MY ACCOUNT
For Magdalene, a Christian living in Maiduguri, Nigeria—the birthplace of Boko Haram—persecution was inescapable. “When the Boko Haram crisis started, we started fleeing,” Magdalene recalled. “The crisis continued until we ran away and survived and came to stay here.” While she was able to escape to a camp for displaced Christians in Nigeria, where she has lived for the past decade, Magdalene and her fellow refugees continued to suffer from a dire need: access to drinking water.
Why displaced Christians in Nigeria lack access to drinking water
In 2021, an estimated 60 million Nigerians lacked access to basic drinking water. Sometimes, the only water they can access is contaminated, which increases the risk of waterborne disease and death, especially for children.
But for displaced Christians in Nigeria, the problem is exacerbated. Magdalene and other believers living in the Internally Displaced Persons camp faced discrimination from hostile neighbors. Muslims who owned the source of clean water refused to let the Christians draw from it.
“We faced discrimination because the water is on the Muslim side. They tell us that this water is not ours and that they don’t want us to waste it,” said Stephen, who has also lived in this camp for ten years, having fled his home when Boko Haram invaded.
He added that if children went alone to this well to fetch water, the Muslims would insult them and turn them away.
“The fact is that when we go out to fetch water, we face serious hardship,” Magdalene said. “We were really suffering seriously from lack of water. [We thought], if God helps us with this water, honestly, we wouldn’t know how to quantify our gratitude for providing us with water. It’s a thing to be really grateful for in our lives.”
Still, despite the suffering and persecution Stephen and Magdalene have endured, they never lost their faith in Christ.
“The moment you know Jesus Christ, you’ve understood an important thing in life,” Stephen said.
“He is our Lord who protects us in every way,” Magdalene said. “Whenever we have problems or any worries, He is our savior and in Him we put our trust.”
An answer to prayer
This is where GCR’s partners came in. Thanks to your support, we provided this IDP camp with a well so every Christian could access safe and clean water.
In John 4:13-14, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman at a well and revealed that He is the Messiah. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst,” He said. “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
One of GCR’s core pillars for strengthening the persecuted church is to “Ensure Survival.” We provide life-saving assistance and help persecuted Christians survive the hostilities they face. But we also give spiritual support, pointing our brothers and sisters in Nigeria toward the source of the spring of eternal life.
Stephen and Magdalene both expressed gratitude to Christ and His followers who provided these displaced Christians in Nigeria with access to clean drinking water. They still hold onto hope in the living water Jesus offers.
“We feel as God has made it possible for us to get this water,” Stephen said. “It is as if there is no one more blessed than us in this world.”
“We are very thankful,” Magdalene said. “I see that in the future we will get many more things that are better than this, because we never had hope of getting clean water. But now, I have hope that everything is possible.”
Vulnerable Christians like Stephen and Magdalene face increasing levels of persecution, not only in Nigeria but all around the globe. Become a Frontline Partner today and your monthly, recurring gift can provide emergency relief and long-term support—plus Bibles, safe shelter, trauma counseling, medical aid, food and more for those in dire need.
