God’s Love Quenches Parched Souls at the Sahara’s Edge

Musa* owned a store on the street corner of his village in Nigeria where he sold soap, shampoo, and other personal hygiene items to his community.

His business thrived. Two of his children, ages 10 and 8, attended school each day and came home to food on the table as his wife cared for their 2-year-old son.

This reality of a peaceful home life had now faded into what feels like a distant dream. It’s been six years since they were forced to flee.

Until One Friday Evening

“We were managing, by the grace of God,” he said of his shop, “until one Friday evening, when dust swirled through the streets as members of Boko Haram came to attack our village while I was putting my products away.”

A convoy of military vehicles carrying the militants had descended on his north-eastern Nigerian town.

“I could only hear gunfire everywhere. I thank God that I was able to reach my home and save my children and wife.”

At nightfall, Musa gathered his family and fled into neighbouring Niger.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t want to go into detail because it reminds me of the bodies left behind along the way.”

Crossing the Yobe River, the family hobbled into Niger’s Diffa region where they settled in a displacement camp with nothing to their name. The memories of home faded, even as the horrors of that day remained.

But that’s when they met Samaritan’s Purse.

“Samaritan’s Purse was the first organisation to support us with food aid, and for that reason I can never forget them,” the father said. “As the evangelists tell us every time, Samaritan’s Purse represents God’s love, and we see that love in action.”

As a devout Muslim, Musa often pressed Samaritan’s Purse staff about their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. They visited him often and he grew to respect the Christians who welcomed him and saved his family. He was stunned to see Christians care so deeply for him and other Muslims.

“I see a big change in how I think,” the father said. “Samaritan’s Purse is an organisation that works without discrimination but with love.”

Samaritan’s Purse provided Musa and his family of four with food, water, and medical support during those first years in the refugee camp. As the family continues to adjust to their new life in a foreign land, Samaritan’s Purse supports them today through our local church partners who host small groups to encourage, train, and build up refugee families.

Serving Displaced Families Near the Sahara

Niger is one of the least-reached nations in the world, but, through our projects there, people are experiencing the love of God and the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I used to view Christians as outsiders, but thanks to this project there’s been collaboration among religious leaders,” Musa said.

Much of Niger’s population lives in the region’s semi-arid Sahel with scarcity and violence. The nation is riddled with violent Islamist groups and plagued by recurring insecurity, including multiple government coups over the last decade.

As Samaritan’s Purse continues to work alongside small—yet bold—local churches to provide food aid and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) resources, we also work with these local partners to minister to those fleeing violence.

In addition to food and water programmes, we also provide prevention training against gender-based violence—both for victims and perpetrators. This training includes instruction in Biblical values in addressing unresolved trauma.

“I ask you to continue praying and I say thank you to the donors who are helping us,” said Musa, who, along with his wife and children, attended our classes earlier this year.

Joy Restored as Children of God

Fatima* was another woman we met in Diffa. She fled her home with her seven children.

“When Boko Haram came to my house, I thought it was the end,” Fatima, 55, said from the displacement camp in Diffa. “But God protected us.”

Displaced once already, Islamists again barraged her village. She huddled with her children in a shed as the militants stole everything she owned, burned down neighbours' houses, and killed indiscriminately. “It’s a miracle that we survived,” she said.

When she and her family arrived in Diffa, Samaritan’s Purse was there to welcome them.

“God continues to watch over us through the people who support us,” she said.

Through our programming, Fatima began to deal with deeply embedded trauma caused from violence against her and loved ones over the years. She says that she was met with “compassion, respect, dignity, and patience” by Samaritan’s Purse, and that the classes and discussion groups “restored a sense of worth and hope.” Women, children, and other vulnerable populations face many threats in their own communities and during unstable times like those faced by Fatima and her family. Assault against women in particular is far too common. 

This is why Samaritan’s Purse teams in Niger want to get women into training with Biblical principles that address the related trauma they carry around for years. This training also includes measures for preventing such assaults and trauma in the future.

“When I come to the activities, I feel that God has not abandoned us,” Fatima said. “People treat us with respect; and for me, that is love.”

Life in Diffa is still difficult for Fatima, Musa, and thousands of others, but the Light of the Gospel has restored hope where there was none.

“My favourite story is the story of Jesus who died for humanity,” she said.

Please pray for Samaritan’s Purse staff in Niger who serve in a precarious environment—sharing God’s love in some of the hardest places. Ask that the Lord would bring salvation to the many thousands of displaced families in Niger.

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*Names changed for security.