Kinship Care in Crisis: Community-Based Child Protection in Displacement-Affected Areas of Northern Nigeria

Background and Purpose:

In Northern Nigeria, widespread displacement caused by armed conflict, banditry, and communal violence has led to a growing number of orphaned and vulnerable children. With formal child welfare systems largely inaccessible or absent, kinship care, where extended family or community members provide informal care, has become the primary mechanism for child protection. Though rooted in strong cultural and religious traditions of collective responsibility, these caregiving arrangements often operate without structured support, policy recognition, or adequate resources.

While kinship care is widespread, its function within emergency settings remains underexplored in Nigerian research and policy. Existing studies tend to emphasise cultural norms or child outcomes in stable contexts, overlooking how kinship care systems respond to crisis and displacement. This study addresses that gap by examining how kinship care functions as a community-based protection strategy in two displacement-affected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa and Zamfara states. It explores the lived experiences of caregivers and children, evaluates the support systems available or absent, and considers how informal caregiving practices can be strengthened to better serve children in crisis.

Methods:

A qualitative multiple case study design was employed. Two LGAs were selected based on high levels of displacement and active informal caregiving networks. Using purposive sampling, 25 participants were interviewed across both LGAs, including kin caregivers, community leaders, child protection actors (e.g., social welfare officers, NGO staff), and two adolescents (age 16) living in kinship care. Semi-structured interviews explored caregiving experiences, community support systems, coping strategies, and unmet needs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically using NVivo software (version15) to identify both cross-cutting and case-specific themes.

Results:

Preliminary analysis revealed four central themes: the unplanned nature of caregiving, emotional and material strain, informal systems of support, and variations in caregiving context across communities. Caregivers consistently described being thrust into their roles unexpectedly, often following the death or disappearance of a relative. One participant shared, “I never planned or thought of having to care for an additional child.” Another added, “I suddenly became a parent or guardian... but yes, he had no left.”

These experiences were accompanied by profound emotional stress and economic hardship, particularly in the absence of formal support systems. Yet, many caregivers demonstrated remarkable resilience, drawing strength from faith, communal values, and peer networks; others reported deep emotional fatigue and isolation. Informal supports especially from religious institutions and neighbours played a vital role in sustaining care. Differences between the two LGAs also highlighted how local culture, community resources, and proximity to humanitarian services shape caregiving experiences and access to support.

Conclusions and Implications:

Kinship care serves as a culturally embedded, community-led protection response in humanitarian crises. It is sustained by love, duty, and tradition, yet stretched by lack of recognition and support. Strengthening kinship care requires integrating it into formal child protection policy, expanding access to economic and psychosocial support, and building community-based capacity. This study contributes to global efforts to decolonise child welfare systems and highlights the need for localised, sustainable models of care in fragile settings.