Chibok Girls: UNFPA Funding Stopped

The rehabilitation of the released schoolgirls may suffer a setback following a directive by the United States Government to stop the funding of the United Nations Population Fund.

The UNFPA is a UN agency which focuses on curbing child marriage, unwanted pregnancies and also provides supplies and services to victims.

The agency had recently promised to “provide emergency reproductive health care and psychosocial counseling and support” to the recently rescued girls.

However, UNFPA’s Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Eugene Kongnyuy, said the funding cuts had already hurt the agency’s ability to help kidnapped women and girls recover after being freed by Boko Haram.

Kongnyuy was quoted as saying this during an interview with Karen Attiah, The Washington Post’s Global Opinions Editor.

In the article, which was published in the US-based newspaper on Friday, Kongnyuy said, “We receive fewer funds so our capacity to respond now is limited.

“The United States used to contribute funding to our regular resources. This year we requested $1m from the US government for our gender-based violence program in the North-East, and initially, it was approved.

“A few days ago, we were informed that the funding would not come. We could have used that money to respond quicker to the needs of the recently released girls.”