Humanaritarian

The humanitarian crisis in Northeast Nigeria remains one of the most severe globally. In 2024, an estimated 7.7 million people required humanitarian assistance, with 1.6 million displaced across the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY States). Since 2014, Save the Children has been at the forefront of humanitarian response in the region, being one of the first organizations to arrive in Maiduguri, Borno. In 2024 alone, our multi-sectoral interventions reached over 1.5 million individuals, more than half of whom were children.

 Save the Children operates in 14 local government areas across Borno State, including Maiduguri (MMC), Kaga, Magumeri, Mafa, Jere, Konduga, Damboa, Biu, Hawul, Kwaya Kusar, Gwoza, Mobar, Gubio, and Bama. Our Response Area Office is based in Maiduguri, ensuring proximity to affected populations.

Our approach focuses on:

• Household Economy Analysis (HEA): Predicting household vulnerabilities to crises like floods, droughts, or food price surges and designing resilience-building interventions.

• Market-Based Solutions: Empowering local economies through food assistance and economic recovery programs.

• Life Skills for Success: Equipping women and youth with skills to engage in dynamic market systems, enabling them to start or expand income-generating activities.

• Child-Centered Referral Pathways: Supporting vulnerable households with resources to address risks related to child survival, protection, and development.

Protection

We strengthen child protection systems by: 

• Establishing community-based mechanisms and training social workers to manage gender-sensitive cases.

• Offering inclusive Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) through child-friendly spaces, mobile outreach, and life skills education.

• Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) through survivor-centred care, medical, legal, and psychosocial support.

Education

Our education programs aim to provide children—including girls and children with disabilities—access to safe, inclusive, and quality education. Key initiatives include:

• Safe Back to School and Learning Fund (SB2SL): Focused on foundational literacy, numeracy, school safety, and climate resilience.

• Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Partnership: Ensures humanitarian response prioritizes children’s rights and leverages national capacities for long-term impact.

• Whitehurst Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE): Promotes the holistic development of children aged 3-5 through play-based learning, caregiver engagement, and government advocacy for scaling models.

 Nutrition

Save the Children collaborates with the Ministry of Health and partners to combat acute malnutrition through:

• Community-based screening and referrals using MUAC tape.

• Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) services, including outpatient and inpatient care for severe cases.

• Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) counselling to promote breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices.

• Nutrition assistance during lean seasons to prevent malnutrition.

• Radio programs and engagement with community leaders to promote positive nutrition behaviours.

  Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

WASH is integrated across our interventions to enhance the impact of Nutrition, Child Protection, Food Security, and Education programs by:

• Improving access to safe water and sanitation, with attention to the needs of women, girls, and vulnerable groups.

• Mobilising communities to ensure the sustainability of WASH facilities.

• Pre-positioning non-food items (NFIs) and raising awareness on hygiene-related issues, safeguarding, and GBV.

• Responding to emergencies with access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for displaced populations.