Cash and improved technology make it easier to earn a living

Nigeria |2023| CBPF

Nigeria, Borno state, Idrisari community. Kaka Hajja Mai Kuli-kuli fled fighting in her home place in Maiduguri a few years ago.

At over 70 years old, she had led a full life there. But the conflict changed everything. Desperate to earn money and fearing violence, her husband went to Tchad to teach. Kaka Hajja went with one of her sons to Idrisari host community

Thirteen years on, the conflict in Nigeria’s north-east states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe continues unabated. In the BAY states, home to some 16 million people, the conflict has created a protracted humanitarian and protection crisis affecting millions– including two million people displaced by the years of fighting.

Overall, Borno state hosts about 3.9 million people in humanitarian need, including Kaka Hajja.

In Idrisari, she decided to sell ground nut oil. She was doing this by hand, which takes a long time, and earning about 1200-1500 naira per week.This is about 5-7 dollars per month. She also lacked essential supplies like good frying pans and sieves that would make her work easier.

Nigerian organization CRUDAN, with funding from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, provided cash and training to Kaka Hajja and other women. They received an oil extraction machine, and were trained on how to use it. The new machine allows Kaka Hajja and the other women to generate a much better profit.

Alongside the training and the machine, the women received cash to spend as they preferred. Kaka Hajja used the money to buy food for her family and join a savings group among the other women. “I also started a charcoal business that is doing well. I can take care of myself without depending on my children.”

Adapted from original stories from CRUDAN.

For more information: visit the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund page; and find real-time contribution and allocation data on the POOLED FUNDS DATA HUB.