By Ijeoma Obioma in Makurdi.
In a heartwarming gesture to mark the 2025 Children’s Day, a coalition of humanitarian organizations led by K2U Games Limited has gifted children at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Mega Camp in Mbayongu, Makurdi, Benue State, with more than just celebration,they gave them hope.
The coalition unveiled a small library and distributed thousands of educational materials to displaced children, in a move meant to plant seeds of learning, dignity, and belonging in a community that has endured so much loss.
Our correspondent reports that,Themed “Hope, Heritage, and Healing,” the event drew participation from development partners, including Smile Doctor Foundation, Offshore Lab, and others and featured cultural performances, children’s games, and transformative education-focused activities.
Mr. Martins Oloye, co-founder of K2U Games Limited, recounted how a previous visit to the camp sparked the initiative.
“We came here to run an African puzzle game, but what we saw stayed with us. “These children needed more than fun—they needed books, knowledge, and a reason to believe in tomorrow,”he said.
With support from the Oando Foundation, the coalition established a small library stocked with storybooks, learning resources, and hope. Thousands of notebooks and textbooks were also distributed.
But the gesture was deeper than the materials.
“We want a child from this camp to one day say, ‘This library changed my life. It helped me dream again,’” Oloye added.
To complement the effort, Offshore Lab’s CEO, Emeka Obiwulu, introduced Schoolbox,an innovative classroom solution built from refurbished shipping containers. A prototype unit, already operational in the camp, accommodates 22 children. But with over 1,000 out-of-school children at the camp alone, the need remains urgent.
“Over 10.5 million Nigerian children are out of school,” “Our goal is simple: bring school to where the child is, no matter how hard the circumstances,”Obiwulu said.
Health wasn’t left out. The Smile Doctor Foundation, led by Dr. Olufemilayo Adeniyi, conducted a dental outreach and distributed over 500 oral hygiene kits.
“It’s not just about teeth, it’s about dignity, health, and giving children the confidence to smile again.“We’re offering small lights in a very dark place,”she said.
Benue State government officials, including the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Aondowase Kunde, and the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Frederick Ikyaan, affirmed their ongoing commitment to rebuilding lives through water projects, farming, and education support programs like the federal Accelerated Basic Education Program.
“This isn’t just an event, “It’s part of a movement to return and reintegrate our people with dignity,”Kunde emphasized.
As drums beat and children danced during the cultural showcase, the most powerful moment came quietly: the opening of a humble room filled with books, where a child bent over a page for the first time in months.
“This may look like a small library, but for a child who has lost everything, it’s a doorway to a future they can begin to write themselves in,” a volunteer librarian said.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
