Welcome to Agagbe Camp in Benue State, Nigeria. A state that was once called the ‘food basket of the nation’. But, due to violent clashes between herders and farmers, and annual flooding, it’s now made up of deserted crop fields, destroyed villages and up to 2 million people who've been forced from their homes.
But the people of Benue haven’t lost hope. They’ve shown strength and resilience in the face of devastation. As well as the support of their community, they also have the Nigerian Red Cross Society, who’ve been the only constant presence that’s come into the camps to provide help. They’ve learned skills from the volunteers, and used these skills to create long-term solutions to their problems, making huge and positive changes in their communities.
They know exactly what their communities need, so many have become volunteers themselves. Let’s meet some of them.
Jacinta
"I have been a volunteer since 2022. The very moment you come to volunteer with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, your community is watching. You become ‘the Red Cross,’ not as an individual. It takes a lot of patience.
"The good thing is, we understand our context. We know what works well in our community. When issues happen, our volunteers are there to help."
Mary
"I lost my husband a long time ago, so when this Red Cross intervention came and I was given a blanket I was so happy. It felt like my husband was back next to me and I could sleep now. My husband died a long time ago so the blanket kept me warm. I was dancing and singing. I used to like dancing but now I don’t feel like dancing so much. You dance from the heart.
"The Red Cross also renovated my house after the floods in 2020 and 2021. I was able to raise some of the money myself but the Red Cross came and fixed the floor and windows. Now my grandchildren are able to live in the house.
"Whenever I see Red Cross I see my mother, my father and my husband because I have lost all three and Red Cross has become all these three to me."
Clifford
Clifford lives in Agagbe. During the floods, he housed over 40 people and continues to house people who’ve lost their homes.
"Our houses were destroyed and there was nowhere to sleep. These people had no place, that’s how difficult it was during the flood.
"Many are dying because they have no money and there is nothing they can eat. We have bad water in the river. Cows go into the water and we still drink it. Typhoid is rampant in our area, damaging intestinal organs. Many have died from these cases."
After seeing how the Nigerian Red Cross Society supported people after the floods, Jacob was inspired and decided to become a volunteer.
"The Red Cross is an NGO that is doing very well, because when they came I was not a crosser before. But when they came in 2021, with that issue of flood, I saw how they were doing it, how they were having compassion.
"Being part of the Red Cross changed me a lot. I know that human beings are equal and you don't need to discriminate. You don't need any more than the seven fundamental principles. When the people trust you, that's all that they need. The Red Cross helped me, they built me."
Remember Clifford? Meet his wife, Christiana. After seeing the devastation caused by flooding and herder clashes, she wanted to help the people of her community. So she became a Nigerian Red Cross Society volunteer.
Christiana
"The first time I used my first aid skills was when my child drank some fertiliser. So I went to the chemist and got some drugs, but after I gave the child the drugs there was no improvement. So I knew I needed to take my child to the hospital. At that time, some of the first aid skills came to my head. I remembered that if somebody is unconscious and still breathing, you need to open airways so that the person can get well. So I tilted my child’s head and opened the airways and my child was OK again.
"Some of the activities I have been involved in as a Red Cross volunteer is personal hygiene sensitisation for internally displaced persons and the community. We have been focusing on women and how to take care of themselves, particularly when they are menstruating, and also teaching people how to take care of the environment.
"I love the Red Cross because the way the Red Cross operates is free and fair. They care to move based on the need for assistance. So, when I saw the things the Red Cross was doing in the community, I knew this was an organisation I would wish to belong to."
Throughout Benue, you’ll find women of all ages gathering together once a week at what have become Mother's Clubs. They talk about issues that are affecting them, like starting their own businesses. They also learn skills, like soapmaking, promoting good menstrual hygiene and how to make water safe to drink.
Cecilia
"In my community, what we normally face is women don’t have the capital to start on their own, and if your husband doesn’t give to you, you just sit idle doing nothing. That is what we face. The Mother's Club helps you to change that because at least now you have the ideas. By the time you have the capital, you don’t need someone to advise you on what to do. Women will just go straight to the market and get their things. By the time they start doing one or two things, they will be independent.
"If you are bored, you will at least go home without the stress you came with, and your heavy heart will be relieved. At least you interact with one or two people in that place. Maybe going to that place they will teach you how to breastfeed your kids, handle your home, for your home to be peaceful. So for that I really love the place. It’s the place to be."
Mnena
"Before, the place wasn’t as neat as it is now, because people came from different backgrounds and the place was really bad. There was dirt everywhere. But when the Red Cross came they taught us to keep the environment clean and we have adopted the method. We can really feel the result because people are no longer falling sick.
"They rate of malaria has reduced. We used to go to the hospital and get some drugs, but the drugs didn’t really help until the Red Cross came to the community.
"After the training, I used to gather people in the compound with me to tell them what I had learnt. This is how I am putting it into practice. Whenever I go to a Red Cross training, I invite other people to come, so that is how they learn. I feel in my own small way I have contributed a lot."
Favour
"I am a Red Cross volunteer. I have created a school for the internally displaced children who have not been going to school. I have been teaching them since 2018 by renting a place for them here.
"I saw that the population was much and I could not do this myself. I decided to tell some of the parents that they should look for work, so we could get some money to settle some of these teachers.
"We have five teachers. I funded this through selling a little soap. Of the profits, I give the children who help sell it 200 naira and the rest I save for the school.
"I am proud of myself, because one day I know those children will become great people, like a state governor, and they will remember me."
Although the camps are overflowing, internal conflict is still prominent and floods are still affecting farming, the collective power and determination of the people of Benue is a sight to behold. Where there's humanity, there is hope.
We thank them for trusting us with their stories.
Content co-created with Jacinta, Mary and Mofe
Jacinta
Mary
Mofe
Photography by Taiwo Aina
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