Rebuilding Broken Hopes through Livelihoods

Fear, uncertainty, and depression are among the most common struggles experienced by thousands of men, women, and children in Northeast and Northwest Nigeria. While some have endured forced displacement to save their lives, others continue to live in constant fear amid growing insecurity. In these regions, people face attacks from non-state armed groups and endure multiple challenges, including loss of livelihoods, unstable incomes, limited economic opportunities, and widespread poverty. However, beyond the material hardships, the invisible psychological wounds of fear, uncertainty, depression, loss of dignity, and hope are often overlooked. Rebuilding a life from scratch requires not only material support but also immense resilience, as people struggle to recover a sense of dignity, safety, and hope. 

Creating and supporting economic independence through income-generating activities is integral to the food security and livelihood programs being implemented by Action Against Hunger in the country. The core idea is to provide necessary equipment and tailored training and skills to the most vulnerable individuals, enabling them to develop their business ideas based on their prior professional backgrounds or interests. Other than financial benefits, these programs foster stronger community ties and give people a renewed sense of purpose. 

Displaced Communities in Borno: When Leaving Is the Only Option

Uprootment shatters people’s hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. When families are forced to leave everything behind, they are deprived of the very basics needed for survival – food, shelter, security, and community. The experience is often described as living with a constant sense of instability and uncertainty. In these circumstances, starting over is never easy. 

Abdullahi Waziri turned 32 this year. He holds warm yet distant memories of his native village, swept away by the insurgency and intense fighting more than ten years ago. “We are from the Shehuri North community, the first community to be displaced in Borno State. All the community left. Everyone, including our family”. Entire communities were relocated to the outskirts of Maiduguri, the provincial capital, where people settled on empty land with no roof over their heads. Moreover, coming from areas affected by insurgency casts a shadow over internally displaced families, who were often met with mistrust by host communities. “The situation has been going up and down, and some [people] didn’t even trust us. Later, we were cleared to stay here”, recalls Abdullahi.

“Most of these people once lived comfortably in their communities, but insurgency took so much away from them. Some even lost loved ones and family members.”, says Kingsley Udealor, Action Against Hunger food security expert based in Maiduguri. “Our goal is to help people get back their lives, as they had before – while also rebuilding local economies and strengthening the capacity of local suppliers in the areas where we work”. 

From the very first day in their new location, Abdullahi tried different activities to support his family. Whether running a small laundry business or offering rides on a tricycle, the young man was ready to do whatever it took to put food on the table. Action Against Hunger has been working with vulnerable communities in Nigeria, including displaced persons, for more than a decade. Our teams implement various programs in nutrition, health, mental health and psychosocial support, water, sanitation, social protection, and food security. In Maiduguri, Borno State, Abdullahi expressed his interest in developing business activities and got involved in the RESILAC I program* for inclusive economic and social recovery (2018 – 2022). “Other people choose to do computer business and small animal rearing. I was interested in poultry for a while, but I had never done it, so it was an excellent opportunity”. 

This program also included a mental health and psychosocial support component, recognizing that many people carry invisible wounds, trauma, and emotional distress caused by displacement, conflict, and loss. By supporting both economic recovery and psychological well-being, the program helped individuals like Abdullahi rebuild not only their livelihoods but also their sense of hope and resilience.

Abdullahi integrated an intensive three-month poultry training program, where he learned how to raise chickens, broilers, and other birds. He also received training on egg hatching techniques, along with an incubator and the equipment needed to get started. Food security experts supervised the process to ensure the training was participatory and delivered meaningful results. This program goes beyond teaching poultry rearing techniques – it also equips participants with basic sales skills and commercial knowledge, ensuring they can turn their efforts into sustainable businesses. 

Recognizing the trauma many trainees have endured, Action Against Hunger has integrated mental health and psychosocial support into its programs to address often-overlooked psychological wounds. As trainees focus on building their businesses, our teams provide the support they need to process their experiences and begin to heal.

“People encouraged me to start a hatching school, but I told them I don’t have enough knowledge for that. Still, I will do my best to teach others how to hatch.”, says Abdullahi proudly. “What RESILAC provided us is enormous. It’s not just helping us – it’s allowing us to support the whole community.”

Today, clients and buyers come to Abdullahi from across Nigeria – and even from neighboring Chad. He is the father of two young children who are very curious and eager to learn about poultry farming. For him, “being able to contribute again – whether by earning an income, or sharing skills, – restores self-esteem and a feeling of empowerment.” 

Boosting Economic Opportunities in Rural Sokoto

In the northwestern state of Sokoto, insecurity is widespread. Banditry poses a serious threat to rural communities that rely on their farmlands as their only source of livelihood. Attacks, thefts, and even kidnappings happen in broad daylight. These incidents keep people living in a constant state of fear. 

“Most of the people don’t have access to their farmlands because of banditry. We want to provide them with something to help in this difficult situation and the financial crisis we are facing”, stresses Firdausi Sambo Balarabe, Action Against Hunger food security expert based in Sokoto. Her team designed a program for communities that can safely engage in livelihood activities and build sustainable economic opportunities. It includes food assistance, especially during the lean season, cash support, livestock rearing, and farming. 

“Given the security situation, we selected women for farming activities who have at least 0.5 acres of land close to their houses. They will be trained on different techniques to improve their skills”, adds Firdausi. “Home gardening will enable them to grow vegetables, improve their self-sufficiency, and boost their income-generating activities.”

Giving women space is an integral part of the program, which has strong support from the community. “With so many men being killed, the men themselves are very supportive. They want their wives to be empowered so they can survive and thrive in these harsh conditions”, points out Firdausi, who finds the importance not only in improving technical skills, but also in training women on business management and financial literacy. 

Zuwaira Shehu is one of the selected individuals who will benefit from farming activities provided by Action Against Hunger teams with support from the French government initiative – IFSAN**. Living in the rural Dabaga community, a few hours away from the provincial capital of Sokoto, her testimony mirrors the suffering of so many others across this region. 

“We had some people in a neighbouring community who were attacked, some of them were killed, and some were injured. We are scared to go to the bush, so we stay close to our homes.”, shares Zuwaira. “But sitting idle isn’t an option; both children and adults must work together”. 

The young woman is thrilled to begin the training and acquire new skills, as growing vegetables within the village is not a common practice. Her parents and grandparents farmed in the bushes, relying solely on favorable weather. Times have changed, and the inhabitants must adapt and find new ways to generate income. Zuwaira has enough land and will first plant corn and a few types of vegetables for her family’s consumption, with the clear goal of growing her capital and eventually selling the produce. 

Before Action Against Hunger stepped in, the Dabaga community struggled to access clean, safe water and proper healthcare. This led to numerous deaths among young children and repeated waves of cholera outbreaks. Zuwaira’s family was not spared, tragically losing five young children within just a few months. “They [children] started vomiting and complaining of stomach pain, so we took them to the hospital, and two died there. Another one passed away after we returned home, making it three. In less than a month, two more died.”. 

The young lady shares these tragic events to emphasize the suffering her family and countless others have been through for many years. In 2023, Action Against Hunger opened a health clinic just a 10-minute walk from her house, where pregnant and lactating mothers receive basic medical care and treatment for child malnutrition free of charge, while also receiving awareness on infant and young child feeding to protect their children from malnutrition. Many preventable deaths could be drastically reduced simply by providing access to clean water. Therefore, the water and sanitation team installed a new borehole for the community. To further support recovery and resilience, Action Against Hunger also provides mental health and psychosocial support, helping individuals and families cope with trauma and emotional distress caused by conflict, displacement, and loss. 

Zuwaira managed to remain strong despite these dramatic events and became an active member of the Porridge Mum initiative. She and her husband became parents again, determined to give their children a meaningful future. “My husband doesn’t complain, even if I am asked to go to Sokoto [provincial capital],” smiles Zuwaira. “Men need support just like we do. They farm, we farm, and together we can all make progress.”

The humanitarian and nutrition situation in Northeast and Northwest Nigeria remains dire, with an estimated 4.9 million children across both regions who lack access to essential services (UNICEF). The Northeast states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe alone accounted for 7.8 million people in need, including nearly 2 million internally displaced persons. Severe funding gaps persist, with only 37% of nutrition needs covered in the Northeast and 32% in the Northwest.

Action Against Hunger implements vital health, water, sanitation, food security, and livelihood programs across Nigeria. Our teams provide mental health and psychosocial support programs, while also contributing to individual well-being, conflict prevention, social cohesion, and sustainable recovery for communities affected by conflict. In 2024 alone, our teams supported 1,690,169 individuals, helping families not only survive but also rebuild their lives with dignity and hope for the future.

*The Lake Chad Inclusive Economic and Social Recovery Project (RESILAC) is aimed at strengthening people’s resilience through economic recovery, social cohesion, and sustainable land management in the countries around the Lake Chad Basin. Co-financed by the European Union and the Agence Française de Développement. 

**IFSAN (former CIAA) is the French government’s initiative for food security and nutrition, which provides funding for projects that benefit populations facing severe food and nutrition insecurity.