Twenty-three internally displaced persons (IDPs) living across three camps in Benue State have received life-changing surgical procedures at no cost, as the Thousand Hills Empowerment Foundation (THEF) executed its Quarter 1 Medical Intervention Programme in March 2026.
The two-phase outreach conducted at the International Market IDP Camp, Mega Camp, and Ichwa Camp, all in Makurdi addressed surgical conditions that had gone untreated for months, in some cases years, due to poverty and lack of healthcare access within the displacement setting.
A Silent Crisis in the Camps
A preliminary needs assessment conducted across the three camps at the start of the year painted a grim picture. Medical surveyors found numerous individuals carrying surgical conditions that had progressed to advanced, potentially life-threatening stages. Children were identified teetering on the brink of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), with no therapeutic feeding in place.
Many of these cases were long-standing, the programme Dr. Daniel Agah noted, "confirming limited routine surgical access in the camps."
The findings prompted THEF to design a structured, multi-sectoral response, bringing together clinical surgery, nutrition intervention, financial literacy training, and vocational skills support under a single coordinated mission.
Two Phases, 23 Surgeries
The medical outreach ran in two phases: Phase 1 from March 19–21, 2026, and Phase 2 from March 26–28, 2026. Fifteen surgical procedures were completed in the first phase and eight in the second, totalling 23 patients treated across all three camps.
Procedure types included inguinoscrotal hernia repairs (10 cases), hydrocele corrections (5 cases), subcutaneous lipoma removals (5 cases), an epigastric hernia repair, an inguinal hernia repair, a chest wall mass excision, and one umbilical hemangioma case the last involving a four-year-old child.
By camp, Mega Camp recorded the highest caseload with 14 surgeries, followed by International Market IDP Camp with 8, and Ichwa Camp with 1.
Children Pulled Back from Malnutrition
Beyond the operating table, the intervention identified four children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and placed them on therapeutic feeding protocols, averting what the programme report described as "inevitable health deterioration."
Nutrition supplement distribution covered all four SAM cases: three from International Market Camp and one from Ichwa. Nutrition officers coordinated directly with families to ensure the children commenced treatment immediately.
Economic Empowerment Alongside Healthcare
Acknowledging that physical health alone cannot restore stability for displaced families, THEF extended the outreach to include economic empowerment activities in partnership with Novus Microfinance Bank.
Financial literacy training sessions were delivered to 503 IDP participants, equipping women, youth, and household heads with practical money management skills. Barbing and hairdressing services were provided to 215 beneficiaries, including 164 children, offering both grooming and scalp health treatment.
The report noted strong interest from women and youth in the financial sessions, signalling a tangible appetite for economic reintegration tools among the displaced population.
Partnership That Made It Possible
The programme was implemented through a cross-sector collaboration between Thousand Hills Empowerment Foundation and Novus Microfinance Bank, with medical services led by Dr. Daniel and a team of surgical consultants deployed to the field by Thousand Hills Empowerment Foundation.
"The partnership between Thousand Hills Empowerment Foundation and Novus Microfinance Bank proved that cross-sector collaboration can unlock resources and expertise that no single organisation could deliver alone," the report stated.
The Road Ahead
While the outcomes were significant, programme coordinators were candid about the scale of unmet need. The report acknowledged that eligible surgical cases far exceeded what the two-phase mission could accommodate, and called for expanded outreach duration, a larger surgical team, and the establishment of post-operative follow-up mechanisms.
Recommendations from the programme include increasing outreach duration and surgical team size, building post-operative care tracking, and expanding financial mentorship across all three camps.
THEF stated its commitment to deepening the model and maintaining its presence in Benue State, with the mission serving as "proof of concept that when humanitarian actors combine rigorous needs assessment, targeted clinical intervention, and economic empowerment, they can deliver holistic and enduring impact."
The Thousand Hills Empowerment Foundation (THEF), A Ministry of Ignition633 is a faith-based Missionary organisation with interest in building relationship with Jesus and Empowering the underserved communities, with active IDP camps outreach programmes across Benue and Plateau States, North Central Nigeria.
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