A childhood lost to Boko Haram
Guidadi's story
Read how 13-year-old Guidadi became responsible for his siblings after losing his parents to Boko Haram.
Fleeing Boko Haram
Falmata's story
Under the cover of darkness, Falmata gathered together her five children and fled, leaving everything behind.
Earlier that day, the military had arrived in her village in Nigeria and evacuated all the residents. Boko Haram were coming, and they weren’t safe.
A difficult decision
Falmata and her family had spent the day working on her family’s farmland and missed the evacuation. When they returned to their village, it was completely empty.
Feeling afraid and vulnerable, Falmata and her husband made the difficult decision to leave.
Our children were surprised, they were asking why we had to leave our home – but I explained it was for our safety.
The following night they arrived in a camp in the east of Nigeria.
They were exhausted from the journey, but delighted to be reunited with some of their family members and neighbours.
Sheltered once again
The camp brought peace of mind and safety – but the conditions were cramped and there was little privacy for the family of seven.
Living in a school building with so many other families can be treacherous, and sure enough, an accidental fire destroyed it at the beginning of March 2018.
After the fire, the family were given a shelter kit.
The family used the timber, rope, nails and tarpaulins, to build their own private shelter and feel safe again.
Hope for the future
Now Falmata and her husband have a safe and private space to raise their family in.
We especially appreciate the tarpaulins which help to protect us from the sun during the day, and make our shelter stronger, we have put it over the roof.
Falmata told us that they used some of the wood to make a small extension outside, which provides shade in the heat of the day.
‘It is very good for the children as before they had no space to play inside, and they were staying under the sun too much.’
Falmata still has hope that one day they will move to a safe place and build a more permanent home, but in the meantime their shelter has restored a sense of normality, allowing them to live as a family again.
With your support, we can continue to provide relief from conflict and disaster for families like Falmata’s.
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