Displaced Children Foundation, Changing Lives of the Displaced
By Apollos Dennis Galenya
Hardship, lack of knowledge and curiosity are some of the factors that have been used to exploit Nigerians because of their ignorance to cause insecurity and disunity among the population.
The difficulties being faced today has exposed how bad Governance has negatively affected the Nigerian society.
It is quite unfair on the part of those shouldered with responsibilities of representing the people to use the weakness of the masses or community members to established an empire for themselves at the detriment of the people they are meant to serve.
Most of us grew up to blame our leaders for the mess we see today.
The Boko Haram insurgents whose activities have caused difficulties and severe pains to many families have been a major source of concern to Nigerians especially the inhabitants of the Northeast Zone.
A case in view is that of a 13 year old lady, Jummai Bako from Borno State who escaped after her husband claimed to have surrendered to the Nigerian securities.
Jummai Bako, a Boko Haram victim
Echo express came in contact with the lady who has been passing through a lot in life after her escape.
Coming from a Christian background according to her, the boko Haram insurgents have cut short her destiny.
She explained that she was 13 years old when she was taken captive by the insurgents from Damboa, Damboa Loca Government Area of Borno State, Northeast Nigeria.
According to her, after spending some days in the Boko Haram camp, they were given the option of either to accept the Boko Haram ideology or be forced to do so.
The lady said without waste of time, they were left with no option but to accept a new way of livelihood. Their dowries were collected by them shortly after their conversion.
Recounting her experiences, she said they did not only lose their parents but they were as well exposed to new lives and threats by the insurgents.
Apart from the traumatic condition, she said some of them that were not exposed sex, were forced to do engage in that.
In the interview with our reporter, Jummai Bako said she has no alternative to life as the past experiences, still hunt her.
She explained to our reporter how the experience still affects her.
She gave birth to three of her children in the bush while in custody of the insurgents with the husband.
She said they deceived them at the Boko Haram camp by supplying them with the rustled cows which they serve as meat for their soup and were kept busy praying and studying the Holy Koran.
However, she lamented that after staying at the displaced persons camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital for sometimes, the ugly experiences, refused to disappear.
She said she later learnt of her mother’s whereabouts from a good Samaritan who assisted her to relocate to Taraba State to meet the mother and her other siblings to start a new life.
Her major concern and challenge is that her Children are now living from hand to mouth, no work and paying their rent is an issue.
Socially, Jummai Bako does not open up to anybody, expressing the fear that people will recognize her and call her children negative names.
Jummai Bako and her mother and other family members have been staying in a single apartment until last year when Displaced Children Foundation came to their rescue.
The intervention of Displaced Children Foundation – Canada with its headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital was a miracle for them, as Jummai Bako explains.
According to her, the Foundation offered them a new way of life by supplying them with foodstuffs, grains, wrappers and detergents among others.
Continuing, she said the Foundation has been supplying them with foodstuffs and other non food items on several occasions.
As the year draws to an end, coupled with the approaching yuletide celebration, the expectations of Jummai Bako and her siblings are high considering the escalation in the prices of almost everything in the market, which have affected the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
They need a better apartment to live in, the children need to go to school, but the most needful at the moment is what to eat and then shelter.
The Displaced Children Foundation – Canada is indeed a saviour.
In an interview with our reporter recently, the International Coordinator of Displaced Children Foundation, Joseph Ogezi spoke extensively on how the Foundation intends to support children.
This will form part of our next report.
