“I had to flee my home and run to Maiduguri with my family in August 2014. Losing my home due to the insurgency of armed groups is an experience I will never forget. Our home was taken over, there were gunshots, and everyone was running for their lives. The day we arrived it was raining, there was no food, no water, and no place to stay.” Babagana, 47-year-old, lives in Chungo Zarma Village and is the headmaster of the Government Day Secondary School (GDSS).

The insecurity in Borno State, caused by the insurgency of non-state armed groups in northeast Nigeria, has worsened the humanitarian situation for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Like Babagana, many other people have been forced to leave their homes to find refuge in IDP camps, neighbouring communities, or States.

The activities of the armed groups have damaged basic social services, including schools, which have been inaccessible for a long time. This has resulted in a lack of access to safe and quality education and a high number of out-of-school children in the Local Government Area (LGA) of Dikwa.

In response to this situation, in December 2022, JRS Nigeria conducted a needs assessment in the LGAs of Dikwa, Gwoza, and Monguno of Borno State. The teams on the ground analysed the impact of insecurity on access to education for school-age children, the number of children outside the school system, and the gaps in the educational sector.

The assessment identified several factors that prevent children from accessing basic education. Among these are inadequate infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and the inability of parents and caregivers to pay school fees and secure learning materials. “These are some of the challenges we faced,” says Babagana.

Thanks to the support of the European Union (EU), JRS is providing assistance to eight primary schools in the LGAs of Dikwa and Monguno, improving the quality of school infrastructure in and facilitating the enrolment of children in school, providing teaching and learning materials, and offering training to in-school teachers and volunteers.

The work on school infrastructure resulted in the renovation of classrooms and non-functional latrines, as well as the construction of temporary learning spaces with a daycare center.

Through the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP), already around 2,000 children who had been out of school for a long time are back in the classrooms.

The EU-funded project also gives priority to girls as they face the challenges of early marriage, street hawking to support their families, and lack of access to hygiene materials. JRS has already provided over 1,000 educational materials for girls enrolled in secondary schools and more than 2,000 hygiene kits.

Babagana wishes to see more children return to school and to guide them in building a better future. Providing access to a safe and quality learning environment to school-aged girls, boys, and children with disabilities are some important steps in making it a reality.