NRC in Nigeria

NRC’s operation

NRC Nigeria has been working to help displacement-affected communities meet their basic needs, improve their livelihoods, access essential services, and enhance their resilience to future shocks. In 2022, NRC reached over 318,716 people with assistance through different core competencies, including thematic areas like RRM (Rapid Response Mechanism). Additionally, NRC in Nigeria works on building self-reliance and enabling pathways to durable solutions as per the 2022 – 2025 country strategy.

NRC provides immediate assistance during the onset of emergencies through the rapid response mechanism (RRM). In 2021, NRC reached over 269,000 people with assistance.

Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)

 
A single document, such as a birth certificate for an ID, can determine the future of an entire family.. Access to housing and land tenure remains a major challenge, and displacement sites often face the risk of eviction. NRC collaborates with the authorities to improve access to legal and civil documentation and provides counselling on legal issues including housing, land and property (HLP) rights for people affected by conflict. Our ICLA teams:

• work closely with government agencies to issue legal and civil documentation, such as ID cards and birth certificates, to displaced people and host communities
• conduct awareness-raising sessions for communities on their basic rights and responsibilities
• provide training and technical support to government agencies and community leaders on HLP rights and collaborative dispute resolution (CDR) strategies
   

Education

 
NRC works to improve access to quality education for internally displaced people, returnees, and host communities. Our education teams:

• provide support in formal and non-formal education settings for out-of-school children, including catch-up classes for ages 6-14 and youth education for ages 15-24
• distribute education kits and hygiene kits for teachers and students
• provide capacity building for teachers and school-based management committees on Covid-19 preventative measures, the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and pedagogy
• construct temporary learning centres in camps and existing government schools, and rehabilitate damaged classrooms
• build gender segregated latrines and water points in formal schools
• provide access to water and sanitation and gender segregated facilities in schools
  
  

Livelihoods and food security

 
In emergencies, NRC focuses on providing access to adequate and nutritious food through cash-based interventions. NRC also focuses on building community resilience to shocks, in close collaboration with the government and other partners. Our LFS teams:

• support farmers by providing certified seeds, pesticides, herbicides, organic fertilisers, knapsack sprayers, gloves, masks and rain boots to improve harvest yields
• expand irrigation areas to increase farming in the dry season by constructing deep boreholes and tube wells with platforms, while also training local communities on how to maintain and repair these structures
• train individuals in setting up sustainable income-generating activities
• provide cash grants for small and micro businesses
• provide training on business selection, planning, and management and improved farming techniques to help farmers adapt to climate change
• provide training on business selection, planning, and management and farming techniques to help farmers adapt to climate change
   

Shelter and settlements

 
NRC’s provides access to different housing and shelter solutions including:

• providing in-kind assistance for essential non-food items
• distributing emergency shelter kits
• providing cash assistance for rental subsidies and housing repair
• constructing transitional shelters for displaced people in IDP hosting sites
• upgrading shelters for displaced people residing in existing homes
• rehabilitating permanent structures and provide training in carpentry and other skills required for future maintenance
  
  

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) promotion

NRCimproves access to safe clean water and sanitation facilities. Our WASH teams:

• prevent the spread of diseases, including Covid-19 and other waterborne and sanitation-related diseases such as cholera, by conducting awareness-raising sessions, both in camps and out-of-camps settings
• support the adoption of positive hygiene practices by installing handwashing stations and distributing hygiene kits
• construct, rehabilitate and maintain boreholes and sanitation structures for families living in camps and out-of-camp settings, ensuring that the water distributed is sufficiently chlorinated
• set up sanitation and water committees and provide training to communities on how to maintain their sanitation facilities
    

Protection from violence

 
NRC’s response focuses on site management, general protection services, capacity building and coordination.

• site management and coordination of 46 informal settlements
• establishment of site management committees and building their capacity
• setting up maintenance and safety committees responding to emergencies such as flooding, heavy winds and fire outbreaks
• providing services to ensure the protection and safety of site residents, including case management, protection monitoring, case management and referrals

Rapid response mechanism (RRM)

NRC addresses the urgent needs of populations affected by sudden shocks such as displacement due to violence, flooding, fire outbreaks and epidemics. Assistance varies from in-kind immediate relief kits that can last up to six days, to multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA).

Coordination and advocacy

In collaboration with other actors, and using evidence from our programming, NRC seeks to amplify the voices of those affected by crisis and hold duty bearers to account. NRC advocates for changes in laws, policies and practices that improve access to communities in need, enable a principled response, and which enable sustainable solutions to displacement. In Nigeria, NRC is a member of the HCT (Humanitarian Country Team) and the ISCG (Inter Sector Coordination Group). NRC is the co-lead of the WASH sector, the Protection sector, and is co-lead of the HLP sub-working group.