From Conflict to Calm: The Rebirth of a Resilient Woman

Maman Ati had always known peace in her small rural community of Madagali. As a farmer, she spent her days tending to her crops, feeding her family, and enjoying the camaraderie of the women in her village. But when insurgency struck, that peace was shattered. Her once-thriving farm was destroyed, her home was lost, and she was forced to flee with her children to the safety of Yola South, a town miles away in Adamawa State.

As an internally displaced person (IDP), Maman Ati found herself living in a makeshift shelter with little more than the clothes on her back. The land she once cherished was a distant memory, and in Yola South, finding farmland felt like an impossible dream. The women of her new community, also displaced and struggling, saw her as an outsider, and competition for resources grew fierce. What had once been a harmonious life had turned into a daily battle for survival.

With no land to farm, Maman Ati felt hopeless. The one thing she knew—her livelihood—had been stripped away, and now, even among other women, she was an outcast. The struggle for farmland turned into tense confrontations, creating a sense of unpeaceful coexistence among the women of the community.

But just when Maman Ati thought all hope was lost, RATEI (Rural Agricultural Transformation and Empowerment Initiative) stepped in. Our organization, known for its work empowering rural women, brought a new glimmer of hope to her life. Through their interventions, RATEI began to form women’s farming groups, bringing together displaced women like Maman Ati and others from the host community.

RATEI worked closely with the community leadership, negotiating access to farmland for these women’s groups. For the first time in years, Maman Ati felt the ground beneath her feet again—the rich soil she had so dearly missed. She joined one of the women’s groups and, through RATEI’s guidance, learned how to collaborate with other women, sharing resources and farming techniques. No longer were they competitors but allies in their shared struggle for survival.

As Maman Ati began to rebuild her life, she found peace once more. The conflicts that had once plagued her interactions with the other women faded, replaced by trust and mutual respect. Together, they cultivated their land, sharing the fruits of their labor, and building a sense of community that had been lost in the chaos of displacement.

Maman Ati’s transformation was remarkable. From the ashes of conflict, she had risen stronger, more resilient, and with a renewed sense of purpose. She had found her way back to the soil, back to the work she loved, and in doing so, rediscovered the peace that insurgency had stolen from her.

RATEI’s intervention didn’t just give Maman Ati a new beginning—it helped forge new bonds of sisterhood and cooperation among the displaced women and their host community. Maman Ati was no longer a lone woman struggling to survive; she was part a group of women determined to reclaim their lives and livelihoods.

In the end, Maman Ati’s story was not just about farming or land. It was about resilience, about the power of women coming together, and about finding calm after conflict. Through her rebirth, Maman Ati became a symbol of hope for others—a reminder that even in the darkest of times, peace can be found when women unite for a common cause.