Starvation always made my children sick which further made us waste our meagre funds on hospital bills. My family can now afford good food because I source my food items locally, process them and store them to last for a longer period. My husband and I now save our money instead of spending it on hospital bills since the children hardly fall sick due to the quality meals I give them.

You (Caritas Nigeria) have saved my family from starvation. Now, my children are more serious with their studies because they are well-fed. I feel happy because I now make small profits from my sales to pay for household items and expenses. I pray God blesses Caritas Nigeria and all those who work with them to support people like us to escape the pains of poverty.

When I received the first cash, I bought a lot of food for the house and now, my family and I look very healthy. After the second cash disbursement, I purchased household items and some clothes. I also bought fertilizer for my farm and sold the products satisfactorily. I am very happy that I have enough money to send my children back to school; I even enrolled them in a computer school. God will surely bless Caritas Nigeria for remembering us.

I was given very good seedlings that included maize, groundnut and beans. I was also given a knapsack sprayer which I never had. Previously, I would hire a knapsack sprayer for herbicide application, then do some labour work for other farmers, in order to earn money to pay for the hiring bills and buy herbicide for my farm. Once I received farm inputs from Caritas Nigeria, I applied the herbicide on my farm and planted the maize that I received. I have indeed received goodwill from Caritas Nigeria, as they have provided me with seedlings, herbicide and a knapsack sprayer which I would not have to borrow any more. I am very grateful.

My child was always sick before I was supported on this business, but now that I am selling in my shop, I use money from here to take care of her hospital visits timely. I can pay school fees for my four children and take care of their health and food needs. I am still able to save it in our local bank for future use.

Previously, life was very difficult in my home. We ate only once a day and my children were out of school because we had no means of paying their school fees. After Caritas Nigeria supported us, I joined a daily thrift group where I saved NGN300 daily, and within months, I had saved NGN18,000 with which I sent my eldest child back to school. Today, my family and I can boast of nutritious meals and all my children have resumed their studies in school.

In the past, I did not have enough money to support my food business. I used to save NGN200 only daily, but with this (OVC) intervention, I can now save NGN1,000 daily. I am very happy that my business is growing, and my children are feeding well. My body is strong and fine, and that of my son too. The OVC team checks on me and my family to see how we are faring. Sometimes, they go to my son’s school to check up on him. I thank the American government, CDC and Caritas Nigeria for this opportunity.

I thank God for using Caritas to change my life and I pray for God’s continuous blessings and strength upon them so that they can help others as they have helped me.