World Renew Canada is supporting ZOA Refugee Care Nigeria with a three-year food assistance and early recovery project in Biu Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria. The protracted crisis in Borno State has created a complex humanitarian crisis resulting in high levels of displacement, disrupted livelihoods, chronic food and nutrition insecurity, and unavailability of stable income-generating activities.
Crisis and emergency coping mechanisms continue to erode households’ livelihood assets, disrupt social networks, expose children and women of reproductive age to irreversible consequences of chronic malnutrition and heighten the risk of women and girls’ abuse and exploitation. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are the most affected, facing high food consumption deficits, poor dietary diversity, and adopting crisis and emergency livelihood coping strategies.
Biu LGA has been classified as IPC 3. The project will integrate humanitarian and early recovery initiatives, providing emergency life-saving cash assistance and restoring women’s and men’s livelihood capacities. Proposed key activities include six months of humanitarian cash assistance at $88 per household per month; diversified agriculture production with extension support; rural microfinance through village savings and lending; practical nutrition behaviour change communication (including Infant & Young Child Feeding); and women’s social and economic empowerment. Over the three years, the project will target a total of 1,959 households (12,598 people), focusing on IDPs, returnees, and host communities.