Hillcrest Students Visit Northern Nigeria's Displaced People

As people flee from violence in northern Nigeria, many are taking refuge near Jos, a city where several Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) staff  members are located.

Jeanine DeJong, who serves with CRWM at Hillcrest school in Jos, recently traveled with a group of students to a refugee camp about a half hour away from the school.

“As soon as we stepped out of the van, I knew it was going to be a difficult day,” recalls DeJong.

The group was greeted by the leader of the camp and led through the first set of doors, into a dark corridor with low-hanging ceilings where children darted in and out of doorways.

As they stepped out of the dark hallways and back into the light, the group reached the main camp and faced the reality of their trip: 505 refugees living in an abandoned dormitory.

“We came not just to spend time with the children of the refugee camp, but even more so to learn,” said DeJong. “To learn of their stories, their names, their families. To bring to life the reality of what is happening in another corner of our country.”

Of the 505 internally displaced people living in this particular camp, 350 of them were children. Most had not been to school in over a year and were separated from their parents in the chaos of trying to escape the violence.

The Hillcrest students toured the compound. Each dormitory room held several people and what was left of their belongings. The dormitory building opens up to a courtyard where children were playing, mothers cooking, and men discussing.

“Most of the refugees could tell you similar stories,” said DeJong.

“Stories of fleeing their villages in the middle of the night…of hiding in the mountains for weeks out of fear of being killed, of walking over 200 miles to reach safety, of family members who are lost, of not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive. And to think that all of this has been happening just a few hundred miles away.”

The school group ended their visit with a soccer match between the Hillcrest students and the kids of the camp.

“You should have heard the hoots and hollers from the kids as they wiped the floor with our students,” said DeJong.

Staff and students approached this experience with an attitude of gratitude. From donating money, clothes, and food, to spending time with the children, the students learned how they could take an active role in serving God’s people.

“Even though Jos may have its troubles from time to time, we were reminded again of how much we have to be thankful for,” adds DeJong.