Inside a safe space at Makurdi IDP Camp, one 11-year-old girl inspires over 300 displaced children to dream again
At the Ultra-Modern International Market Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Makurdi, Benue State, the echoes of children’s laughter rise from a makeshift classroom, a safe space supported by UNICEF. Here, despite her trauma and loss, 11-year-old Helen Terna is quietly holding on to a little hope.
Originally from Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area, Helen and her family fled their home following a violent attack that displaced over 3,000 people. The crisis, left families, especially women and children, vulnerable and struggling to find stability. For Helen, the most painful part of this crisis was leaving behind her school: Kid’s International Nursery and Primary School in Yelewata.
I miss schooling a lot, and I really want to go back to school
UNICEF-supported peer-to-peer education programme where children educate each other on life skills, hygiene, child protection, and self-awareness.
In one such session, she confidently demonstrates the “Stop” hand sign during a role-play game titled, “It starts with no and ends with no”—a lesson in assertiveness and bodily autonomy.
In front of over 300 fellow children, Helen facilitates group conversations around topics like handwashing, balanced nutrition, self-awareness, menstrual hygiene, and how to recognize and report sexual and gender-based violence. These lessons are equipping displaced children with the tools to protect themselves and remain in school.
“Starting body awareness and life skills education at age 11 fosters long-term confidence, resilience, and assertiveness. It helps children build self-esteem and empowers them to speak up against abuse,” explains Victor Atuchukwu, UNICEF Nigeria’s Child Protection Specialist.
Favour Dzerena Nguhemen, a UNICEF-trained Child Protection and Gender Officer with JASPI Health and Gender Development Initiative, adds, “These children need consistent coaching and mentorship to recover from the trauma and adjust to their new reality.”
UNICEF’s response to the Yelewata displacement includes providing mental health and psychosocial support to over 600 children and their caregivers, establishing safe spaces for counselling and case management, raising awareness on sexual and gender-based violence and violence against children (VAC), and ensuring access to essential health, legal, and protection services.
These interventions are making a measurable difference. Recreational and psychosocial activities have reduced distress, boosted resilience, and helped families begin the journey of healing and rebuilding.
And at the centre of it all is Helen, an 11-year-old girl who misses her old classroom but has created a new one, right in the middle of a crisis.
■ Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, Communication Officer, UNICEF
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