North East Nigeria: UNFPA Frontline Midwives Bring Lifesaving Care to Women and Girls at Custom IDP Camp, Borno State. By Raymond Enoch
In the heart of Borno State’s protracted humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is reaffirming its global mandate to protect the health, rights and dignity of women and girls by delivering life-saving Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services at the Custom Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Jere Local Government Area.
Working alongside dedicated frontline midwives, the UNFPA humanitarian team continues to operate under difficult and often unpredictable conditions to ensure that no woman gives birth alone and no survivor of sexual violence is left without care. At the camp, where thousands of conflict-affected families seek safety, UNFPA’s presence has become a lifeline for the most vulnerable and underserved.
True to its mandate of ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health, promoting reproductive rights, and supporting populations affected by crisis, UNFPA provides a comprehensive package of essential services. These include emergency obstetric and newborn care, antenatal and postnatal services, family planning, and clinical management and psychosocial support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Frontline midwives, supported by UNFPA, are at the centre of this response. They work around the clock to prevent avoidable maternal and newborn deaths, manage pregnancy complications, and offer dignity-centred care to women and adolescent girls who have endured displacement, trauma and loss. Their work not only saves lives but restores hope in a setting where access to healthcare remains severely constrained.
Beyond medical interventions, UNFPA’s response at the Custom IDP Camp prioritizes protection, dignity and rights. Safe referral pathways are established for survivors of sexual violence, ensuring confidentiality, compassionate care and access to justice and psychosocial support.
Community engagement and awareness activities further empower women and girls to seek care without fear or stigma.
Despite limited resources and challenging field conditions, UNFPA remains resolute in its commitment to “leave no one behind.”
The ongoing intervention at Jere LGA reflects the agency’s broader humanitarian strategy in North-East Nigeria—strengthening local health systems, supporting skilled health workers, and ensuring that even in crisis, reproductive health services are not treated as optional but as essential and life-saving.
As the humanitarian situation in Borno State persists, UNFPA’s sustained presence at the Custom IDP Camp stands as a powerful reminder that protecting sexual and reproductive health is central to saving lives, upholding human rights, and rebuilding dignity for communities affected by conflict.
