GAMAID
- July 25, 2025
My name is Aniekan Umoren and I am 25, living here in Uyo. Before GAMAID Foundation came into my life, I honestly did not know where my next night’s sleep would come from. My hostel rent had run out, and the school had not given me a new space for the coming session. There was simply no money to find another place. I watched my parents, who were already managing so much, stretch the little they had just to keep me in school. Every time a portal deadline popped up or a new fee notice landed, my chest would tighten. Without a roof over my head, my studies and even my health were starting to feel like luxuries I could not afford.
It was through my church that I first heard about GAMAID Foundation, and from that moment in 2023, everything started to shift. They welcomed me into one of their houses and gave me a safe place to stay, completely free of rent, all the way through 2025. Across those two years, the support I received came to about ₦126,000, covering my rent, utilities and a secure space where I could actually rest and read my books in peace. That house became far more than just a building to me. It was where I found my dignity again and remembered why I started this journey in the first place.
The blessing did not stop at shelter. With rent off my parents’ shoulders, they could finally breathe. The relief I heard in their voices on the phone is something I will never forget. As for me, I could focus on my coursework, take part in things on campus and look after my health without that nightly fear hanging over me. Having one stable place to call home brought my confidence back, lifted my grades and gave me the space to actually plan for tomorrow instead of just surviving today.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone in the GAMAID Foundation family. You showed up at the moment I needed help the most, and you changed the whole story for me. You gave me a home, you lifted my spirit and you took a heavy load off my parents. May God continue to bless this work in mighty ways, and may you keep opening doors for others the same way you opened one for me.