Ms Alby Gyimah-Boadi, U.S. Embassy Arts Therapist, on Monday visited some camps hosting people displaced by the persistent attacks on rural communities in Benue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Gyimah-Boadi, while at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), camps located at Daudu, in Guma Local Government, held therapy sessions with women and children.
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Gyimah-Boadi, who said that the visit and therapy session were part of the Arts Envoy programme of the U.S. State Department, explained that the goal was to help women and children to recover from their traumatic experiences.
“We believe that they must recover from such trauma before they can effectively express themselves,” she said.
She said that the sessions were targeted at encouraging the IDPs to understand that they still had hope in spite of the losses they had suffered as a result of the attacks.
“We want to let them know that they will bounce back from the trauma and prosper because there is still hope.
“We have heard about their stories and how they ended up at the camps. We also know that many of them have witnessed violence as a result of the conflicts.
“The arts therapy is an important part of the healing process. It will enable them experience a bit of relief from their daily struggles.”she said
She called for assistance for the IDPs, saying that they were in dire need and needed support from every direction.
Mr Sterling Tilley, Cultural Affairs Officer, Embassy of the United States of America, said that the envoy would give some materials to the IDPS, and urged them to strive to live happy lives in spite of their current situation.
Narrating her story to the visitors, Mrs. Patricia Utsua, an IDP, who participated at the session, said that the women and children in the camp had witnessed series of attacks and were feeling “exposed and vulnerable”.
“We feel so exposed, vulnerable and do not know what will happen the next minute because the invaders keep coming.
“We have survived series of attacks over time by God’s grace; today, we are surviving on charity,” she said.
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