Triumph Over Trauma and Stigma Initiative Brings Hope To Nigeria
- Teresa Suarez
- May 22
- 6 min read
Gender-based violence is a widespread problem in the West African country, and girls are particularly vulnerable.
The Triumph Over Trauma team, led by Doris J. Adamu, is responding to the root causes of violence and other problems.
The team provides counseling and support for survivors, while building public awareness and encouraging people to share their experiences of trauma.
By Daniel Garba*
GOMBE STATE, Nigeria—Facing major health issues and without a family to help her, Sera Musa felt alone and hopeless.
The 16-year-old, who lives in Gombe State, Nigeria, has HIV and sickle-cell anemia. Abandoned by her parents, she was being raised by her grandparents, until they died.
“Thank God for Mama Doris,” Sera said. “She and her team came to my aid at the time when I needed them most because I felt so lonely in this world, and things are too hard for me—I even lost hope.”
“Mama Doris” is Doris J. Adamu, director of the Triumph Over Trauma and Stigma Initiative (TOTSI) in Nigeria. The program, sponsored by Harper Hill Global, focuses on counseling, supporting and advocating for survivors of trauma, especially women and girls.
Gender-based violence is a widespread problem in the West African country, where 1 in 3 women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced some form of violence, according to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Girls in particular are vulnerable to rape.
The Nigerian government recognizes TOTSI as an organization that is addressing problems that shorten people’s lives—problems caused by famine and drought, banditry, kidnapping, rape, political violence, job loss and terrorism by the Boko Haram group, among other factors, all of which lead to trauma.
Adamu and her team met Sera in Gwandum Village on March 1. The teen had not had an easy life. Sera’s father had abandoned her mother during pregnancy and is believed to have given her HIV. When her mother gave birth, she breastfed her baby due to fear of stigma, resulting in Sera getting HIV also.
When Sera was 5, her mother left her with grandparents.
“I started primary school in 2015 and finished in 2020, but I could not proceed to secondary school due to the fear of stigma because I was born HIV-positive,” Sera said. “… Also, my old grandparents could not afford to pay my tuition fees at school.” She remained indoors because the other children would mock her because she didn’t know her father, and her mother had moved away to get a job as a housekeeper. “This is how I grew up.”
Her grandmother died in September 2021, she said.
“Things became so hard for me and my 79-years-old grandfather,” she said. Then her grandfather died in February 2024, leaving Sera alone.
“I had no one to help me, and I am not only HIV-positive, but also … sicklier. So I constantly fell sick. Right now, I can’t tell whether my parents are alive or not.”
As she told her story in an interview, Sera broke into tears, saying in Hausa, “Bani da laifi don ba ni nayi kaina ba, me ya sa duniya take mini haka?” Translated, she was saying, “I am innocent, I did not create myself, and my condition wasn’t my fault; why is the world treating me like this?”
She would like to go back to school, but she has no one to help her, and she doesn’t want to be stigmatized, she said. “Also my constant ill health will not allow me because I have sickle-cell anemia.”
Meeting Adamu and the TOTSI team has given her hope, she said. She no longer feels alone. “Thank you so much, (Triumph Over Trauma),” she said, “for bringing my hope to live a better life back.”
In the past two years, Adamu’s team has visited many places, focusing on:
Identifying survivors of trauma, especially women and girls. This task is difficult due to people not opening up for fear of stigma.
Creating awareness. The team travels to urban and rural areas, creating awareness that help is available and also stressing the need to talk about factors that cause trauma, such as rape cases and gender-based violence. The team also tell people that Triumph Over Trauma is there to speak to the world for them.
Giving hope. The team has reached hundreds of people, encouraging them to talk about their trauma and assuring them they have hope for a better life again.
Presenting papers. The organization holds summits for the general public, addressing such causes of trauma as emotional abuse, human trafficking, rape, depression and gender-based violence.
From 2024-2025, the team has visited the Abuja Federal Capital Territory, some local government areas in Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba, among others, conducting seminars and presenting papers to educate people, including men but especially women and girls, on how to triumph over trauma by eradicating idleness, going to school, and having a mindset that they can succeed in life as well as encouraging them to be self-reliant. The team also requests the general public to report any cases of women or girls being subjected to trauma.
Since last year, the TOTSI team has visited so many schools, educating schoolgirls on the factors that lead to trauma and how to deal with it. One such student was Murjanatu Mohammed.
“Thank you, Triumph Over Trauma team, because (you are) the light that came to us in times of darkness,” she said. “I was a victim of trauma due to gender-based violence that (made) me withdraw from school, but now I am back at school. I can study like any other girl.”
This year, the team has been working with women in the Abuja area. Some have urged the organization to open branches in other states and towns due to the prevalence of gender-based violence in this country, which has an estimated population of more than 230 million.
At its Gombe office, the organization has handled a few cases of rape, but people are reluctant to open up about their experiences due to the fear of stigma. Three years ago, the organization received a case in which a 3-year-old girl had been raped, but the girl’s family refused to report it for fear of stigmatizing the child. But the TOTSI team intervened in the situation and the perpetrator was arrested and investigations were carried out by the security agency operating in the locality. The team has also assured people that confidentiality is a priority, and as such, they should always open up to them about what they are going through.
“Another challenge we faced is that of finance,” Adamu said. “We have limited resources that would enable us to visit places like Borno State, Yobe State and some part of Adamawa State.” Those are areas facing severe problems, including violence from the Boko Haram group. But, she said, it is a goal to visit those places.
Adamu cited a case of Mama Hantu Haruna, who had to care for her two boys and three girls singlehandedly for several years after being abandoned by her husband. Her husband returned to her when he was very sick, and she cared for him, but he later died. She became traumatized, but Triumph Over Trauma responded with constant visits and counseling. Now, Haruna said she is doing better.
In Gwandum Village, Sera Musa thanked Triumph Over Trauma for giving her “another chance to live.”
“I hated life before, but now you bring my hope back,” she said.
*Garba is a Nigeria-based correspondent for Harper Hill Global.
How to Help:
Harper Hill Global's commitment to Triumph Over Trauma and Stigma Initiative:
Harper Hill Global is a non-profit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, dedicated to improving human life and alleviating suffering using innovative media, messaging, and mobile solutions. Its core mission is to strengthen the human spirit by amplifying voices for social good, particularly in the areas of health and trauma management.
Harper Hill Global is helping to spread the work of TOTSI as a continuation of Triumph Over Trauma, mobilizing support and seeking partnerships to promote sustainability. Founded by Reverend Neelley Hicks, Harper Hill Global uses its networks and digital tools to raise international awareness of TOTSI as a grassroots network that supports mental health, where there are little resources. Please give to Triumph Over Trauma and note NIGERIA to provide critical resources now.
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