Maiduguri, Nigeria (AP) – Israel Peter was six years old Boko Haram Islamic extremists attacked villages in the northeastern Nigeria And his family fled. Eight years later, he hasn’t returned to school yet.
A rare opportunity for change that disappeared this year when a nonprofit organization offering free education to Boko Haram victims refused Peter’s application. It would result in a sudden loss in US funding. The Trump administration has been dismantled American International Development Agency. Several supporters from the school received USAID funding.
“My future is not great right now,” said Peter, who dreams of becoming an engineer. His trembling voice barely squealed above the whispers. He helps out his days on his father’s small farm. They cannot afford to pay their tuition fees.
school The Islamic Foundation, run by future capabilities, benefited 3,000 children in Borno Province. Borno Province is the epicenter of a 16-year conflict with Boko Haram, who expelled and orphaned many.
Boko Haram, who wanted to establish Islamic law in the region, banned Western education and later became globally prominent. A large number of students.
The Associated Press visited the area to document how funding cuts by the US, Nigeria’s once-largest donor, affected civilians in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. More than 35,000 people have been killed and 2.6 million have been evicted in parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
With US funding gone, the school has let go of 700 and 20 teachers out of its 2,200 students, officials said.
Millions of people in the region rely heavily on aid groups and foreign partners to survive. USAID funded a variety of projects, from healthcare to education and social welfare, paying Nigeria $1.5 billion between 2023 and 2024. Pepfer survive.
Other funders, like the UK, have also been pulling back, citing their financial needs at home.
“USAID’s reach is vast and benefited millions of Nigerian children. That sudden withdrawal said Crystal Ikani Musa, former African Regional Advocacy Manager for the Malala Fund, which focuses on education.
Borno State Commissioner Lawan Clark has insisted the Associated Press that the impact of US funding retreats is not important in education.
However, many families like Peter cannot afford them.
Protect your children from Boko Haram recruiters
According to UNICEF, Nigerian government funds education in 4% to 7% of the federal budget, despite the world’s most out-of-school children exceeding 10 million. This is the UNESCO recommended global benchmark range of 15% to 20%.
The impact of funding shortages has been much worse in the Northeast, where conflict has ruined critical infrastructure and families are obsessed with survival.
The Future Proficiency Islamic Foundation School was founded in Borno Province in 2007, two years before the battle began, and initially provided education to orphans. However, its mission has been expanded to support children affected by the conflict.
Currently, school officials and aid groups worry that children who can no longer be supported could be welcomed by extremists.
“What’s going on, they don’t need to be hired. They just go back to the hinterland to start the fight,” said school founder Zannah Mustapha.
Some of the children who applied for study have lost their violence and abandoned them, Mustafa said. It was not clear whether any of them were among the students.
His fears were echoed by analysts who say Boko Haram is known to recruit vulnerable child fighters.
The situation can only be played by the hands of jihadists known to utilize these issues for their benefit,” said Malik Samuel, a Nigerian security researcher at Good Governance Africa.
There are few options available
In areas with few educational options, the Future Proficiency Islamic Foundation has been believed over the years to have given thousands of children a rare opportunity to realize their dreams.
Graduate Yusuf Mustafa is a final year computer science student at a university in southwestern Nigeria. His parents were killed by Boko Haram.
“If I hadn’t gone to this school, I don’t know what my life would have been because there would be no one to sponsor my education,” the 21-year-old said.
While primary education is officially free in Nigeria, parents in most states, including Borno, often start paying for maintenance and other needs, from 5,000 naira ($3.27) to 15,000 naira ($9.80). This could be a month’s revenue for many in one of the poorest countries in the world.
Ramatu Usman was one of the students who stopped by school this year before his high school exam. She wanted to study medicine. Now she spends her days knitting caps for sale.
Her desperate mother, Hajara Musa, says she crys every day for her daughter and is about to seek funds to return to school. It wasn’t easy.
“Quality schools are extremely important, especially in this (dangerous) environment,” she said. “For those who don’t go to school, their lives are miserable.”
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