In Nigeria, in Borno State, which is one of the poorest and most unstable states, Fatima and Rabi have resumed their work thanks to the support of INTERSOS and of the World Food Programme.
Damasak is located in north-eastern Nigeria, in the northern part of Borno State, on the border with Niger. Thanks to the presence of the Yobe and Komadugu Gana rivers, the land here is very fertile. During the rainy season, crops such as millet, beans, sorghum, maize and peanuts are grown and during the rest of the year rice, pepper, onions and vegetables are grown. In addition to agriculture and trade, the population engages in fishing and poultry breeding.
However, the state of Borno is currently one of the poorest and most unstable territories in Nigeria, as it is affected by continuous attacks by O.A.G (organised armed groups). In particular, during the 2014 insurrection, all the inhabitants of Mobbar (the Mobbar Local Government Area in which Damasak is located) were displaced and only recently have been able to return to their towns, where they had to start all over again, having lost their livelihoods.
With the support of the World Food Programme, INTERSOS ran a project from January to September 2020 to help families in greatest need to restart their businesses or set up new ones. More than 1,000 men and women were assisted through this project. Among them, 170 people were trained to work in food production, other 505 in poultry farming. Each group has also been trained on business planning and management, basic financial management and marketing. INTERSOS bought all the necessary materials for them to start their activities immediately and to be able to generate income on their own. Fatima and Rabi live in Damasak and are among the women who took part in the activities.
Fatima’s story
“Before the uprising, I had specialised in food processing and small trade. My husband was a farmer in the village of Chunguliski, on the other side of the river,” says Fatima Jibrilla, a 42-year-old woman with seven children. “After the uprising, when we returned home, we could not earn enough to provide for our family’s needs, we depended only on the sale of firewood and we needed help from friends and relatives to survive”. Due to economic problems, her children were caught up in child labour networks.
Now Fatima is working and can help her elderly husband and provide for the family’s needs. She also bought 5,000 Naira of peanut seeds to enable her eldest son, who is 23 years old, to start his own business. She is thrilled to have become self-sufficient thanks to INTERSOS – WFP support intervention.
Rabi’s story
Rabi Isa is 28 years old and mother of four children. The uprising caused her significant suffering. My husband is a farmer,” she says, “while I specialised in the creation of fishing nets”. “Before the uprising,” says Rabi, “my husband had a large piece of land that he cultivated, which was the main source of income for the family. With the uprising, their economic situation changed and their children were also forced to work. Even when peace gradually returned to Damasak, it was impossible for Rabi’s husband to start farming again on a large scale, as he did before, because his land was occupied by the Nigerian army.
The turning point
Both for Fatima and Rabi, the selection for INTERSOS and WFP interventions represented a turning point. After receiving their initial support from the project, Fatima immediately started producing a snack called ‘Mento-mento” (a Nigerian delicacy loved by many). Within a month, her business started to expand and today she has many customers.
“I was given all the tools I needed to start a small poultry business,” Rabi says. “Now,” she says, “I wake up happy every morning and smile when I see my healthy birds as I sweep their cages and feed them. Finally, Rabi and her family are more relaxed, their joy was enormous when the first eggs were laid. “As I speak, I have already sold twelve boxes of eggs,” she tells INTERSOS staff with a big smile on her face.