KAFANCHAN-based Fantsuam Foundation has been reportedly devastated by the post-election violence, which ravaged Northern Nigeria recently.Fantsuam Foundation is the community ICT solutions NGO, which along with Nigeria ICT Forum of Partnership Institutions and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), hosted the Broadband For Nigeria (BB4NG) Forum that prepared the Broadband Access Roadmap Document for the Nigerian environment in July 2010.A statement from the President of ATCON, Titi Omo-Ettu at the weekend, quoted the Founder/CEO of the foundation, Dr. John Dada, saying, the ravaging of Kafanchan city, the town market, and the rural communities left Fantsuam overrun as it served as haven for deprived citizens. The immediate needs of the centre and community include: A health clinic that has run out of basic essentials: dressings, Dettol, Panadol, etc; Households that have run out of food; grains, kerosene, cooking oils and inhabitants who have no clothes as they have lost all their possessions.The violence was ferocious and widespread from the night of April 19. The Fantsuam Foundation compound was home for over 200 displaced persons, assisting them with basic shelter, food and clothing. Our health centre services were in high demand because the Kafanchan General Hospital was shut down and all patients forcibly evacuated. Our finance officers mother who was on admission sustained a fracture when armed men invaded the hospital. Fantsuam Foundation undertook the evacuation of patients with gunshot wounds to the Kaura Rural Hospital.One of our staff members, Abdul Afana, is still out in the bush with what is left of his family. They lost several family members. Our health centre staff, Mrs. Atuk had her son shot over eight times, and he still has bullet embedded in his body. The homes of cashier, Solomon, Emmanuel Atuk, Saidu Gambo, Comforts uncle, Zakariya Sheyins younger sister, Mbahs elder sister were all burnt down. Virtually every of our worker has lost relations and/or friends and properties to the violence. We have now been able to make contact with our wireless engineer, Ahmed Adamu, he is safe in Abuja.The loss of lives and livelihood is demonstrated through the burning down of the Kafanchan market. When the market was razed down, many of our microfinance clients, who took refuge in the Fantsuam compound, lost cash and properties. Survival has become difficult for many Kafanchan residents, and southerners, especially those traders who are among our clients are moving out in large numbers.The destruction of the Kafanchan market, closure of banks for over one week, have all contributed to the worsening humanitarian crisis; there is serious shortage of cash and food. The week of the crises was the time our microfinance field officers would make their highest loan recoveries; all of that is now on hold. At the moment, FF has not been able to mobilise enough funds to pay the April staff salaries.We are still making efforts to compile details of losses suffered by our clients, from those of them who are still alive, and who are still in Kafanchan. The enormous scale of destruction indicates that economic recovery in Kafanchan will require sustained and committed planning and support. Fantsuam Foundation is working hard to continue to provide humanitarian support: medical, food supplies, shelter and evacuation of vulnerable people.As we embark on a new challenge of helping our host communities to meet the economic and social peace challenges of this crisis, we look forward to working more closely with like-minded individuals and organisations to rebuild our communities, so that restoration of peace is closely linked to poverty elimination and job creation. We will be happy to explore any options of economic recovery, peace building, market reconstruction, and other social investment activities that may be feasible.
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