40-year-old farmer from Obegu-Odada community in Ebonyi state, Nnenna Nwakriko, is the third wife of a local farmer. Nnenna’s husband had left the responsibility for the education of her daughters solely to her. However, she was unable to cope with the burden. After her eldest daughter finished primary school Nnenna sent her to Abakiliki to live with relatives and learn a trade while her other two daughters dropped out for two years.

“During the training by ActionAid’s education team I was told to bring her back and send her to school,” said Nnenna, speaking through a translator. “They said that if a girl child is educated they can become nurses, or even work in government.”

Nnenna sold all her assets – her chickens, goats and farm proceeds – and began growing cassava in her backyard. Through the financial management skills she learned from her group leader, she has since been able to send her three girls to school and keep them there. She has even been able to build her own house for herself and her children within the family compound.

“Because I didn’t go to school, I feel I can’t speak out boldly, but my daughters are more experienced and more intelligent,” she said proudly. “I have always known that they will be better than me.”

We were in one of your sponsored communities in Kwara state recently and met with 12- year-old Amomo Saliu, a primary five pupil of Asa local government primary school and a resident of Apa community in the same local government area. She recounts her growing-up years fetching water from the community stream and how ActionAid through your donations have changed her life.

Like majority of residents of Apa, Amomo’s parents are farmers who cultivate seasonal fruits like mango and cashew.  It’s the season of cashew which the residents of the community call ‘Kaju’ and Amomo supports her parents to pick cashew nut from the community farm every weekend which they take to towns like Afon or Ilorin, the state capital for sale on market days.

For three years, Amomo would wake up at 2am with her parents and other families to fetch water at the stream.  Only very few people go to the stream at this time so they all scoop the water into their buckets and wait after every ten buckets for the stream to spring out water from the ground again before they continue. She believes the stream water at this time is cleaner and safer to drink than the water fetched at noon. Her mother helps her put alum () in the water which allows the dirt to settle before she eventually scoops the ‘clean water’ into the clay pot for storage. This is the water she and her family drinks and use for other house chores.

When asked if the water makes her sick, Amomo says she often fall sick from drinking the water and sometimes have body allergies when the alum in the water is too much. With the nearest health centre over 20km away, her mother treats her with the local herb called ‘Agbo’ as there are no commercial vehicles to take them out of the community to town except on market days. Amomo says, she finds it difficult going back to sleep after fetching water at night and gets sleepy in class afterwards.

ActionAid constructed a borehole in Apa community which serves about 300 people within and around the community. Amomo is excited about the borehole especially not having to wake at night again.  ‘I only go to the stream to fetch water to wash my clothes and that happen when there are a lot of people trying to fetch water from the borehole and I have to complete my house chores on time. Water from the borehole tastes better and is safer for us than the stream.

November 2013 was the last day Four-year old Marvelous Kashamu Jerry saw her biological parents. The Fulani/Bajuu crisis in Madauchi community of Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna State led to the death of her parents when their house was set on fire at night. Marvelous parents and four of her uncles couldn’t make it out of the house alive.

Marvelous was rescued by her aunt Paulina Yakubu who says ‘Immediately I realized our house was on fire, I ran out of the house and was able to carry Marvelous with me but one of the attackers saw me and shot at us which led to the loss of Marvelous’s left finger and another also pierced through her left arm. It was very hurting seeing her cry as she bled profusely.’ Paulina Yakubu is now Marvelous’s foster mother and they live at the IDP centre in Kaduna State

ActionAid Nigeria has been on-ground addressing the food and non-food needs of over 500 households at the internally displaced people’s centres in Kaduna, Nassarawa and Plateau states.

Each Household receives 1 bag of 50kg Rice, 10 kg of Beans and a pack of sanitary kit. Aged people also received Blanket and all the children were given clothes. The Food kit is expected to cover only 8 weeks of food requirements.

My name is Mary Hassan. I am a trained health worker and also a farmer who plants maize, soya beans and groundnuts. I am happily married and a mother of 6 children (2 Male and 4.female). I am from Gizaki community with about 1,115 people. My community members do not enjoy full medical services due to lack of health facility in the community. It is always difficult for us to access health facility as we have to trek 35 to 40 kilometers. Due to this situation people of my community, especially women and children suffer a lot. During the time of pregnancy women face situations of miscarriage, some give birth on their way to the nearest medical facility while parents prefer to take their children for local medication in order to reduce cost.

We spend N200 to N500  or more when we access the local medication and more than N1000 to N1500 for transport to the local government as a result of bad road. This has also affected the community as our children suffer more of malaria and other issues such as skin infection, inadequate routine immunization for the children while women could not have their anti-natal care. But in 2011 ActionAid and its local partner FAWOYDI constructed a PHC for our community and equipped it with health equipment such as beds, telescope, tubes etc while the LGA council posted 5 health personnel which I am one of them. The entire community are grateful for this wonderful support.

In 2013, a pregnant woman was treated in the PHC for high blood pressure. It was observed that her blood pressure rose to about 140/90 and the doctor told to her husband that her blood pressure was suppose to have 120/70 which is normal for her with her condition of pregnancy. Before that incident it was difficulty for community people women especially to be treated for BP in the community because the PHC was short of health equipment to support the health work. But to my surprise in 2013, a donor organization under the USAID funded project known as TSHIP (Targeted State High Impact Projects) donated additional health equipment such as 2 hospital beds, 1 examination couch, 1 delivery bed, weighing scale for both babies and adults with delivery/AVC sets with the following 1 placenta bowl, 2 apron, 2 kidney dish, 6 fetoscope, 2 Blood Pressure apparatus, 15 measuring tapes, 2 stethoscopes, 1 infant ambo bag, 2 mackintosh etc to our community health center. This would not have been made possible if AAN and FAWOYDI had not constructed and advocated to other relevant stakeholders involved in the health sector of the state. The health facility is functioning and community people are accessing the facility even neighboring community come to access it too. At least about 30 people including children access the facility on weekly basis.

Thank you ActionAid Nigeria and FAWOYDI for making our hope of having an improved health center a reality. Now I believed that “health is wealth but only for people who believe in change”.

Hello,  I am Naomi . I am 32 years old and a parent of 3 children (2 male and 1 female). I am a farmer and grow millet and atcha. I also rear pigs. My community Gobbiya has a population of about 10,005 people. One of the saddest moments of my life was when I lost my loving husband in 2006. But today I am so excited to tell you that in 2010, ActionAid and local partner FAWOYDI put smiles on the face of my family by supporting my son Bamiyi with 2 piglets (male and female).  His story was told in 2012.  During the time we receive this support from ActionAid, 4 other families also benefitted from the support.

Today we are telling you another success story of our life. We are happy to tell you that our pigs have increased to a total number of 20 (11 pigs, 2 pregnant ones and 1 that has delivered 6 more piglets). We are benefitting from that support today as we have started generating income from the sell of the pigs. We do not have challenges in taking care of daily needs, payment of the children’s’ school fees and buying of their school materials like bags, sandals, books and also  buying of  my agricultural inputs like fertilizers and seedlings. I sell a big pig for about N25, 000 ($147.05) while the piglets is sold for N16,000 ($95). In 2013 I sold 3 big pigs and 6 piglets and generated an income of about N163, 000

My greatest joy is that I have started the construction of my own house in my community. This was made possible after I and my children agreed on what to do with the profits generated from our sales. I bought a land, molded about 450 local blocks which was be used for the house construction. The house is already constructed up to lintel level which I also hope to complete it in the upcoming year.

I am very grateful to ActionAid and partner FAWOYDI for making us feel the joy of a world full of love and care. “The only limitation to my realization of tomorrow will be my doubts of today for a change”