June 2017 Persecution Magazine

Feature Article
ion In Nigeria
all our means of livelihood, so
we couldn’t return.”
After the attack, Elizabeth and
her children became refugees and
members of Nigeria’s massive
IDP community which is over
2,000,000 strong.
“We spent two months living
in caves without food or drink.
At some places, we found sympathizers
who gave us something
to eat. God helped us survive.
We wandered the night until we
found the path to Cameroon.
Afterwards, we journeyed from
Cameroon to Yola, and then from
Yola to Jos.”
Elizabeth and her children
landed in an IDP camp in Jos,
Nigeria, along with 80 other
IDP families.
One of the hidden tragedies
of the massive IDP community
is that their kids are not being
educated in the camps.
It’s easy to ignore education,
focusing instead on needs like
food, water, and shelter. But
many parents, like Elizabeth,
desperately want their children
to continue their education
despite their displaced position.
As Elizabeth expressed, “I want
my children to continue school. I
do not want them on the streets. I
do not want them taken by Boko
Haram. When they go to school,
one day, they will also be of help
to others just as others have
helped us.”
A UNICEF representative corroborated
Elizabeth’s concern,
“When children cannot go to
school, they end up in the streets
and they become vulnerable to all
kinds of things, including being
recruited into and pressed into
service by the armed groups [such
as Boko Haram]….”
ICC visited Elizabeth’s
camp in 2015 and was immediately
alarmed by the fact that
the children weren’t receiving
any education.
Nigeria’s literacy rate is slightly
PERSECU ION.org
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
ICC student solving a problem at
the front of class.
Students gather for the opening
ceremony of ICC’s IDP school.
“I want to become a doctor to treat
sick people and work in a hospital.”
– JOSHUA, STUDENT AT THE JOS IDP SCHOOL
less than 60 percent, which means
that with just a bit of work, ICC
could get these Christian kids
to stand out and give them the
opportunity and training necessary
to ensure future employment
and a stable income as adults.
In 2016, ICC oversaw the renovation
and expansion of a defunct
school at the IDP camp.
ICC’s Nigerian staff recruited
qualified teachers and administrators,
looking for passionate
and capable instructors. ICC
also purchased supplies like
paper, pencils, chalkboards,
desks, computers, uniforms,
books, and backpacks.
The Jos IDP school opened on
March 8, 2017, with a formal
inauguration event. The children,
their parents, an ICC staffer, a
school administrator, and teachers
were all present. Three class
levels, Primary 1, 2, and 3, are
now learning math, social studies,
English, and science.
No, the school will not stop
Islamic militants like Boko
Haram or the Fulanis’ reign of terror
or allow the families to return
home and rebuild the decimated
homes and communities—but it
will provide hope for the future
for parents and children alike.
Students, like Joshua, can dream
about life after the IDP camp and
envision a future.
Joshua told ICC, “I want to
be a student because I want to
become a doctor to treat sick
people and work in a hospital.”
For two years, his dream was
stalled because there was no
school. Now, he eagerly attends
his classes to catch up on what
he missed.
Continue to pray for Nigeria’s
Christians who have lost everything
and struggle to find hope
every day. Pray that Boko
Haram and the Fulanis’ terror
will be silenced and that IDPs
can return home.
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