EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FLOOD IN NIGERIA PROJECT

The flood intervention was funded by LDSC and sub granted by Catholic Relief Services to four JDPCs in Nigeria which included JDPC Onitsha, JDPC Kano, JDPC Idah and JDPC Bomadi. The project was intended to cushion the effect of flood in Nigeria in 1400 households through cash transfer program (CTP), using a minimum expenditure bracket of 70%. The Emergency Assistance for people affected by flood project targeted at least 30% of women and other vulnerable populations.

JDPC Onitsha established a strong working relationship with the target community stakeholders. This was as a result of the community entry visits carried out to the two (2) LGAs targeting community leaders of Ossamala, Umunankwo, Umudora and Umuikwu. The working relationship established had given JDPC Onitsha easy accessibility to the target individuals within the target communities and the LGAs. Hence, the registration of potential beneficiaries, engagement and deployment of 10 enumerators to facilitate the registration of potential household beneficiaries from the four project communities commenced. Generally,   709 households were registered using a data collection mobile App, CommCare tool. CRS team made a selection of 350 households comprising of 4019 individuals using the project inclusion criteria which included the elderly, women, pregnant women, lactating mothers, person with disability and female headed households.

Financial Service Provider (FSP) – Zenith Bank was engaged and memorandum of understanding signed with the bank to facilitate the cash transfer, opening of bank account and enrollment for Bank Verification Number (BVN). The FSP made the disbursement process seamless and more accountable.

Cash Disbursement was in three tranches for food and non-food WASH items using Minimum Expenditure Bracket of 70%. The first and last tranche of disbursement was 34,745.70 each for food and food items while the second tranche of the disbursement was 19,216.97 for NFI-WASH item. Financial Service Providers (Zenith Bank PLC) was engaged to facilitate the cash transfer process.

SOME TESTIMONIES FROM THE BENEFICIARIES

Sick Beneficiary Appreciates CRS: I want to say God answered my prayers and brought you people to help us because of me. I have been sick for over 10 years, all the money I get goes to medical bills. My wife and family are all tired, let me not talk of feeding because my wife is the one doing all that, but after the flood, no money for treatment and I have collected drugs on credit until this project came. I have been able to pay my bill and have purchased all my drugs. I want to say thank you to JDPC and CRS.

Umudora Beneficiary

Ossamala Community Women Leader:

The Community woman leader of Ossamala, Mrs. Chukwudifu Mercy was very grateful and thankful to JDPC Onitsha and CRS on their selection for the Assistance. In her words “My brother I want to say thank you to JDPC and the people that supported them for remembering us. Since this flood started, we were marginalized because our road was destroyed and bridges to our community collapsed, all the people coming to help once they get to the bridge they will go back but thank God that you people did not forget us. Because it has not been easy with us here at all, all the vehicles bringing cassava stem would stop at Umunamnkwo until now that the community have fixed wooden bridge. We are happy that through this intervention, we have resumed our farming activities. Thank you so much.

Mercy Chukwudifu

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Umudora and Umuikwu Communities Appreciates JDPC/CRS.

We suffered, we cried, our hope was lost, trauma everywhere, hunger was in the land and our properties were destroyed. It was not time for replanting but immediately after the flood, most people started looking for potato stem, which is the easiest they could get with little or no money for replanting. Then GOD sent JDPC to come and help us. People came to make us promises but we never see them again, even they have written our names and submitted to the state government till now we have not heard from them until the day your people came that they wanted to see the community leaders. We did not believe this but all the things they told us that day they were gradually doing them until we all received money up to N88,000, we have not seen this type before that people we did not know put food in our mouth without us doing anything. But what interest me most is the relationship they created with us, they will come and are the ones looking for some of us and waiting for us to come out, that was when I got overwhelmed and told myself I will be committed to them to see all what they came for went successfully.

Edoziuno Alfred

Umuikwu/Umudora Community Leader.

74Years Old Community Leader/Beneficiary Appreciates JDPC/CRS

First time in the history of our people that we are receiving such help from people that said they are not government and are not working for the government came to our help with large amount of money, you can see all our houses flooded, properties destroyed, there was hunger everywhere, some of us had to rely on our relatives who are living in Onitsha to send us money or food items. Is even better now, you see this our community, engine boat was moving in this community during the flood to tell you how terrible it was. Some of us went to camp as far as Crowder Memorial School at Onitsha. So we are grateful and you can see our people are happy to welcome you people.

Ofodile Nwachukwu

Beneficiary

76 Years Old Woman Shows Appreciation.

You can see the whole of our community jubilating and saying we have not seen this kind of a thing before. Look at us, after running because of flood we are now being helped by people that did not know us from anywhere. Is this not God? Is God now!, thank you people so much, especially you and your people that have always come here to make sure everything go fine. See us receiving money two times and the third one is still coming. God bless you people for us. Tell the people that send you we are very grateful.

Patrick Nkeiru

Beneficiary

Results/Achievements:

1. As intended by the project, Cash Transfer was successfully made to 350 beneficiaries with majority the most vulnerable of the project communities. From the testimonies of some of the beneficiaries, most have used the money to purchase food and NFI-WASH items, some have used theirs for medical bill, some used theirs to purchase agricultural inputs, few used part of it for their businesses while very few used part of the cash for their children education.

2. 132 Beneficiaries now hold bank account as a means of saving and withdraw their money and enrolled for Bank Verification Number (BVN). This was achieved by taking a financial service provider (Access Bank) to the project communities to open account for beneficiaries without bank account, where the money will be lodged. Beneficiaries received their cash in their bank accounts and was issued with Automated Teller Machine (ATM) debit cards to ease their financial transactions.

3. Project capacity Strengthening: JDPC Onitsha project capacity was strengthened on implementing emergency response programs. This was followed by training on emergency response program by the CRS team, comprising of Needs Assessment, Logical Frameworks and Reporting in a project environment.

4. JDPC Onitsha financial management system was strengthened throughout the process of the project implementation. This included ensuring compliance with statutory bodies such as National Housing Insurance Scheme, Withholding Tax, development of various financial documents and training on project finance templates.

5. JDPC Onitsha through this project has succeeded in building the community trust in legitimate interventions in their various communities. Because of their previous experiences, they were finding it difficult cooperating with the enumerators and project staff, not until frequent visit by the project team which boosted their confidence and helped restore trust in the process.

6. Use of Financial Service Provider provided and improved JDPC accountability and transparent process in Cash transfer programming that is to be greatly sustained in the organization. Use of Internet banking also facilitated large disbursement within a short period of time.

Nwekeagu Shadrach

Project Officer

JDPC Onitsha