My happy henhouse
In addition to the psychological support sessions, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD), with the support of UNICEF, organises vocational training for young people in various trades at the transit camp.
It's early in the morning. After doing some housework, Hadidja* (name changed) rushes off to a small pen. Dozens of chicks are inside. They greet her by chattering and crowding around her. She approaches a large bag containing feed to feed them. She also gives them water from small containers. Hadidja must hurry because she's off to school. This has been her morning routine for one year now. It's very different from what she knew a few years ago.
In 2020, when she was just 13 years old, her village was attacked. She was kidnapped by an armed group and brutally torn from her family's affection. During her captivity, she experienced several violations of children's rights. Her captivity put an abrupt end to her schooling. She was used to doing difficult farm and domestic work. The young girl did not get enough to eat and lost a lot of weight in captivity. But the hardest part was the separation from her family and the thought of never seeing them again. Her paternal aunt took her in after she became orphaned at six. Losing this emotional figure again was a real heartbreak, and her eyes cloud over with sadness as she recalls her captivity. ‘’It was so hard. We had to get up early to go to the fields. We had to fetch water dozens of kilometers away. We also cooked for the armed group and their families’’.
Fortunately, after 1 year in captivity, Hadidja was freed following the intervention of the government army. This marked the beginning of a long road to reintegration. At the transit camp in Maiduguri in Borno State, she rubbed shoulders with many young girls and boys who had been through a similar journey and were there to relearn a normal life before being reunited with their families. Through psychological support sessions, she has gradually been able to free herself through talking:
"It was good to be able to talk about it with other young people who have experienced the same atrocities. Talking healed me. I was afraid of everyone at first, but as the sharing sessions went on, I made friends.''
In addition to the psychological support sessions, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD), with the support of UNICEF, organises vocational training for young people in various trades at the transit camp. My aunt raised chickens at home, and I loved looking after them with her. I immediately chose chicken farming". The 15-year-old received training in chicken farming. At the end of the training, UNICEF provided her with the equipment she needed to start her own business: a first wave of chicks, several bags of feed, and all the accessories needed for a henhouse. She also received financial support. At first, ‘’I lost a lot of chicks, some of which fell ill. However, the vocational training centre supported me during the first 6 months with regular visits and advice. As a result, I improved my breeding. My aunt also helps me a lot too. Today, I'm proud to say I'm profiting from my business.’’ she confides with a broad smile.
The young girl pays for her school education and supports herself thanks to this activity. Her studies are vital to her, and her eyes light up when she says, "I'm so happy to return to school. I'm two years behind, which is a shame, but I'm not discouraged about continuing my education. Although she loves her chicks, her dream is to become a doctor.
“People used to fall ill a lot in captivity, and there was no one to look after them, no doctor. That's where my desire to become a doctor came from. It's so important to be able to treat people".
Psychological care at the transit camp and learning an income-generating activity have given the young girl a new lease of life. Her eyes are shining again, and the smile seems to have returned to her lips. But the trauma remains. On leaving the transit camp, when social workers asked her where she wanted to live, she was reluctant to return to her home village for fear of suffering the same fate again. Instead, she chooses to live with her maternal aunt in a village on the other end. ‘’I feel safe here. There are fewer attacks. This is a new page in my life, and I'd like to forget the past", she says, gazing into the distance.
It's almost time to feed her chicks. She can't wait. In the midst of her poultry, life seems to take on a new meaning.
When I come home from school, I hurry to see them. They're my livelihood; I'm joyful when I sell them and get some money. I've bought myself a new school outfit, and I've got all my school supplies,"
