Real Life Stories: People Trafficking in Nigeria (Mordecai Care Foundation of Nigeria)
The latest in our series of partner interviews is with Isaac Adeyemo. Isaac’s story was compiled by Liluye staff writer Sylvia Nalubega. Isaac is the Founder of the Mordecai Care Foundation of Nigeria, an organization building lives for posterity and replication purposes, raising the foundation of many indigents and vulnerable children and women in our society.
To watch Isaac’s interview, please watch below:
This is the Liluye interview of Isaac:
What are the specific mission and goals of your organization?
Mordecai Care Foundation of Nigeria started operations in 2014 with a mission to transform the lives of vulnerable children in Nigeria. The organization is committed to empower orphaned and vulnerable children by ensuring quality education and sustainable intervention that enhance their educational and social economy of opportunity. We aim to rescue humanity from poverty, oppression, and marginalization regardless of tribe and religion of creed. We also do skills training among women to foster economic empowerment and independence.
How did you first get involved in being part of this work? In other words, what motivated you, or still drives you, to work on the issue of trafficking? Can you share a personal story?
To date we have reached 25,000 in seven communities. In Nigeria, we intercept trafficking initiated by traffickers. This happens when young girls, usually from 10 years old and above, seek better opportunities to travel out for greener pastures. They are moved from their villages to faraway places, basically for money making adventures. They go with these people thinking that they are getting work overseas. When they reach abroad, they have no choice other than to do whatever they are told to do, which is sex exploitation. Most of these girls and young women don’t even have an education but are lured to these so-called “very high salaried jobs.” They don’t realize they are being deceived. Moreover, some parents willingly let their children go. Therefore, through our initiative called Rural Interception for Community Empowerment, we raise awareness on human trafficking in communities. We focus on intercepting interstate trafficking.
We also have a shelter where we provide food and quality education for children, girls, and women. We rescue them from the street and from trafficking. When we rescue victims, we immediately notify the security operative to get police involved, taking them to a secure place. We work with the police to get information about their families in order to reconnect them. We also engage families on how they want to support their girls…do they want them back home, or do they want them to stay with us for a time in the shelter and receive skills development. The girls together with their families make the choice. Girls who choose to stay with our center acquire skills which translate into income generating activities. Most girls opt to go for vocational studies. A few go back to mainstream formal schools. We are also members of the Child Protection Network which gives us access to key figures like the Commissioner of police which is key in bringing justice to the victims of trafficking, as well as gender-based violence. For the past five years now, we have rescued more than 35 girls who are now resettled in their communities and are doing well.
What is the severity of trafficking in your area and what are the long-term implications of sex trafficking, especially on women and girls?
I can estimate an influx of girls, adolescent, around 20,000 being trafficked from different states [in Nigeria] to populated sexual abuse states. There is also trafficking in children where people get children, groom them, and sell them off.
What kind of change do you want to see as a result of your work among the survivors of trafficking, or those who are most vulnerable to it?
Holding an international conference or African conference or local town hall gathering where the security operatives, civil society organizations, local communities head or women leaders, and other ministry agencies come together as key stakeholder actors to discuss the issues of human trafficking, building a community of people who are well informed would be very helpful. Similarly, a periodic peer review process would be beneficial to track progress. Moreover, I believe security operatives [police] need more training on addressing human trafficking. This is where funds are really needed.
What kind of support do you need for your work?
Supporting us with funds will be very encouraging to enable us to continue this great work. We would like to be supported with funds for sustainability of the work we are doing in different marginalized communities.
Where to send funding for your work?
To fund the work of Mordecai Care Foundation of Nigeria, please email: mordecaicarefoundation@gmail.com or info@mordecaicarefoundation.org.ng, or visit: https://mordecaicarefoundation.org.ng/.
To find out more about Mordecai Care Foundation of Nigeria:
Visit Mordecai on Facebook: Mordecai
Visit Mordecai on Instagram: Mordecai
Visit Mordecai on Twitter: Mordecai
For more information about Liluye or to inquire about becoming a partner, please visit: www.liluye.org/contact. Or, if you are interested in donating to Liluye, please visit: www.liluye.org/donate.
Isaac was interviewed by Liluye staff writer Sylvia Nalubega who also writes a blog, Sanyu Centre for Arts and Rights. Sylvia’s personal message to everyone is, “We live beyond ourselves by sharing our story to hopefully impact a person.”