AGENCY DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCE SHELTER-TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED WOMEN

It has been a dream for a very long time to create a safe place for survivors of violence. Agency Development and Resource Shelter (ADRES) to create a safe place to transform the lives of Internally Displaced People especially women and girls is our initiative in the next 3 years’

These people who are mainly women and children need a safe place to heal, rebuild their lives, develop confidence and create a new path forward in life.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN agency for refugees, on Wednesday 12th of April, 2023 said over 80,000 refugees and 3.2 million internally displaced persons as result of the insurgency and insecurity were in Nigeria and in dire need of help.

Nigeria has a total of 143,110 IDP camps out of which 84% are located in Borno state. Nigeria has the third highest number of IDPs in Africa as at 2020.

Shelter for the abuse is not something that is easy to come by in Nigeria. In the whole of Nigeria, I am aware of 2 shelters in Lagos, I am not aware of anyone in Abuja then this our own.

We have lost many lives as a result of not having a place to keep the women away from their place of abuse before their cases are being resolved.

Meet Tayo. Tayo is a survivor of domestic violence. For years, she lived in fear and isolation, unsure of how to break free from her abuser. When Tayo finally found the courage to leave, she had nowhere to turn. She was homeless and alone, with no job or income to support herself.

That's when Tayo found our organization. With our help, she was able to find safe and stable housing, access trauma-informed counseling and support, and receive empowerment workshop, skill training and start-up assistance. 

Today, Tayo is a confident and empowered survivor. She has a stable income and a supportive community of friends and advocates. She is also working towards her dream of going back to school to become a nurse. tayo's story is just one of many, and we need your help to ensure that survivors like Tayo can access the support and resources they need to heal, rebuild their lives, and create a new path forward.

Women Inspiration Development Center 3 bed room pilot shelter became a reality through the help of our partner, Global Giving

Before we finished the three-bedroom shelter, 6 survivors were already waiting to occupy the place. One of them is a 14 years old mother that was impregnated by her step-father.

Another of the survivors presently at the shelter is a 15 years old orphan with 34 weeks pregnancy, she was raped and held hostage by a drug addict. She had a lot of knife wound on her body when she was rescued. She is now doing well with her baby.

With these pilot shelter, WIDC now realized that it is possible for survivors of violence to experience holistic healings and empowerment if they have access to a safe space in a peaceful environment.

Women Inspiration Development is currently targeting 15 rooms shelter with cost implication of $75,000 to build the center and run it for a year. This can house 60 IDP women and girls at a time where their agency would be developed to heal from their violent experience, they will access resources for empowerment and create a new path to move forward in Life. They can then go back to their camps and communities as change agents.