‘’I was 8 months pregnant when the community started getting flooded. We had nowhere to go so we stayed. The flood eventually got very heavy, and it brought down our house. I realized I couldn’t find my son after the house collapsed, only to hear his groans from under the rubble of a collapsed wall. I tried to save him, but my strength failed me. I eventually called for help, and he was rescued after about 2 hours.
I cried because I thought that my son was dead. He was rescued by a youth who could swim. They broke the bricks into pieces to bring out my son. My three-year-old son had gulped in a large quantity of water and community members quickly took him to the house of a community nurse for medical attention because the flood had submerged our community hospital.
When words came back to me that he was alive, I cried even more.
My husband is a Farmer but the flood has submerged his farm too. We no longer have a sustainable source of livelihood. Although, we have temporarily moved to a community that is on a highland and I hope the floods rescind quickly for us to start rebuilding our lives. My husband goes to town daily to do menial jobs so that we can eat. The cash for food from ActionAid will help us for the next three to four weeks.’’ Hasiba, Duiwigi Community, Gwiwa LGA, Jigawa State.
She is one of the 1200 women provided with emergency response kits and cash for food in Jigawa amidst the 2022 flood.