Caught in conflict: How Education is Transforming the Lives of Children in Nigeria
Violent conflict in northeast Nigeria has created a complex humanitarian emergency. Children are often the hardest impacted, with their childhoods uprooted amid fighting, high levels of poverty, and lack of social security nets.
10-year-old Ibrahim* and his family were forced to flee their home after armed insurgents attacked their town, which left them without any belongings. To help support his family, Ibrahim began working by pushing a water truck for income. This prevented him from going to school as his parents couldn’t afford it.
The stressful circumstances were understandably having a negative impact on Ibrahim’s mental health, resulting in aggressive behaviour when interacting with others. Ibrahim’s caregivers were also experiencing heightened stress, which created a challenging household dynamic and eroded Ibrahim’s connection with his family.
Recognising these challenges, Ibrahim was registered for case management through the ‘Education for Every Child Today (EFECT)’ project, implemented by Street Child in partnership with Education Above All Foundation (EAA) through its global programme, Educate A Child (EAC).
After a thorough assessment of his situation, Ibrahim was enrolled into school and offered mental health support through the project. At the same time, his caregiver Hadiya* participated in positive parenting sessions and counselling to support her mental health. Hadiya also received business training, helping her set up a business selling food items to support her family and ensure Ibrahim was no longer needed to earn an income.
Ibrahim now attends school regularly and has begun demonstrating empathy towards others, building many friendships with children his age. He’s also helping care for his younger siblings at home when he isn’t in school.
In collaboration with EAA Foundation, the EFECT project aims to place and retain 96,000 school-aged children in quality primary education across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria by 2026. The project focuses on building schools, enrolling students, training and recruiting teachers, and supporting caregivers to send children to school.
* Names were changed to safeguard the identities of beneficiaries.
