Aisha*, a mother of six, once led a stable life as a farmer in Nigeria’s Borno State. However, her life was upended when insurgent violence forced her to flee. Seeking refuge, Aisha found herself in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
The transition wasn’t easy. She went from earning a living through farming to having no income at all, which forced her to borrow money to buy small goods for her children to sell on the streets. This meant that all her children had to drop out of school.
“My children used to follow their friends to school,” Aisha recalled. “But I would shout at them. We needed every naira (Nigerian currency) from the small things they were selling.”
Aisha began participating in the Family Business for Education (FBE) scheme under the Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project. This initiative is delivered by Street Child in partnership with the Education Above All Foundation’s Educate A Child (EAC) programme, with local implementation by COCOSOHDI.
After participating in tailored business training, Aisha received a grant to invest in a grinding machine, which allowed her to launch a small business that met a real need in her community. “We used to walk very far just to grind food,” she explained. “It wasn’t safe, especially for the children. So, I decided to bring the solution closer to us.”
Her new business quickly flourished, generating around 3,000 naira per week.
With this income and the support from Street Child, three of her children were enrolled in a Temporary Learning Centre, which are non-formal learning environments where children can catch up on the lessons they’ve missed before transitioning back to formal education. Aisha then used her growing earnings to enrol two more of her children into formal school, enabling her children to learn the numeracy and literacy skills they need to change their lives.
“I have a container where I keep the money,” she shared. “Every morning, my children take what they need for lunch. I also use it to buy their socks, sandals, and writing materials. I’ve even started saving for their school fees and future needs.”
Her caseworker, Solomon, shared: “Aisha is very industrious. It’s great to see her looking back and smiling at her progress.”
Now, five of Aisha’s six children are back in school, and her youngest will start once she reaches school age.
John Usiju, Senior Livelihoods Officer from Street Child, added: “One of the main goals of our intervention is to encourage parents to reinvest in themselves. Aisha is one of many who have remained dedicated, and she’s doing remarkably well.”
Through EFECT's integrated support, which combines economic empowerment with access to education, Aisha's journey highlights the project's goal of fostering sustainable change for families impacted by poverty and crisis. The EFECT project aims to enrol and retain 96,000 school-aged children in quality primary education across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria by 2026, working with caregivers like Aisha to build brighter futures.
*name changed for safeguarding