My name is Mel. I am a mother living in Spain. My three children — Kenny (14), MoMo (11), and Brainbox (10) — were born and raised here in Spain. They are German citizens. This is their home. And they cannot come home.

In 2020, their father took them to Nigeria. He promised it was temporary. It never was.

By 2022 I realised he was never bringing them back. The marriage had become violent. I ended it. I demanded my children back. He refused. He seized their passports and weaponised the legal system against me — because as long as we are married, he has equal parental rights.,until today unussual we are still not divorced after so many years. That legal trap is what keeps my children from me every single day. He lives here in Spain. He visits Nigeria three or four times a year. And still he refuses to sign a single document to let them come back home. Trapping his own children in a country he himself cant stay longer then 4 weeks!

While my children were with him and his family in Nigeria, the money I sent every month for food, school fees and essentials was used for other things. My children were eating the same meals for days straight — not because there was no money, but because the people around them simply did not care. There was no consistent electricity. No reliable water. They were beaten. They have injuries. I do not know the full extent of what was done to them mentally — and that is something I carry every single day.

I was in Spain, thousands of miles away, sending money, being scammed by people who knew I was a foreign woman with no local power, paying lawyers who told me to "wait", going to court myself, filing police reports myself — while watching years of my children's lives disappear. Food, school fees, nannies, flights — all of it paid by me, alone, from here. I am at the absolute end of my finances. But I cannot stop. They are my children, I will always fight for them.

In July 2024, I flew to Nigeria and took matters into my own hands.

What happened when I saw them for the first time at the police station is something I will never forget for as long as I live. My children did not greet me. As if they didnt recognised me any longer. They said they did not want to come with me. They said they wanted to stay with their father. I fainted. I literally fainted — because my own children, the babies I carried, the children I taught to walk and talk and eat, looked at me like a stranger. That is what years of manipulation does to a child's mind.

But I did not give up. I took them. I got them safe. And slowly — slowly — they came back to me. Today they call him "ex daddy." Today they know the truth. Today they know who loves them.

My children are now with a wonderful nanny who cares for them like her own. They have food. They have light. They have water. They are safe. But they have not been in school since October 2025. They cannot leave Nigeria because their father seized their passports and refuses to sign any travel documents. There is a restraining order. There is an active court case. And still they cannot come home.

My son Brainbox had a full head of hair when this started. Today he has none. No eyebrows. No eyelashes. Not a single hair on his head. A child's body keeping score of what his mind has been through.

When I bring them home, the journey does not end at the airport. These children will need stability, consistency, love — and professional psychological support. That is also part of what this campaign will fund. Because I refuse to let what happened to them define who they become.

No parent should ever use their children as a weapon. No child should ever be afraid of tomorrow. That ends the moment they finally come back home to me.

I walk through my house in Spain and the silence destroys me every single day. No footsteps. No voices. No one asking what's for dinner. No "Mummy, I'm home." Just quiet. A quiet no mother should ever have to live with. As if a part of me is missing!

This is not just my story. There are thousands of mothers around the world in exactly this situation — trapped by a legal system that was never designed to protect them, not knowing what to do, unable to afford the fight. I am speaking up for all of us.

I have finally found a lawyer who is moving fast. We have a legal path. Article 158 has been filed. We are close. But close costs money — and after years of fighting, flying, paying and being scammed, I have nothing left.

This is what your donation covers:

✈️ Flights from Nigeria to Spain — for all three children

Final legal costs to close this case for good

School enrollment and catch-up tuition — they have missed years

Clothes and essentials — they will arrive with almost nothing

Therapy and psychological support — to help them heal and thrive

Everything three children need to finally restart their lives at home

My daughter Madonna is 14 years old and one of the most gifted young artists you will ever see. She is drawing her way through this. She is documenting some of her daily life in Nigeria so you can see exactly what they are living through — until the day they come home.

If you cannot donate — please share, please pray.Not just for my children. There are thousands of mothers around the world trapped in exactly this situation — not knowing what to do, unable to afford the fight, silenced by a legal system that was never designed to protect them. I am speaking up for all of us!

Every euro / dollar brings them one step closer to home. Every share reaches someone who cares. Every prayer keeps us going. No contribution is too small — No amount is too small when a mother is fighting to bring her children home, all of it matters. "

For Kenny For MoMo. For Brainbox. for all the children who craving there mothers love.

Born in Spain. Coming home soon with your support.

— Mel, their mum