BruderHilfe Projects in Katsina State – September & October 2022

In September and October 2022, Mrs. Mary Bruder, Executive Director of BruderHilfe Social Development Initiative, led the organization’s team to Katsina State to implement a series of community development projects aimed at empowering women, children, persons with disabilities, and rural families.

Partnership with the First Lady of Katsina State

Mrs. Bruder paid a courtesy visit to Hajiya Zakiya Bello Masari, First Lady of Katsina State, alongside Hajiya Jamila Tasi’u Mai Gari, wife of the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, and Hajiya Halima Lawal, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Land & Survey.

BruderHilfe partnered with the First Lady’s Women, Youth and Children Improvement Support Initiative (WYCISI) to implement programs in Kusada Local Government Area. Pregnant women and nursing mothers were sensitized on antenatal care and safe childbirth practices, followed by a quiz competition. Winners received baby cots, toys, clothing, and stockings, and all participants received maternal and baby items donated by BruderHilfe.

Donations and Support Across Katsina

BruderHilfe, in partnership with the Aminu Masari Youth Empowerment Foundation, donated a wide range of items to improve health, education, and livelihoods in rural Katsina:

• 100 Multi-purpose Mobility Carts for persons with disabilities
• Medical supplies and hospital consumables to Turai Umar Yar’Adua Maternity and Children Hospital, General Hospital Katsina, and General Amadi Rimi Orthopaedic Hospital
• Reading books to primary and secondary schools
• Children’s toys, bicycles, car seats, clothing, and bedding for women, youth, and children

The Executive Governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari CFR FNIM, personally inspected the donated items and praised BruderHilfe for its work in improving the lives of vulnerable populations in the state.

One Family at a Time Initiative

A highlight of the project was the official handover of a new home in Walawal community, Dutsi LGA, built for Zulai Hamisu, a widow caring for nine children, as part of BruderHilfe’s “One Family at a Time” initiative. The Governor officially opened the house, pledging additional support for a school and piped water in the community.

BruderHilfe also visited the homes of the other four widows under this initiative, providing furniture, bedding, kitchen utensils, water storage drums, clothing, footwear, food provisions, children’s toys, and educational materials, made possible by donations from the Muriel Gordon Foundation, New York. These contributions help the widows improve their livelihoods while ensuring their children live comfortably.

Community Impact

The beneficiaries, including Zulai Hamisu and her children, were overjoyed, expressing heartfelt gratitude to BruderHilfe and its partners. The donation of mobility carts empowered persons with disabilities to move independently and engage in their communities, while medical and educational resources benefited thousands of women and children in rural areas.

The Senior Special Assistant on Disability Matters in Katsina also commended BruderHilfe for supporting persons with disabilities in the state.

Acknowledgments

BruderHilfe thanks its international partners and donors—MedShare International, INT International, and the Muriel Gordon Foundation, New York—for enabling these initiatives, which continue to improve health, education, and economic outcomes for vulnerable populations in Katsina State.