Valentine Benjamin

"Teenage pregnancy and early marriage are heartbreaking reminders of the cultural nuances that have kept many girls out of school and in the hands of men most times thrice their age," says Sr. Bernadette Duru.

Lack of access to clean water contributes to disease in riverine communities in Nigeria. The Medical Missionaries of Mary are seeking to address these harms with health services and hygiene awareness campaigns.

In Benin City, Nigeria, the Medical Missionaries of Mary are building a tech community with the 3M ICT Hub, a skills training center that aims to bridge the digital divide for young Nigerians.

Sr. Esther Ezedinachi, of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, supports victims of violence in Nigeria. 
 

Seeing a lack of effective education for children with disabilities in Nigeria, the Sisters of St. Louis launched inclusive education and community-based rehabilitation at St. Louis Nursery and Primary School in Akure.

While religion was not originally an issue linked to conflicts in the country, deeply rooted religious hostility has in recent decades created a divide between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation.

The Medical Missionaries of Mary developed a screening program when they realized that poverty and lack of information in Nigeria made breast and cervical cancer that much more fatal.

A program in the Gboko Diocese of Nigeria that teaches women to knit and sell their wares aims to strengthen women's empowerment and accelerate gender equality in the country.

Sr. Assumpta Ndidiamaka Okoli talks with GSR about how the Society of the Holy Child Jesus' hospital ministry and health programs contribute to the well-being of poor Nigerians and what motivated her to become a nun.

Fleeing terrorist attacks at home, Nigerians living in camps for internally displaced persons receive psychosocial counseling, skills-based workshops and drug treatment from Medical Missionaries of Mary.

Nigerian sisters and their communities are raising awareness about violence against women and child abuse and spreading their prevention mechanisms among young people in Nigeria.

Medical Missionaries of Mary in Nigeria run a hospital that treats patients with leprosy and tuberculosis. They also provide reintegration assistance to patients who are rejected by their family members or communities.

Alongside violence against Christians, Nigerian church leaders describe persecution that has become structural, such as political exclusion and preventing Christians from accessing education and social amenities.

Amid attacks on the church, priests and nuns in Nigeria, Sr. Bukola Familade discussed with Global Sisters Report the precarious nature of being a member of the religious community.

What drives young women into prostitution? Sister Dorothy Okoli, founder of the Save Young Girls Motherhood Foundation, has the answer. In an interview with GSR, the Sister from the Missionary Sisters of St. John Paul II of Mary reveals how she's dedicated her life to helping vulnerable women in Nigeria, and how her hotel ministry is bringing hope and a path to reintegration. Discover her inspiring story now!

Nigeria has 10.5 million children who are out of school. The Missionary Sisters of St. John Paul II of Mary are working to whittle away at that statistic.

For more than a decade, Sr. Matilda Inyang has cared for dozens of malnourished and homeless children from the streets of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, in Nigeria — many of whom had family who believed they were witches.

Up to 30% of Nigeria's population may suffer from mental illness. To address a gap in care, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul provide treatment and an inpatient home to those rejected by society.

On a sunny afternoon, the Rev. Gideon Oyabugbe, a minister at a local Baptist church, walked into St. Vincent's Centre for Inclusive Education to pick up James, his 8-year-old son, who is autistic.