Martha*, a mother of five from Nigeria’s Adamawa State, faced challenges after violent insurgency devastated her community. Like many others in Nigeria's North East, Martha’s life has been turned upside down by the ongoing conflict, which is causing widespread displacement, disrupting education, and leaving millions struggling to survive. Losing her livelihood, Martha turned to farming to support her family, but the lower income meant her children had to drop out of school as she couldn’t afford school fees.

Seeking a way to rebuild her livelihood, Martha decided to participate in Street Child of Nigeria’s Family Business for Education (FBE) programme, delivered in partnership with Zireenza Support Foundation (ZSF). Through this initiative, part of the larger Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project, a joint initiative undertaken with the Education Above All Foundation, with support from QFFD, Martha received business training and financial assistance to start a small business. With this backing, she launched a venture selling vegetables and palm oil.

The new income from this business enabled Martha to send her children back to school, ensuring they received the education they had missed. As her business grew, she diversified into pig and sheep rearing. “I can now boast of my children attending school, and it gives me a lot of joy,” she says.

*name changed for safeguarding