About Education Plus
Education plus is an educational charity with a mission to improve schooling and educational opportunities for children, youth and young adults living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) communities in Abuja, Nigeria.
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Nigerian Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps (internal refugee camps), including those in Abuja, are principally the result of the Boko Haram/ Islamic State of West Africa violence taking place in mainly North Eastern Nigeria, but now increasingly expanding to other parts of Northern Nigeria.
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​Founded in 2002, Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society, including voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education. Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, regardless of whether the president is Muslim or not.
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​The group is responsible for audacious attacks in northern and central Nigeria, including bombing churches, bus ranks, bars, military barracks and even the police and UN headquarters in the capital, Abuja. And for mass attacks on villages and towns, where it loots, kills, abducts women and children and conscripts men and boys into their army.
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​When Boko Haram's insurgency was at its peak in the mid-2010s, it was the world's deadliest terrorist group, in terms of the number of people it killed.​ Boko Haram has a force of thousands of men - CIA officials have estimated around 9,000 - and cells that specialise in bombings. Through its raids on military bases and banks, it has gained control of vast amounts of weaponry and money. So, the chances of it being routed anytime soon are slim, given the region's chronic poverty and poor education system help it gain new recruits every day.
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For more on Boko Haram click here
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For more on Islamic State of West Africa click here
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While most of the people affected by the violence have remained in the north eastern part of Nigeria (Mainly Borno and Adamawa States) a considerable number have over the past years relocated to Abuja. Most of the government and NGO resources to address the immense suffering have been directed to work going on in north eastern Nigeria. As such, the IDP camps in Abuja receive limited and irregular support from NGOs/CBOs/faith groups and private individuals.
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​Over the past two decades 2.7 million people, of which 1.4 million were children, have had to flee their homes due to the horrific violence that the terrorist group boko haram has inflicted on them. These young people have suffered severe trauma and have limited access to a quality education.
Education is a human right every child regardless of circumstance deserves to have. Supporting these young people is a recognition of a child’s immense capability and their right to a better future.
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