Aid Distribution International partners with a children’s crisis centre in Nigeria, helping orphans. The children at the centre are fed and cared for, receive high-quality education and live in a safe community during their time with us.

We were introduced to 14-year-old Jachike, who told us, “Our life is different now – we all eat well – three meals every day, with clean water to drink, to bathe, to wash our clothes each week… We sleep in peace every night. We don’t listen for noises that warn us of danger near our village. We don’t have gunfire and terror at night. How can we explain how good peace is when all we remember is violence?”

Jachike’s life had not been easy. After his parents’ divorce, Jachike and his siblings went to live among various relatives as his parents could not afford to look after them all. Jachike went to live with his grandmother but suffered great loss when an Islamic militant group attacked their village, stealing all that they owned and forcing the family to move from village to village.

“We could hear faint noises far off in the bush: everyone stood silent, to listen. Shouting in the distance. We grabbed what we could and ran fast into the bush, away from the shouting. My father helps my grandmother. These militants have no mercy; even our elderly and our babies are killed.”

Aid Distribution International accepted Jachike into the children’s crisis centre. Jachike spent one year in a special class for children who have not been in school for an extended time. He has now moved into primary grade three and is doing well in his studies.

Jachike’s father passed away during another militant attack. Jachike aspires to do well in his studies and one day become a doctor.