The life of a young refugee girl in Diffa
Martha looks like any other 17-year-old girl, but her life has been far from ordinary. Sitting at the entrance to her family’s tent, Martha tells us about life before she was forced to flee her home.
Growing up in a community as one of few Christian girls was quite difficult; she didn’t have many friends and she was often left out of social events. However, this didn’t worry Martha much as she had always been close to her mother, Mariama. As long as they were together, Martha felt safe and secure.
Her father, James, worked as a butcher and always made sure the family were well taken care of. Martha enjoyed spending time with her younger siblings.
Martha had big hopes for her future - her dream was, and still is, to go to Senior Secondary School and study computer science.
However, the likelihood of her achieving her dreams became uncertain when Martha and her family had to flee their home in northern Nigeria.
In the rush to evacuate Martha was separated from her parents and younger siblings. Everything happening around her seemed very surreal; she hadn’t realised the severity of the situation.
“I even laughed to myself a little when I heard the gunfire,” she confesses. “It wasn’t until we had to cross the river that I realised that the situation was dire. In that moment I started crying and looking for my family.”
Martha didn’t know how to swim but thankfully a man helped her across the river.
After crossing the river Martha looked frantically for her family. Soldiers from the Nigerian army gave her something to eat and drink, and pointed to Gagamari, a town where the other families fleeing the conflict were gathering.
The young girl walked 73 kilometres to Gagamari, where she began to search for her family.
After several days of searching, Martha found her mother and father, but her two younger brothers were nowhere to be seen. Like Martha, they had been separated in the chaos, and they hadn’t turned up at Gagamari yet.
Martha’s mother, Mariama, recalls the awful nightmares her daughter had following her arrival at the refugee camp. “Martha started having severe nightmares. She would tremble and latch on to anything she could. When it first started I thought she was possessed because of how she would behave.”
Worry etches Mariama’s face as she recalls her daughter’s distress.
“I would just lay hands on her and pray for her until she calmed down.”
At the camp, life continues for Martha and her family. The days are mundane and difficult as they struggle to find the things they need.
Mariama explains that things improved slightly when they received buckets, mats, insecticide nets and other basic supplies from World Vision. However, food is scarce and the family struggle to make ends meet.
In all this there’s only one thing Martha wants, “I just want things to return to normal. I want to go back home. I miss my brothers, my church, my classes and making doughnuts with my mother. There is nothing to do here, we just sit around and do nothing. We don’t even go to school. I just want to go home.”
For Martha and the other children at the refugee camp, life is a poor imitation of what it should be. There’s no school, no safe water points, no immediate access to health facilities and they do not feel safe. Like many children affected by conflict around the world, their once promising futures are now in jeopardy. World Vision is currently working in Diffa to implement humanitarian protection and WASH programmes to an estimated 200,000 people who are in need of humanitarian assistance.