Nicholas Dechi
Recently, 26 Internally Displaced Persons gathered in Makurdi, Benue, for a week-long intensive training that will reshape not only their own futures but the lives of thousands of vulnerable children in the various camps where they live.
The training, organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Benue Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, Makurdi, has now become a remarkable milestone in the ongoing humanitarian efforts in the state.
Spread across six camps in Makurdi Local Government Area, the trainees are not just IDPs struggling to survive; they are empowered.
They have been equipped with the knowledge and skill set to serve as Auxiliary Social Workers (ASWs), a crucial reinforcement to the overstretched workforce managing welfare and protection concerns within the IDP camps.
UNICEF’s representative, Mr Victor Atuchukwu, who addressed the participants at the closing ceremony, described the initiative as “a strategic intervention designed to strengthen service delivery in the camps.”
According to him, the social welfare challenges in Benue’s IDP settlements have become increasingly complex as displacement persists, hence the need for more hands that understand the community, the culture, and the realities within the camps.
“The idea is to reinforce and strengthen the existing workforce in the camps.’’
Atuchukwu said that professional social workers handling child protection, reporting, and follow-up duties were far too few for the size of the camp population.
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“Service delivery is overstretched and limited, so this effort seeks to boost capacity for better protection and welfare of displaced persons, especially children.’’
Atuchukwu revealed that UNICEF had collaborated closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and academic institutions to ensure that the programme was both credible and sustainable.
According to him, violence and abuse against children frequently take place in areas where trained social workers are absent, making it critical to empower people who already live within the camps.
“UNICEF decided to work through existing community-based structures in the camps.
“When community members themselves are empowered, they can identify, report, and prevent abuse and neglect far more effectively.”
He said the plan was to extend similar training programmes to Guma and Gwer West local governments in the coming months, thereby replicating the model across more camps.
He also disclosed that the Benue Government had pledged to support the programme by providing monthly stipends to the trained auxiliary social workers.
“The training could not have come at a more critical time; recent attacks in several communities have resulted in thousands of children being orphaned, displaced, or exposed to severe protection risks.
“UNICEF’s vision for this training is not merely academic it is humanitarian at its core.
“The essence of the training is to build a community-based system of care that ensures the protection, development, and wellbeing of vulnerable displaced children.
“It was designed to empower IDPs to take ownership of child protection issues, to improve reporting systems, to create safer camp environments, and to strengthen the fabric of community support.
“At its heart, the initiative embodies the belief that displaced communities are not just recipients of aid they are partners in rebuilding resilience, dignity, and hope.
“Through supportive supervision, capacity strengthening, and community empowerment, the 26 newly trained Auxiliary Social Workers now carry the torch of child protection in Benue’s IDP camps,” Atuchukwu said.
The Head of Department of Social Work at Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, Makurdi, Dr Terungwa Tyav, described the intervention as a “timely response to an urgent humanitarian need.”
He said there was an urgent need to train auxiliary social workers who could help protect the children and ensure they understood their rights.
According to him, the ongoing crisis has created new layers of vulnerability among children who had lost their parents during attacks.
He emphasised that reintegrating the children into society and giving them the necessary protection was a task UNICEF had taken seriously.
“UNICEF wants these children protected, supported, and guided; they want them to grow with a sense of belonging and knowledge of their rights,” Tyav said.
On her part, the Benue Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, expressed appreciation to UNICEF for initiating the training.
She described the programme as a crucial step toward addressing child protection challenges in the IDP camps.
According to her, the ministry has documented numerous cases of child molestation, exploitation, and abuse within and around the camps.
“Having auxiliary social workers will strengthen our capacity to respond promptly and effectively,” she said.
Ikwue urged the trainees to take their duties seriously and to demonstrate a high level of professionalism.
She added that participants who distinguished themselves might be considered for future employment within the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
While facilitators delivered lectures covering various aspects of social work, one of the most insightful modules came from Mrs Catherine Torbunde, a lecturer at Akawe Torkula Polytechnic.
Her session, Module 12: Supporting Supervision, explored the cornerstone of professional social work practice how supervision ensures worker well-being, professional growth, and quality service delivery.
Torbunde began by explaining that supportive supervision stands at the heart of effective social work.
She said that unlike the traditional or purely managerial approach, supportive supervision focuses on guiding, monitoring, and encouraging workers to improve both their skills and emotional resilience.
Torbunde highlighted the emotionally demanding nature of social work, especially in IDP camps where workers confront trauma, loss, violence, and human suffering daily.
According to her, supportive supervision helps prevent burnout, reduces stress, and promotes healthier coping mechanisms.
Torbunde explained that supportive supervision has three core functions: the educative function, the administrative function, and the supportive function.
She said that the educative function, equips workers with new knowledge, sharpens their skills, and enables them to apply best practices in real-life situations.
“The administrative function ensures that staff members follow organisational policies, respect confidentiality, maintain ethics, and uphold the standards required for effective service delivery.
“The supportive function, which she emphasised strongly, focuses on the emotional welfare of the worker, helping them deal with stress, trauma, and difficult cases in a safe and constructive way,” she said.
She explained that while traditional supervision often emphasised control and monitoring, supportive supervision creates a relationship built on trust, mentorship, and shared responsibility.
Torbunde said that the difference between supportive and traditional supervision lied in the approach: one nurtures and empowers, while the other merely oversees.
She encouraged the trainees to embrace the supportive model because it aligns with humanitarian work and fosters collaboration rather than fear.
Furthermore, she introduced the trainees to the concept of group and peer supervision, a model highly effective in low-resource environments like IDP camps.
According to her, peer supervision allows workers to learn from one another, share experiences, and build collective solutions to recurring challenges.
She explained that group supervision, helps reinforce team cohesion and improves problem-solving capacities.
The Assistant Director of Child Development, Mrs Janet Anebi, buttressed Torbunde’s submissions.
She said that the striking point Torbunde made was that supervision was not a punitive system but a supportive one designed to uplift workers, refine their abilities, and guide them toward professional excellence, emphasising that the understanding became a major confidence booster for them.
Miss Faith Orngu, a trainee, disclosed that the more they listened, the more they realised that auxiliary social work demanded not only practical skills but emotional balance, resilience, and empathy.
Mr Terna Shima said the training covered various topics, but Torbunde’s approach touched the emotional core of the participants, many of whom were survivors of trauma themselves.
Miss Msendoo Depuun said that for many of them, the training served as both an educational and healing process.
Depuun expressed deep gratitude to UNICEF and the partner organisations, saying that the training helped them to understand that children in the camp are not just victims they are individuals with rights and dreams.
“We the new Auxiliary Social Workers will return to our camps not just as residents but as trained defenders of children’s rights”, he said.
Ultimately, the trainees beamed with confidence, renewed purpose, and the knowledge that their teamwork can transform the fate of hundreds of children.
NAN Features
