In Gadamayo community of Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, years of conflict and displacement have forced many families to prioritize daily survival over education. For children from internally displaced, returnee, and host communities, this reality often means missed classes, poor learning outcomes, and the constant risk of dropping out of school altogether. Eleven-year-old Musa Usman knows this struggle all too well.

Musa lives with his family in the Hausari B area of Gwoza, where his father runs a small shop to provide for the household. Each morning, Musa attends school like other children his age, but his afternoons are spent helping his father sell goods and manage customers. While his contribution is vital to the family’s livelihood, the long hours left him tired and unable to keep pace academically. His grades in Mathematics and English steadily declined, and even simple reading, writing, and arithmetic became difficult.

“Sometimes I didn’t understand what the teacher was saying,” Musa said. “I felt ashamed when I couldn’t answer questions in class.”

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“When I come for the classes, I am happy,” Musa explained. “The lessons are easier to understand, and the teachers encourage me to try.”

Beyond improving Musa’s academic skills, the program addressed his emotional well-being. Psychosocial activities helped him build self-confidence, interact positively with peers, and rediscover joy in learning something that had been missing from his school experience. Over time, his performance in Mathematics improved, and his confidence grew both in and outside the classroom.

Musa’s father has seen a clear change.

“He now reads numbers correctly and helps me calculate money in the shop,” he said. “I believe education is opening doors for him that were closed before.”

Today, Musa speaks about the future with renewed hope. He dreams of completing secondary school and starting his own business, confident that the skills he is gaining will help him manage finances and make informed decisions.

“Now I know I can learn and succeed,” Musa said. “I want to become someone who supports my family and helps others.”

Through timely education and psychosocial support, IRC’s intervention in Gadamayo community is transforming the lives of vulnerable children like Musa. By strengthening resilience at the individual and community level, the project is helping children reclaim their right to education ensuring that responsibility does not replace childhood, and that learning becomes a foundation for lasting recovery and opportunity.

learn more about the EU funded Education in Emergencies project in Gwoza, Borno State