GAMAID
- July 25, 2025
My name is Njoku Tuochi Adaeze, and I am writing from Ogun State.
March 2022 is a period I will not forget in a hurry. ASUU strike had already entered its eighth month, and our school authorities shut down the hostels from March all the way to October. Just like that, I had nowhere to stay. Every day I was running up and down, looking for where to lay my head, worrying about my safety, and on top of everything, still trying to think about how I would finish my degree. It was a very confusing time for me.
As if that one was not enough, my phone, the only one I had, finally gave up on me. Assignments were coming in, online lectures were going on, lecturers were sending updates, and I could not access anything. I knew very well I did not have the kind of money to just go and buy another phone, and I was scared that my whole academic life was about to come to a standstill.
It was through my church that I heard about GAMAID Foundation. A friend of mine saw what I was going through and decided to link me up with their volunteers. From that point, things started to change.
From March 2022 till March 2023, GAMAID Foundation gave me a place to stay, free of charge. One full year, no rent, no wahala. Just waking up every morning knowing I had a safe roof over my head was a kind of peace I cannot fully explain. I could focus. I could plan. I could breathe.
Then towards the end of 2022, when my phone screen finally packed up completely, GAMAID Foundation came through again. They gave me a brand new smartphone worth ₦80,000. That phone brought me back to life, academically speaking. I could attend my online classes, submit my assignments, do my research, and stay in touch with my coursemates and lecturers. And outside school, it has been very useful for my work in church too, especially because I help coordinate events and I am always communicating with different teams.
When I sit down and think about everything, I just feel grateful. Having accommodation for one whole year took a serious load off my shoulders, both financially and mentally. Living together with other students in that house was also a blessing on its own. We learned from each other, we encouraged each other, we shared our faith, and we picked up little life lessons along the way that I still carry with me today. And the phone, coming exactly when I needed it most, did not just save my studies, it also helped me serve God better.
To everybody at GAMAID Foundation, the volunteers, the sponsors, the leaders, thank you so much. You reminded me that I was not walking alone. May God continue to bless the work of your hands, and may your reach keep growing, so that many more students and families can experience the kind of hope you brought into my life