Nigerian Children Displaced by Torching of Orphanage Beat Odds to Enter Bible Competition

He adds, in reference to the children participating in the Bible competition, “Provided with donated clothing to replace what was burned up, they are on their way to compete next in Ilorin Kwara.”

The official reports that the children have continued to study and work on their Bible lessons, adding, “They haven’t given up despite the attacks and we shouldn’t give up on them.”

The Christian orphanage is one of the institutions that were burnt down as Fulani herdsmen wreaked havoc in the villages of Miango District in Nigeria’s Plateau State.

The leadership of Religious Freedom Coalition reported that 225 homes were destroyed in the area as the Fulani drove off Christians from their farms, from their homes, from their businesses and along the way, they invaded the orphanage and destroyed the home of 147 children who had previously been orphaned in other attacks by the Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.”

Condemning the incident, the leadership of the organization said, “This is a disaster of tremendous proportions for these children… Many of them have been in the orphanage from when they were just five or six years old and now they are in their teens.”

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In addition to putting their Bible studies on hold, the children were also forced to abandon a farm they had started at the facility.

In a report last month, Mr. Murray announced that he had wired a donation towards renting temporary shelter for the children for a period of one year.

“The Religious Freedom Coalition has transferred funds to Nigeria to rent a 15 room building as a dorm for the younger children displaced after the orphanage in Miango was destroyed by Sunni Muslim Fulani herdsmen,” Mr. Murray said in the August 18 report.

He added, in reference to the rented space, “The building is within Jos city and is about 30 kilometers from where the orphanage was located in Miango. I authorized the rent to be paid for one full year in advance.”

In addition to the one-year rent, Mr. Murray reported that he had paid for transportation and repairs on 52 iron bunk beds to the new premises and purchased 150 mattresses for delivery to the children.

Additionally, the organization had purchased mosquito nets, toiletries, and blankets for 140 children, among other basic items such as clothing and foodstuff.

“Next on the list to buy will be all the cooking utensils, coolers, and a deep freezer,” he said, and added, “We also still need to purchase the educational materials that were lost when the orphanage in Miango was looted and burned.”

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.