefit from similar interventions.
One of the beneficiaries, Bintu Musa Kura, expressed appreciation to the Act Naija Project, saying she had benefited from the programme on two occasions.
She explained that the financial assistance provided her with the capital needed to start and sustain her cap-making business.
Other beneficiaries also commended the Act Naija Project and its partners for supporting vulnerable members of the community, while appealing for the continuation and expansion of the interventions to reach more people.
The outreach is part of broader efforts to strengthen awareness of social protection programmes and empower vulnerable families to access available government support and other interventions.
