A'Ibom Partners USAID On Orphans, Vulnerable Children Project

By Unyime Usen

In what could be described as a good way to begin the new year, the Akwa Ibom State Government on January 23, 2020 became one of the states to benefit from the Integrated Child Health and Social Service Award(ICHSSA) Lot 1 project of the United States Agency for International Development( USAID).

Receiving the delegation in his office, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Multilateral & Donor Agencies, Dcn Ndiana-Abasi Udom thanked the program coordinators of USAID and the representatives from the Centre for Clinical Care and Research in Nigeria (CCCRN) for finding Akwa Ibom State Worthy of the grant and partnership. The Governor's Aide further explained that Akwa Ibom State Government under the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel has provided an enabling environment and a proper monitoring structure for the program through the Department of Multilateral & Donor Agencies.

Speaking further, the erstwhile Banker requested for the Financial Agreements between the USAID and the CCCRN, their work plan, Scope of work, Terms of reference, Target settings, Localization plan (Recruitment of indigenes process), Exit plan as well as the sustainability plan from the Program coordinators. The Governor's Aide emphasized that all the aforementioned documents will help his department in partnering with the relevant desk officers and MDAs to prepare a well detailed report to the Government and the people of Akwa Ibom State as well as the overall Nigerian coordinators of the USAID program in Abuja.

The SSA further informed the coordinators that the state Government has reorganized the structures of all registered Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and donor agencies operating in the state for the sake of the program in a bid to ensure accuracy in all the reports that will be generated from the program. Mr. Udom re-emphasized that for the sake of effective communication, only Local CSOs who understand the local dialect(s) of Akwa Ibom State will be allowed to interface with the beneficiaries of the program and will handle the liasing with Community stateholders, creating, facilitating/ establishment of community structures, engagement of community volunteers as well as provide overall services to the children living with HIV and their households who are the first line beneficiaries of the program while CCCRN will remain the technical support providers.

On his part, Dr Nwene Ejike who happens to be one of the leadiing board members of CCCRN thanked the Akwa Ibom state Government for what he described as a “warm reception".  Dr Ejike while assuring the Governor's Aide of absolute transparency in all their dealings promised to open their books for proper accountability. He mentioned that the program will focus on Health, Education, Child protection, Nutrition, livelihood of people in rural areas of the thirty one Local Government Areas, Training of teachers, Parenting and other Programs which will cover Skill Acquisition Center trainings and start up materials for people who qualify after the training.
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Meanwhile, the Lead consultant for the program - Michael Ejeh, seized the opportunity to clarify that the funds which also covers about Five Local Government areas in Cross River State will span for five years while Akwa Ibom will enjoy one hundred percent coverage across her thirty One Local Government areas .

Other prominent personalities in the meeting were Dr. Uduak Ekong -Head of Department International Corporation Department, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Dr Oluwaseyi Adeyemi, Maryann Edeh, and Mr John Edet who are also consultants to the project.