Wet mothers and babies in crises, scramble for piecemeal at Fori camp

By Khadija Ngulde

The aftermath of the September 10 flooding continues to ripple as thousands of victims seek refuge at temporary camps in Maiduguri.

Since the occurrence of the flooding, Schools and other government facilities have been turned into camps and shelters to host the displaced.

However, a new challenge looms.

Basic nutrition and hygiene continues to be a problem, especially for women and children who are afflicted by this disaster.

Despite aid from the government, NGOs and other philanthropist, food remains a problem for these vulnerable groups.

This problem is further evident in the lives of infants and wet mothers who seek shelter in Fori primary school and depend on the little that is brought to them to survive.

According to Falmata, her 3 weeks old baby is suffering due to lack of breast milk to feed the baby which is very detrimental to his health.

“We’re hungry and we have very little to eat. As a result, the baby does not get any breast milk from me either, so with the little money I have, I sometimes buy store milk to feed the baby with”

She further cried for the deterioration of their nutrition along with other women in the camp.

Another woman who has also been in the camp for 3 days claims no aid or intervention has come to them since they camped there until last night when a kind woman donated raw food stuff for them to cook.

“ I’ve been here for 3 days now along with the people you see here and no one has brought anything to help us in this situation. Until a kind woman came here last evening and gave us some rice, maize flour, oil and seasoning to cook and feed ourselves with” she lamented.

The situation is dire as many women and children residing in the camp do not have anyone to provide for them, thereby, depending on the very scarce resources available to survive.

The cries of babies permeates the air as victims like 25 year old Aisha is left with two children and a 1 month old baby to cater for without proper food or hygiene.

She said “ these children are suffering from cold already, we do not have mosquito nets or mats. We only use our scarf to lay the babies on”

Aisha, whose husband is out of town during the occurrence of the flooding was rescued out of their flooded home by volunteer rescuers in their area.

She emphasized on the need to provide the basics like food, mosquito nets and mats to alleviate the gravity of the situation.

This demonstrates a peek into the lives of the women and children who form the majority of the population seeking refuge at the Fori camp and other camps spread across Maiduguri.