Safe Water for Displaced Kids in Northern, Nigeria

What Happens If We Wait? Our Children Pay the Price

In Ortese, Guma LGA, the consequences of delay are immediate and deadly. Currently, there is zero safe water infrastructure in the community. Children and families have no choice but to drink from contaminated streams, while cycles of conflict and flooding keep conditions fragile and unsafe. Every day of inaction adds to the preventable suffering that fills daily reality.

The broader statistics are sobering. Nigeria’s cholera case fatality rate stands at 2.9%—almost three times the 1% global standard. According to UNICEF, more than 70,000 children under five in Nigeria die each year due to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions (sources: savethechildren.org.uk, businessday.ng). In the nearby Benue IDP camps, the struggle is unrelenting: 84% of households do not have enough water for even basic daily use.

If we wait, the cost will be measured in more children falling ill, missing school, and tragically, more funerals for lives lost to diseases that are entirely preventable. Every day of delay means more missed opportunities for children to learn, play, and grow in safety and dignity. The risks multiply with each rainy season, as contaminated water sources become even more hazardous.

But we can change this story right now. By acting immediately, we can install boreholes, filtration systems, and handwashing stations—and support community-led management to keep these resources safe and sustainable.

This is an urgent call to stop preventable deaths before they happen. Fund Ortese’s water project today and help give every child the chance to survive and thrive.