VOV 128: When the Caretakers are Gone

You flee for your life when Boko Haram attacks your hometown in Adamawa, northeastern Nigeria. By the time you return, a neighbour had already begun building on your family compound.

When you protest, he bribes the authorities and dismisses you, telling you that you have no one to inherit the home. Your son, who used to be your main caretaker, went missing during the war, and you have not heard from him since.

Which weighs more heavily: grieving a missing loved one without knowing if he is alive or dead, or facing daily struggles that come with losing your caretaker? Either way, the consequences are crushing. So how do you cope with grief, poverty, and injustice, all at once?