USAID Funding Cuts Force School for Boko Haram Victims to Release 700 Students in Borno
Boko Haram Insurgence
USAID Funding Cuts Force School for Boko Haram Victims to Release 700 Students in Borno
The Future Prowess Islamic Foundation School, a renowned educational and rehabilitation center for children affected by Boko Haram’s insurgency, is facing an unprecedented crisis following the termination of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding.
The school, founded in 2007 by lawyer and human rights activist Zannah Mustapha, has been a lifeline for orphans, widows, and children rescued from extremist camps in Borno State. Over the years, it has provided free education, psychosocial support, meals, and skills training to more than 3,000 children displaced by over a decade of insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.
700 Children Sent Home
According to the school’s management, the abrupt withdrawal of USAID support in July forced them to release 700 pupils and 20 teachers. The school has also frozen new admissions, despite a long waiting list of children in need of safe schooling.
“This is a heartbreaking decision,” Mustapha said in a statement. “These are children who have survived abduction, violence, and unimaginable trauma. Sending them back to the streets puts them at risk of being recruited again by Boko Haram or ISWAP.”
Impact on the Community
Parents and community leaders have expressed deep concern over the development. Many fear the move could reverse progress made in rehabilitating child soldiers and reintegrating victims of terrorism into society.
Education experts warn that without urgent intervention, the region could see a rise in child labor, forced marriages, and insecurity. “Education is one of the most effective weapons we have against violent extremism,” said Dr. Fatima Ahmed, a conflict resolution researcher at the University of Maiduguri. “Cutting funding to such a program is a major setback.”
Call for Urgent Support
Local NGOs and international partners are now rallying to raise emergency funds to keep the school running. The Borno State government has promised to explore ways to sustain the initiative but has not yet announced a concrete plan.
Mustapha has appealed to philanthropists, humanitarian organizations, and the private sector to step in. “We cannot afford to let these children down. Every child kept in school is one less potential recruit for insurgent groups,” he said.
Background on Boko Haram Crisis
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, has killed over 35,000 people and displaced more than 2 million across the Lake Chad region. Schools and children have been frequent targets, with attacks like the 2014 Chibok abduction drawing global outrage.
