In continuation of our economic empowerment projects in Katsina state, Nigeria; The Bruder Hilfe team identified 5 women with 35 children between them, hit by economic hardship, in remote rural communities in the Dutsi and Kusada Local Government areas of Katsina state. The women have been included under the Bruderhilfe “One Family at a time” initiative, which has seen us, over the last few years, contribute to lifting the women and their children out of poverty by:
* Empowering the women by providing them with money to establish their trade, which has served as seed grant for trading, and starting businesses based on their skills; thereby equipping them with a means to cater for themselves and their families, and ensuring a stable source of income.
* Donating basic living necessities to the families to ensure their upkeep, health and comfort.
* Empowering the children by providing them with scholarships and enrolling them in school, as well as providing them with the needed educational materials, nutritional support and clothing.
* Renovation / Refurbishing the living apartments of these families and equipping the houses with basic amenities and household items.
Zulai Hamisu is a widow with 9 children, who all stayed in a shambly one-room mud house in Walawal, Dutsi LGA. Their apartment was very dark as it lacked light / utilities, and was constructed with sparse materials that one had to stoop so low to get in. The hut was void of household items or utensils, and had no doors and windows, and as a result, snakes and other rodents usually found their way in. The family gathered firewood for sale, but made barely enough to provide a square meal daily, and so they had to eat wildly growing leaves and legumes a lot of times. Zulai had the desire to complement her income in order to provide for her family, by making and selling Fura and Awara (local snacks), but lacked the funds to start the business. None of the children attended school, as they couldn’t afford the educational requirements to be enrolled in either the western schools or the Islamic schools. The whole population in the settlement made use of just one make-shift outdoor bathroom. They had no toilet and so they all used the bush for excretion and dug holes around the settlement to defecate in.
Bruderhilfe constructed a new home for Zulai Hamisu, which was formally opened by the Katsina State Governor, in September, 2022. The building was also furnished with household items, kitchen utensils and furniture.
Bruderhilfe has also been able to provide Zulai with money (capital) to start a business on producing Fura and Awara for sale, and also provided her with the needed equipment & raw materials to start off.
Five of her nine children have been enrolled in school under the Bruder Hilfe Scholarship Scheme, and have been provided with uniforms and required educational materials.
Food items and provisions, Clothings, footwear, beddings among others, have also been donated to the family.
BruderHilfe also constructed a new home, furnished with beddings and household equipment for Zulai Hamisu & her children, which was opened by the Katsina State Governor, in October, 2022.
In the rural community of Sabo-Ngwar, Dutsi Local government area of Katsina state, Basirat Alha is a single Grandmother caring for 7 orphaned children. The children along with Basirat and other relatives, lived in extreme poverty, in a building without matrasses or mat to sleep on, and no amenities. The few items in the building were in bad shape including water containers not commonly used by other families in the locality. She couldn’t afford to enroll the children in school, nor fend for their basic needs, as she had no means of stable income or support. They constantly fed on a wildly growing legume not usually eaten by other people in the locality.
Bruder Hilfe has been able to provide the following to support Basirat.
Money (capital) to start her trade.
Children have been enrolled in school under the Bruderhilfe Scholarship Scheme. All 7 children have also been provided with the required school materials, uniforms and footwear..
Basic Children have been enrolled in school under the Bruderhilfe Scholarship Scheme. All 7 children have also been provided with the required school materials, uniforms and footwear.
Basic Clothing materials & accessories, Footwear..
Kitchen Utensils, water storage facilities, furniture and household items.
Sleeping Mats & Beddings
Toiletries & Sundries
Food items
Logistics Expenses.
In Sabon-Gari Community, Kusada L.G.A, Katsina state; we found Habiba Abdullahi, who has been a widow for 9 years, and has 6 children with no means of income to care for them. All her children had been dismissed from school because she lacked the finances to buy their academic supplies and requirements. Part of the already dilapidated house where they lived had fallen apart, and the rooms lacked doors and windows. The roofs had no ceiling and leaked constantly, and all walls and floors were unplastered. The whole family made use of an exposed local bathroom and laterine in the compound. Habiba had sold off part of the building, which had enabled the family feed for three years, but the money had been exhausted. The family barely survived by making and selling local snacks (Yar’yau), in the community market.
Bruderhilfe has been able to provide Habiba Abdullahi with some money as Seed Grant to establish her business.
We had also provided money to be used for feeding of her 9 children, to ensure she doesn’t expend the seed capital on upkeep of the children.
Sahura and Hauwa Yusuf are widows with 13 children between them, who lived in critical conditions in Dudunni Village, Gamji Ward. Kusada local government area of Katsina state. Their house was in really bad shape, and had just two rooms with make-shift doors and windows, where all the 15 family members stay. The roofs were leaking, and the house was devoid of household utensils. The whole family used an unkempt pit laterine cum bathroom in the compound. The children were not enrolled in school, as the women were not able to buy the school requirements and educational materials for their children’s education. The family members were not able to access healthcare and medication for the children, one of whom was sick during the visit, and the children were also all malnourished, as the women did not have any source of income.
Bruder Hilfe has been able to provide money in the form of capital to Sahura and Hauwa Yusuf, which they used to procure all the materials needed to start their own businesses. This enabled them become independent and able to cater for their children. Food provisions, cooking items and sundries, were also bought for feeding and upkeep of the children and the women, while they were still in the processes of establishing their trades.