'We need to get our lives back. I don’t know how fast it will happen, but I am sure it will'

NIGERIA - 18 October 2024

'We need to get our lives back. I don't know how fast it will happen, but I am sure it will'

On an otherwise peaceful morning in September, Zarah and her family awoke to the sound of an approaching disaster. 'All of a sudden, we saw water coming,' recalled Zarah, 18, who serves as speaker for a local Child and Youth Council, advising SOS Children's Villages and the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

'Before we could do anything, the water was right before us. We had to vacate the house before we got flooded.'

Zarah, her mother, and her 11 siblings grabbed what they could - important documents, a few belongings - before fleeing to safety. Nearby businesses and homes in their community of Gonidamgari were submerged as the flood advanced.

'The flow of the water was very fast, and it got us confused. I was scared,' Zarah said.

'We trekked several kilometers in the water to reach our grandmother's house on Baga Road,' Zarah added. 'I was tired and exhausted, but we had to stay alive. The scene of water flooding our neighbors' homes is a trauma for me.'

The flood on 10 September, caused by the overflow of the Alau Dam in Borno State, left entire communities submerged and more than 400,000 people displaced. Families like Zarah's lost their homes, belongings, and sources of livelihood.

'Only able to eat once a day'

SOS Children's Villages Nigeria launched a comprehensive three-month emergency plan to provide critical assistance to the most affected families and children. Zarah and her family are among those to be helped to rebuild their lives.

In partnership with the government, SOS Children's Villages has identified underserved IDP camps in Maiduguri Metropolis in urgent need of support. So far, the organization has provided unconditional cash transfers of 10,000 Naira each to approximately 3,000 individuals, along with menstrual hygiene kits for 300 young girls.

The programme focuses on immediate needs - food, clean water, and emergency supplies. With many children at high risk of family separation due to the disaster, efforts are underway to keep families together and prevent further trauma.

Zarah's family was among the many who lost nearly everything.

'I am not back home because our house collapsed due to the flooding incident,' Zarah said. 'My family and I are only able to eat once a day. It is very difficult for us to get food since we do not have any source of livelihood or income for now. School has resumed, but the flooding destroyed my books and other school materials. I really desire to get back to school; however, we do not have money for the books or transportation fare to school and other expenses.'

'We need to get our lives back'

For families like Zarah's, the future is uncertain. Their once stable existence is now precarious, their home uninhabitable, and their income gone. The family is currently sheltering with Zarah's grandmother in a cramped one-room apartment. Fourteen people share the tiny space, with only one toilet and little to eat.

'Living with my grandmother in a one-room apartment is very inconvenient,' Zarah explained. 'Feeding has become a luxury as we barely eat once a day. Some days, we go to bed hungry. It's hard to believe that - all of a sudden - this is our life.'

'Our living conditions have deteriorated drastically,' Zarah's mother said, echoing the sentiment of countless families across Borno State. 'We need help to rebuild our lives, to get back to normal.'

As they wait for the water to recede and the long road to recovery to begin, Zarah remains hopeful. She dreams of returning home, of regaining some sense of normalcy for herself and her siblings.

'We need to get our lives back,' Zarah said quietly. 'I don't know how fast it will happen, but I am sure it will.'