“Close your eyes,” Swanta Zakka, Back2Back staff, said quietly to the group of teens. “Imagine a skill you wish you had; think about what obstacles are between you and learning that skill. Now, open your eyes. Who wants to share?” Swanta has been leading life skills groups with children and teens at the education center…. Read more
Comfort, a caregiver at a partnering children’s home, noticed early on in lockdown teens were trying to find new rhythms while being stuck inside. It started slowly – energy was high from lack of activity, and then became disruptive. Fits of frustration and lashing out were regular occurrences, and Comfort knew something was needed to… Read more
The young ladies living in a Hope home together circled up in their living room. Their heads bowed, their hands clasped together, they prayed for a new Hope student arriving at their home. The Hope father opened his eyes to take in the scene: the girls in their care were fervent with their prayers for… Read more
Katharina turned, surprised, as the girl’s laugh rang into the air. It was a sound she hadn’t heard in a long time from one of the girls in her home. Esther* is now a teen, but when she first came in 2012, she was, as Katharina describes her, a “wild and quite happy girl.” “Esther… Read more
In early 2020, while the world safely quarantined, sixty children remained together at a Back2Back-partner children’s home in Nigeria. The weeks seemed long and Ene Oklo, Back2Back staff and captain of the home, heard whisperings of what the children wished they could do. In an effort to keep morale high and help the children and… Read more
Elias* held the live chicken in his hands calmly. To most teenage boys, a full grown, live chicken might not be much of a reward or gift, but to Elias, it was so much more than just a gift. It was evidence of his hard work paying off and for being seen by the adults… Read more
The children waited with anticipation to see if their name would be called. Blessing John, a tutor at the children’s home, was announcing children who performed exceptionally well on a recent progress quiz she gave. Each child whose name was called received the cheering of their peers and a small gift from Blessing for their… Read more
“The world has placed a lot of limits on the children we serve,” shared a Back2Back Captain in Nigeria. “Our goal is to help them break those limits.” Staff expose the children they serve to as much as possible, offering them a small view into what they can do, when they set their minds to it. “We… Read more
“I wish I could go to the park,” one of the children at the children’s home whispered as he prepared for bed. “Yeah, I wish we could go on a field trip together,” another child mentions. “What did we say we were going to do, when we wish for things?” chimes in Ene Oklo, Back2Back… Read more
October 11th was International Day of the Girl, and Nigerian staff wanted to mark it especially for the older girls Back2Back serves. “The young ladies 14 and older do a lot of work to care for themselves and also set examples for those younger than them who are watching,” shared Meredith Messer, Back2Back staff. Staff… Read more