By Aisha Mahmud, JKNewsMedia Intern
BURDEN OF survival has fallen on 25-year-old Queen Isah as she faces illness and poverty in Nasarawa while catering for her siblings.
She is single-handedly raising her two younger siblings amid poverty, health crises, and abandonment after their mother was imprisoned for alleged fraud.
Queen Isah wakes each morning to a reality shaped by responsibility. Her siblings—15-year-old Dickson and 12-year-old Saviour—have relied solely on her since their mother, Ms. Isah, was arrested two years ago over accusations of defrauding relatives of N250,000.
With no formal state support for children of incarcerated parents, Queen’s role has expanded to caregiver, provider, and protector.
Her daily hustle includes travelling to nearby communities to fry masa, a local delicacy, just to earn enough to meet basic needs.
“There are times I have to choose between buying drugs for Dickson or feeding us,” Queen told Hope for Children Left Behind during a recent outreach.
Dickson, a JSS2 student at Mada Hill Secondary School, lives with Sickle Cell Disease. His health condition demands routine care, but their financial state often means missed treatments and medication.
Medical records reviewed during the outreach confirm the gaps in his healthcare due to inconsistent income.
Despite these hardships, Dickson’s school report reflects impressive academic performance.
Saviour, the youngest, attends Primary 4 at Mada Hill Primary School.
Her reports show she is bright but vulnerable to educational disruption, with irregular school supplies and emotional strain contributing to an unstable learning environment.
Their situation came to light in April during a visit to Suleja Correctional Centre by volunteers from Hope for Children Left Behind.
The group had spoken with incarcerated mothers, including Ms Isah, who revealed she had not seen her children in two years. Her absence has left a vacuum filled only by Queen’s resilience.
Nigeria lacks a formal mechanism to track or assist children left behind by incarcerated parents. Without institutional support, Queen and her siblings are left to depend on fleeting charitable gestures.
Hope for Children Left Behind has since reached out to healthcare and education-focused NGOs.
Proposals have already been sent to Hope at Dawn Foundation for medical aid and to ACE Charity Foundation for school sponsorships.
The organisation says its mission is to provide a structure of emotional, academic, and medical assistance to children bearing the brunt of their parents’ imprisonment.
For Queen, meaningful support would not just ease financial strain—it would offer her siblings a chance at a future.
“It has been just us since our mum was taken,” she said.
“My younger brother, Prince, who recently finished secondary school, has been doing daily jobs just so we can survive.”
Organizers urged anyone that wants to contact them to reach out via Instagram @hclb_initiative or by phone at 09034592485.
