Church in Chains’ partner Stefanos Foundation recently held a graduation ceremony for participants who had been attending its new Transformation and Discipleship centre in Du, Plateau state.

The participants were made up of two groups: Christian victims of violence struggling with addiction following their displacement and Christian converts from a Muslim background.

In 2018 Stefanos Foundation was involved in UN-backed research on substance abuse among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. It found an extremely high percentage of IDPs were using illegal drugs to cope with trauma and depression. In 2022 Stefanos Foundation decided to set up an intervention programme where these victims of violence could be rehabilitated and started the process of consultation and fundraising. A local family offered them premises, which were abandoned and vandalised, to be used rent free. The buildings were renovated and equipped and in September 2023 the first group of participants joined the programme.

The Transformation programme focuses on helping students to overcome addiction and acquire skills and also delivers trauma counselling and discipleship training. All these elements contribute to the long-term goal of leading a healthier lifestyle and being fully reintegrated into society.

The centre is also a safe place for Christian converts from Islam, who are at risk if they remain in their communities as conversion is considered apostasy. These students were given discipleship training, some were baptised and some were taught vocational skills, with the aim being that they would be able to remain living in Nigeria and sustain themselves.

The graduation ceremony was a large and joyous affair which was attended by family members of the graduates, stakeholders and clergy. It featured songs, recitations and the presentation of items such as welding tools and sewing machines to help graduates set up their own businesses in the trades they have learnt. Stefanos Foundation also plans to assist them in getting workshops.

After the ceremony the Project Manager of the  Stefanos Foundation, Mark Lipdo, explained the vision for this programme:

“Stefanos Foundation has immediate, middle and long-term planning in its intervention for victims of violence, particularly persecuted Christians in Nigeria… This is a rehabilitation programme where we take victims from their communities, rehabilitate them, give proper trauma healing and make sure they are able to be integrated. And then we move them into the community to integrate them and make sure they are sustained.” 

He also mentioned those who helped fund the renovation of the centre and the running of the programme, US aid and advocacy organisation Christian Freedom International and Church in Chains, saying, “We are grateful to our partners Church in Chains in Ireland who have provided funding that has enabled us to keep these people safe and give them this training… Thank you all for enabling us to bring these ones to the faith and we are hoping that God will see them through their lives in the future.”

Stefanos Foundation will be seeking further support from partners, the public and the Nigerian government to help keep this centre operational as there is a great need for the rehabilitation and transformation programmes following years of attacks and destruction at the hands of terrorist groups.

Class of 2024

Here are some excerpts from the year book of the first class officially graduating this programme (names have been changed for security reasons):

Name: Nehemiah
Training: Welding
Nehemiah’s village was attacked by Fulani terrorists and his four brothers were killed and their properties destroyed and displaced. He came to the centre in March 2023, traumatised but went through therapy and discipleship training and was baptised in April 2024.

Name: Luke
Training: Tailoring/Business
Luke was a victim of a Boko Haram attack in which his father, a police officer, was killed. Finding it hard to deal with his trauma, Luke got into drugs and became addicted and was sent to prison as a result of a crime. He came to the centre in August 2023 and was baptised in September 2023.

Name: Sarah
Training: Business
Sarah was born into a Muslim home. In April 2022 she fell sick and a Christian cousin took her for prayer to a church where Sarah received healing. Following that, she began to have dreams and visions about Jesus Christ, which convinced her of her need to give her life to Christ. She secretly visited a nearby Christian who led her to Christ in January 2024. Sarah was brought to the centre in May 2024 and was baptised in June 2024.

Name: Isaac
Training: Welding
Isaac was born into a Muslim home. He had a Christian friend who told him about Christ, which left a strong conviction in him to give his life to Christ. He later went to Jos to work, where he met a pastor who spoke to him about Christ again and Isaac surrendered his life to Christ. He suffered persecution subsequently and was brought to the centre in May 2024, where he was baptised in June 2024.

Watch video about Transformation Centre

Watch video about Discipleship Centre

(Stefanos Foundation)