GAMAID
- July 24, 2025
My name is Emediong Edem, and before GAMAID Foundation came into my life, things were honestly really tough. Money was tight, and I was constantly running up and down trying to take care of my family while still keeping up with my studies. Some days, I genuinely did not know where we were going to sleep, or how I would even buy ordinary school supplies, talk less of paying my fees. As a parent and a student at the same time, sleep barely came easy. I would just lie there at night, my mind racing, wondering if I would ever get a small break from it all.
Things started turning around when a friend from church told me about GAMAID Foundation in early 2024. Not long after, they gave me a safe place to stay, and that house quickly became more than just somewhere to lay my head. It became home. For the first time in a long while, I felt at rest, and I felt like I belonged somewhere. Living together with others under that roof showed me what real family bonding feels like. We shared meals, encouraged one another, and I learnt how to listen better, understand people more, and just grow together with them.
They did not stop at shelter either. When they saw I really wanted to do something meaningful with my hands, they helped me get jobs in cooking and cleaning. Those jobs were not just about the money. They helped me rebuild my confidence and find myself again. The more I cooked, the more I learnt, and the better I got. Cleaning and helping to keep our shared spaces tidy also taught me that there is real dignity in honest work, and that work ethic has stayed with me till today.
The financial support they gave me came with so much kindness. It never felt like a heavy loan I had to be panicking over. It came in love, with no pressure at all. That money helped me sort out urgent things without the fear of repayment deadlines hanging over me. I was even able to dress my children nicely for school and church, and get myself proper clothing too, which honestly did a lot for my self esteem.
The way all of this has impacted me runs deep. A safe home gave me peace of mind. Real work brought back my self worth. The financial help restored my dignity. And the gifts of clothing and shoes filled my family with fresh confidence and hope. Through it all, I have grown in character, in responsibility and in peace, qualities I genuinely thought I had lost.
GAMAID Foundation has been so much more than just a foundation to me. They have been comfort, strength and a fresh reason to look forward to tomorrow. Their kindness carried my family through our hardest moments and set us on steady ground again. From my heart, thank you, GAMAID Foundation. May God keep blessing this work and stretching your reach, so that many more families can experience the same hope you brought into ours.