COUNSELING INTERVENTION FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN GANDI CAMP, SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

Mukhtar Salihu Nawait (Ph D) & Buhari Lawal

Abstract

Internally displaced persons are usually exposed to various vulnerabilities which make them at risk of problems such as inadequate food supply, disruption in Educational career of their children, lack of free hand marital interaction with their spouses, sexual violence, living in unhygienic environment and acute malnutrition; conditions which deserve urgent interventions through provision of services within and outside the camps. This study assessed the counsellimg interventions offered by governmental and non-governmental organizations to internally displaced persons in Gandi for social inclusion. It employed descriptive survey research design and a sample size of 104 respondents were selected to represent the population of 278 IDPs. Self-developed questionnaire with validity and reliability indexes 0.76 and 0.87 respectively were used. The data were collected and analysed using frequencies and percentages with the help of Special Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.  The result indicated that only group counselling was adequately utilized, individual and other forms of counselling were not applied. It further revealed that humanitarian aids were not reaching the real people in need. Part of the recommendations government and NGOs should deploy more professionally trained counsellors to work with IDPs in Gandi camp to help them overcome their challenges and go on with normal life.