Toys and the Plight of Internally Displaced Children in North–East Nigeria

The type of education internally displaced children receive is very pathetic and pitiable as they lack teaching and learning materials like books and toys which are very essential for their development. Government in partnership with UNICEF and NGOs have tried in providing some of these materials but the surging number of children in IDP camps make the competition for the learning materials very stiff. Teachers’ lack of skills for improvisation is another impediment. The internally displaced children will continue to trail their counterparts (children who are not affected by the emergency situation) if the necessary steps are not put in place. Inability to address these issues will further put the country in danger as the children in IDP camps will one day be integrated into the normal society and may not have developed the required skills to adapt. The paper identified the problems faced by children in IDPs camps as a result of lack of play and access to toys which enhances their development, lack of skills by caregivers for producing local toys among others. The paper recommends that the problem can only be solve if the children in the IDP camps are given standard education, provided with toys and other learning materials, also there should be an all-round involvement from all concerned parties in the country among others.