SKARF Commissions First Phase Project, Holds IDP Concert ln Kaduna

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA.

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA -The Southern Kaduna Resilience Fund, (SKARF),a corporate social responsibility initiative of the House of Justice, Kaduna has commissioned the first phase of its project and IDP concert aimed at given educational and entrepreneurial empowerment to IDPs and the vulnerable in Kaduna.

The event which held at the IDP camp situated at Ungwa Zhawu,Goningora,in Kaduna on Friday,attracted the National leadership of SOKAPU,Faith based organizations, Women and youth groups and lots more.

Speaking to Newsmen, the CEO,House of Justice, Gloria M.Ballason,said ” we are here today to commission the first phase of the project of the Resilience Fund,SKARF,which is the corporate social responsibility of the House of Justice for the IDPs in Southern Kaduna

” and so we are here at the Gonin gora Camp project of a school in the Camp and also an entrepreneurial/ vocational centre for the IDPs, adding that ” Our desire is that these IDPs do not lose dignity and not lose hope”she said

According to her,the essence is to give the people hope considering the plethora of challenges bedevilling the country today,” we as an organisation feel that our work in the courts will make little meaning if we lose our connection to humanity outsde of the courtroom, we cannot shut our eyes to the suffering of the people

” and we believe that as a corporate organization we owe a responsibility to the community,where we serve to also be in touch with their suffering injustices and so we are here to join hope with the people in the IDP Camp to let them know that they are not alone and to ensure that children that have been pulled out of School are able to have a decent education

She further said,above all,they do not want ” members in the IDP camps where we are overseeing to feel that they are alone,we stand with them during this suffering and we believe this is only temporal that,from here things will get better as we continue to say in the House of Justice ” Hope changes every thing “

She however urged other corporate organizations to go beyond profits making and be interested in the lives of the people ” so we are calling on corporate organizations to also extend their hands not only in Kaduna state but elsewhere to the suffering of fellow Nationals “

“We are also calling on religious bodies especially organizations that have schools to absorb these IDP Children in their schools, because essentially, this is what Faith is all about, to be able to extend the Hand of God to the People

While expressing her sense of genuine fulfillment on the turnout and success of the event ” essentially, what this means is that people understand the pain that is happening and they were only looking for an opportunity to connect, so we are happy this is happening today, from here will move to other camps in Kujama and then in Zango Kataf

” I believe that, if we continue to do this and every other persons join, terrorism will not have the word in this country and this is something that we are very passionate about,that we cannot live in a country where we become subjects to the terror,we must rise above this terrorism and continue to ensure that peace and justice reigns” She reiterated

According to Ballason, tentatively,they presently have 264 IDPs accross the five camps they are overseeing and over 100 pupils undergoing their educational pursuit at this camp,through the support and contribution of spirited individuals

Similarly, the National President of SOKAPU,Hon Jonathan Asake,who served as Special guest of Honour, shortly after the commissioning ceremony applauded the laudable contribution of Barrister Gloria Ballason and her team for the initiative

” they have put this together to give hope to these displaced children who have been out of school for over 1 year and have put together educational materials, such as reading tables,chairs,books, blackboards, uniforms, school bags and lots more and recruited teachers to teach them”

He noted that, this will ensure that the children at the IDP camp once again have hope that ” they can be what their ambitions were before these attacks on their communities and those I have spoken to say they want to be medical Doctors,teachers, Nurse, a lawyers, so this is the hope they now have adding that,”if they have been abandoned by government, their people have not abandoned them”he averred

He then called on those God has blessed with resources to rise above board and channel their resources to help IDPs in Kaduna, Middle belt and the country as whole as he urged government to live up to its constitutional responsibility of protection of lives and property, failure to do so, he maintained that such leadership losses it legitimacy as a government

On her part, an IDP Jss2 student, Miss Angelina Irimiya,while expressing appreciation for the CEO of House of Justice, Barr. Gloria Ballason and her team,said “I am grateful to Aunty Gloria, I thank God for using them to provide for us,since we were displaced from out village in Birnin gwari.When we came here, we cannot go back to school,but she worked hard to see that we went to school

*so we thank her and also pray that God should grant her more than she has done for us. And that God should grant us wisdom and Knowledge so that we’ll study fine” she stressed

“The highpoints of the commission of the first Phase SKARF project and IDP special Concert,with the theme” The Stump Will Bud Again “include special prayer and worship service,IDP singing competition and lots more