How Compassion Restored Hope in Borno
ESGI Borno State Weekly Report — 17th August 2026
By Susan
“Greetings to you, my dear fellow servants in the Lord’s vineyard. It’s another beautiful week! May the grace of God abound to you throughout this week and beyond, in Jesus’ name.” 🙏
Sometimes, the realities people face are difficult to describe with words.
During an outreach in Borno State, an ESGI servant encountered a mother and her five children living in extremely difficult circumstances. What began as an opportunity to share the Word of God became a deeply moving encounter with a family in urgent need of food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and hope.
A Family Living in Difficult Conditions
During the outreach, ESGI connected with a mother living with her husband and five children in a small tent within their community.
The family included four older children and a baby whom the mother was still nursing.
As the Word of God was shared with the family, some children from a neighbouring home also gathered after hearing the message.
But beyond the spiritual need was an immediate physical reality that could not be ignored.
The family’s living conditions were extremely difficult. The children had limited clothing and were visibly unkempt. Their circumstances reflected the severe challenges the family was facing.
Then came an even more painful realization.
“There Is No Food in the House”
As the conversation continued, the children began crying because they were hungry.
It was almost noon, yet they had not eaten.
When asked why, their mother explained that there was simply no food in the house.
She described how she survives by going out to find people who need their clothes washed. When she gets such work, she receives a small payment that helps provide food for the family.
That morning, however, she had gone out looking for work but had returned without finding anything.
Her husband survives through menial jobs, but the persistent rains had made it difficult for him to find work.
The family was therefore left without a reliable source of income.
A Mother’s Dream for Her Children
One of the most touching parts of the conversation was the mother’s desire for her children to have a different future.
Her older daughters had never attended school.
Her eldest daughter, Shukurat, is 13 years old.
The mother expressed her greatest desire: for her older daughters to go to school so that they would not have to experience the same hardship she had endured.
Her dream was simple.
She wanted her children to have an opportunity she never had.
Even Basic Necessities Were Difficult to Afford
The family’s lack of resources extended beyond food.
The mother explained that she could not afford washing soap. As a result, the children’s limited clothes had become dirty, and there were no clean clothes available for them.
Some clothes had been placed outside so that the sun could dry them enough for the children to wear again.
This was not simply a family facing temporary inconvenience.
It was a family struggling to meet some of life’s most basic needs.
The situation deeply moved the ESGI servant, who was overwhelmed with compassion for the family.
“Tuwo Masara and Beans Will Hold Them Longer”
When asked what food would be most helpful, the mother did not ask for anything extravagant.
She explained that tuwo masara (maize meal) and beans would be sufficient and would help keep the children satisfied for longer.
The nearby shops did not have tuwo masara, so the ESGI servant travelled to a nearby neighbourhood to purchase what the family needed.
The supplies included:
Tuwo masara
Beans
Detergent
Five bars of bathing soap
The total cost came to ₦10,850.
Hope Walked Through the Door
When the supplies were brought home, the atmosphere changed.
The joy on the mother’s face was unmistakable.
She could hardly stop expressing her gratitude.
And when she returned to her children with the food, they were filled with joy at the sight of the provisions.
Her eldest daughter, Shukurat, had already begun preparing a fire so that the family could start cooking.
For a family that had gone through the morning without food, this simple provision meant so much.
It was more than food.
It was hope.
Sharing Christ Through Compassion
Before leaving, the ESGI servant prayed with the family again and encouraged the mother.
The encounter demonstrates an important part of ESGI’s mission: the Gospel must be accompanied by compassion in action.
Sharing the Word of God matters.
But so does noticing the hungry child.
So does responding to a struggling mother.
So does providing basic necessities when someone has no means to obtain them.
The family did not only hear that God cares.
For that moment, they experienced His care through the kindness of people willing to serve.
The Work Continues
The intervention cost ₦10,850, leaving an available balance of ₦23,150 from the previous balance of ₦34,000.
Yet the true value of the encounter cannot be measured by the amount spent.
It is measured by the smile of a mother who had regained hope.
By children who could finally look forward to a meal.
By a family reminded that they had not been forgotten.
And by the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with people who needed both encouragement and practical help.
At Empowered Servants Global Initiative, we are grateful for every opportunity to serve communities across Nigeria and to demonstrate the compassion of Christ through practical action.
There are families waiting to be seen.
There are needs waiting to be answered.
There are lives waiting to experience hope.
And ESGI remains committed to being a vessel through which that hope can reach them.
Empowered Servants Global Initiative (ESGI)
Serving. Empowering. Transforming Lives.