Boko Haram Victim Seeks Safer Home

Update: We reached our $350 goal for the motorbike thanks to some incredibly generous individuals. I have recently sent David the funds for the bike, for which he was incredibly grateful. Unfortunately, when I contacted him to send the money, he told me about a new tragedy in his life. In his words:

"My name is David Kubuji Useini. My wife is Oyiwoza David Useini. I am a Nigerian from the north eastern part of Nigeria, and we live in the Tambual local government area of Barno state after I came back from Italy to settle with my family. On the 20th of November 2015 there was an attack in our settlement. At around 10 or 11 pm we started hearing gun shots outside. Then people started runing away from the town. We saw armed men with Nigerian army uniforms on. We thought they were Nigeria solders, but they killed almost everyone that was outside that night, chased people out of their homes, and set homes and properties on fire."



"When they got hold of someone they asked them to say something from the Islam religion. If they could not, they knew them to be Christian, and they killed the person immediately."


"But by God's grace, my wife, some few of my neighbors, and me escaped through a covered grotta and ran in to the bush. We stayed there, hiding, and didn't return until the morning when the true Nigerian Army came to our rescue. Coming back home, everything was destroyed: our homes and properties. Now we have to go to Tambuwal town, but we don't have means. We live every day in fear of the unknown because we don't know what might happen next. We don't have a home. Sometimes we have nothing to eat."


After hearing his story, I decided to reopen the GoFund Me page, with a goal to help raise money for his relocation to Abuja, a larger city in Nigeria that offers more protection from terror groups. The problem is that housing and life in Abuja is more expensive, and in Nigerian cities, property owners usually ask for a year and a half worth's of rent up front from tenants. With the new goal of $4000, I hope we can help him find his way to a new, safer home. Every bit helps. 
Thanks.




The first time I met David, he was sitting on a bench in a small Italian border city. He was talking on a dysfunctional cell phone he had been overcharged for, trying to make arrangements to help a friend find a place to live.  Even on a first impression, something about his demeanor made him stand out from the rest of North African refugees in the city.



The more I got to know him, the more I was baffled by his consistent selflessness and tenacious spirit. I learned that he had converted to Christianity and fled from his home in Nigeria after radical Muslim groups had actively sought his life. Like many of his compatriots, he crossed deserts and seas, to seek shelter in European harbors from violent theo-political groups in their home countries. He left his family, property, and fiancee behind.

Unfortunately, Italy did not provide him the sanctuary he required and he fought through unemployment, homelessness, poverty, and political corruption before escaping the country.

I lost track of David for a while, only hearing from friends of friends as to his whereabouts and his safety. Recently though he reached out to me and I learned that he was back in Nigeria and, after years of being separated, married to the sweetheart he had left from years before. But now, new evils plagued his pursuit for happiness. 

Nigeria, it turns out, is home to extreme poverty and unemployment . 68 million Nigerians  are without jobs and many are without homes. My friend David is among the millions who seek desparately for a way to provide for his family.

I could write a book on all the ways David has inspired me to be a better person. One of the his incredible attributes is that, even in the face of despair, he has a plan to rise to greatness.




In this case, his plan is humble. He wants to purchase a small motorbike so he can work a taxi service around his city. He think he can convert a $350 investment into a means of survival for him and his wife. 

I know he can do it. 

This is my GoFundMe Goal: 
Raise the $350 (or more if possible) he needs to buy the motorbike to enable David to make ends meet through his motortaxi service.


My name is Kenny. Currently, I'm just a student and don't have financial means of helping him on my own, but I know that the people of the Internet can help as they have countless times before. One day I hope to be able to help his family in a more substantial way. But for now, I know that he will do incredible things with this humble resource. 

Besides, when do you have the chance to legitimately donate money to someone in Nigeria and not just the princes in the email scams?