Jesuit Entity, Partners Launch Project to Take Over 9,000 Nigerian Students Back to School

By Sabrine Amboka

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) of the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits), working in partnership with other charity and development agencies, has launched a project aimed at restoring access to education for more than 9,000 out-of-school children in Nigeria. 

The European Union (EU)-funded initiative that also brings on board Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and Hikima Community Mobilization and Development Initiative (HCOMDI) comes amid concerns that a growing number of children have been out of school for years owing to protracted insecurity, displacement, and poverty.

The instability is said to have left thousands without access to safe and quality learning opportunities.

The JRS Nigeria Country Director, Fr. Temple Anuforo SJ, confirmed that communities in the West African nation continue to experience education disruption because of inadequate infrastructure and insecurity. “North-west Nigeria, and Sokoto State in particular, carries a weight the humanitarian community has been a little slow in coming to see. In Sabon Birni, Isa and Kware, we found children who have been out of school for years, classrooms that have collapsed rather than merely deteriorated, and girls and boys kept home not because they lack the desire to learn, but because there is no latrine, no safe route to school, and no functioning borehole or reliable water source,” Fr. Anuforo said in a  Wednesday, August, JRS report.

According to the JRS report, the two-year project will be implemented in the Local Government Areas of Kware, Sabon Birni and Isa, targeting about 25,000 children and community members, with girls making up 60 percent of the beneficiaries.

The intervention will support the reintegration of more than 9,000 out-of-school children into formal learning, prioritising internally displaced children, returnees, host communities, Almajiri children and children with disabilities.

The CBM Country Director, Samuel Omoi, expressed happiness at the recently launched initiative, hoping that the project will ensure the vulnerable children receive quality education.

“We are proud that this EU-supported project in Sokoto State has placed inclusion at the heart of its approach. Through assistive devices, inclusive teaching practices, and community engagement, we will help ensure that children with disabilities and other vulnerable learners can access safe, quality, and equitable education alongside their peers. We believe that every child has the right to reach their full potential, regardless of disability, gender, or displacement circumstance,” he said.

Ubaida Bello Muh’d, the  Executive Director of HCOMDI, described education as a tool for “ human empowerment,” praising the project, saying that it will help restore the dignity of the vulnerable children who continue to face many challenges in a poorly secured region.

“At HCOMDI, we recognise that education is not only a fundamental right but also a critical pathway to protection, empowerment, and sustainable development. Through this important partnership with CBM and JRS, and the generous support of the European Union, we have an opportunity to help restore access to safe, quality, and inclusive learning for some of the most vulnerable children in these communities,” the Executive Director of HCOMDI said.

As part of the programme, schools will benefit from improved infrastructure and enhanced Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to create safe, inclusive and accessible learning environments. Teachers will also receive training to better support learners affected by displacement, trauma and prolonged interruptions to their education.

Beyond the classroom, the project will strengthen the capacity of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to improve school governance, encourage community participation, and reinforce child protection mechanisms.

The project will further strengthen School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs) to improve school governance, encourage community participation, and reinforce child protection mechanisms.

In collaboration with Sokoto State Government, education authorities, school communities, and local stakeholders, the JRS, SBMCs, and HCOMDI will help strengthen sustainable education systems and give crisis-affected children the opportunity to learn, recover, and build a better future.

Originally published by ACI Africa
This article was originally published by ACI Africa and is republished with permission.
Author: Sabrine Amboka
Original article: Read the original article on ACI Africa