MY ACCOUNT
The soft hum of a sewing machine filled the air of the displacement camp in northeastern Nigeria. Elizabeth’s skilled hands guided vibrant fabric under the needle, transforming it into a dress that would soon bring joy to another child. But just a few years ago, these same hands belonging to an escaped prisoner of Boko Haram dug a shallow grave in the African soil to bury her son—one of thousands of lives claimed in the brutal campaign against Christian families in northern Nigeria.
Elizabeth had four of her children with her on the day Boko Haram arrived in her village. Her youngest, Blessing, was only a week old. As gunshots echoed in the distance, Elizabeth knew she had only minutes to escape. Placing Blessing on her back, she fled with her children, making it to the cover of a large rock just as the soldiers began to close in. They spent the night in silence, trying not to move as the soldiers passed them in the darkness.
Since 2010, Nigeria’s northern regions have become increasingly dangerous for Christians. Boko Haram’s campaign of terror has left churches burned, communities scattered and families torn apart—and more than 50,000 Christians killed. The violence has only intensified in recent years, with splinter groups and armed bandits specifically targeting and destroying Christian communities, and kidnapping believers for ransom.
Becoming a prisoner of Boko Haram
The next day, Elizabeth came out of hiding and met other villagers who had escaped, but her husband was nowhere to be found. Quickly taking whatever food she could from the burnt remnants of her home, she joined her surviving neighbors and headed to a nearby village, hoping to find safety. It was not to be.
Soon after, Boko Haram returned, and again, Elizabeth and her children fled. But this time, they were caught while trying to hide with other women and children, whose cries alerted the soldiers to their presence. Elizabeth and her four children were now captives of one of the most notorious terrorist organizations in the world.
As a prisoner of Boko Haram, Elizabeth had to use every ounce of courage and ingenuity she had to protect her children. She quickly dressed her young son in girl’s clothes to prevent him from being taken and sent to an Islamist training center. When asked what she was thinking during this time of captivity, Elizabeth responded that she feared only what would happen to her children if she were to die or be taken away as a wife for one of the terrorists. “Each time they would discuss marriage to one of their members and come to pick a wife [from among the captives], my heart would sink,” she said.
Months passed by. Conditions for the captives were terrible, with little food or access to hygiene. “They kept bringing more women to join us there,” Elizabeth shared. “Where they kept us was very unclean, and we had to struggle so hard to get food for our children. Sometimes they just could drink water. There was barely anything to eat. Just so many women. No hygiene, no toilet. This led to a cholera outbreak.”
The disease spread through the camp, and Elizabeth’s son became desperately ill with cholera. “His body became swollen, his eyes were closed, his teeth clenched together and he couldn’t speak. If I called him, he wouldn’t answer,” Elizabeth told us. She pleaded with the guards for permission to take him to a hospital. They refused, telling Elizabeth, “If he dies, he won’t be the first.”
Escaping from captivity
Knowing her son faced certain death—and that if he died, the Boko Haram fighters would discard his body without a burial—Elizabeth decided to attempt a daring escape. Waiting until the soldiers were distracted by a wedding party, this prisoner of Boko Haram took her four children and crawled through the grass alongside a few others willing to attempt to escape. They managed to slip away from the soldiers, but her son couldn’t hold out much longer. He died the next day.
“I dug the ground and buried him with my bare hands,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t want to just throw him away. The other women were scared. They couldn’t join me. So they sat and watched me.”
Over the coming weeks, Elizabeth begged and borrowed from strangers who helped her to safety. Having gone through Cameroon and back into Nigeria, she eventually reunited with other family members and found refuge in a camp for displaced people. Miraculously, her husband had also survived Boko Haram’s attacks and was able to find Elizabeth at the camp after a lengthy search.
But now, a new challenge awaited. Left with nothing, Elizabeth and her husband needed to rebuild their lives. Through God’s direction, they found shelter at an internally displaced persons camp supported by Global Christian Relief.
Living in freedom
Working through our partners, Global Christian Relief provided Elizabeth and her family with aid, spiritual encouragement, a small home, education for her children, resources to buy a sewing machine and supplies needed to start a new sewing business. She has since become the leading seamstress in the camp, tailoring clothes and creating bright, exquisitely patterned dresses. During our interview, her children wore different pieces she had made, and they were delighted to show off their mother’s handiwork. Elizabeth tells us that every Christmas, she makes dresses for the girls in the camp to be distributed as gifts. The joy that her work as a seamstress brings to everyone around her is evident.
Elizabeth’s sewing business income has also blessed her family, helping her and her husband pay for medical care and school fees for the children. “I never imagined that we would ever come together as a family again,” Elizabeth tells us, “But God brought us together. God has brought [GCR’s partner] here to help us in every way.”
Vulnerable Christians 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.
