Sahelian Women: The Unseen Pillars Of Survival In Northern Gombe

AS dawn breaks over Dukku, a semi-arid town in northern Gombe State, the lives of women like Amina Abdullahi unfold against a backdrop of relentless hardship. Balancing a yellow jerrycan on her head, she walks barefoot to fetch water from a shallow well two kilometers away—a ritual that dictates the rhythm of daily life. For Amina, and hundreds of women across Dukku, Nafada, and Funakaye, survival is defined by water, food, and the ability to keep households intact while men migrate south in search of work.

Northern Gombe, on the southern edge of the Sahel, bears the brunt of climate change. Erratic rainfall, vanishing rivers, and declining soil fertility have made farming increasingly unpredictable. Hauwa Gimba, a 55-year-old widow, recalls when her millet harvests once filled three rooms; today, a single room is a triumph. These environmental pressures compound the daily burden on women, who must simultaneously provide food, water, care for children and the elderly, and generate income through petty trade. At Dukku Central Market, women like Fatima Usman sell millet-based drinks to feed their families, while widows such as Zulaiha Musa rely on small-scale produce sales, often forcing children to drop out of school to help sustain the household.

Poverty is pervasive: nearly 70 percent of households in northern Gombe live below the poverty line, and women, lacking land ownership or formal employment, are most vulnerable. Informal cooperatives, or adashe, offer limited relief, pooling savings to cover emergencies such as illness or childbirth. Yet systemic challenges—restricted access to credit, unreliable infrastructure, and low female literacy—persist, keeping many trapped in a cycle of deprivation.

Education, while promoted by the state, clashes with entrenched traditions. Many girls leave school prematurely, often for marriage. Zainab Musa, married at 14, had aspired to be a nurse but was denied schooling due to poverty and family pressure. This early marriage trend contributes to maternal health risks, as local clinics remain understaffed and under-resourced. In Dukku’s only primary healthcare centre, Rahmatu Adamu, the lone qualified midwife, struggles to serve over 10,000 residents. Rural maternal mortality rates remain high, and distance or lack of transport to health facilities frequently forces women to deliver at home.

The Sahelian women’s burden extends beyond domestic labor. Male migration for work creates female-headed households, where women are de facto heads of farms, markets, and families. Dr. Aliyu Babayo, a sociologist at Gombe State University, notes that climate-induced migration is reshaping gender roles, positioning women as frontline agents of survival and resilience.

Water scarcity dominates daily struggles. Women trek long distances for water, often paying high prices or resorting to unsafe sources. While initiatives by NGOs and the Gombe State Water Board aim to improve access through boreholes and pipeline extensions, progress is slow, and sustainability remains uncertain.

Yet amidst adversity, hope persists. Religious and community leaders are promoting education, health awareness, and gender equity, while NGOs like WINN and the Sahel Initiative for Rural Empowerment provide skills training in tailoring, soap-making, and grain processing. Women such as Hadiza Sani have transformed these opportunities into livelihoods that fund their families’ education and welfare. Local government programs, including microcredit schemes and women’s development centres, show promise, though residents caution that consistency is crucial.

The story of women in northern Gombe is one of resilience, perseverance, and quiet heroism. As Amina Abdullahi returns home at dusk, weary but undeterred, her strength embodies the spirit of Sahelian women—living between sand and scarcity, burdened yet unbowed. In a region where climate, tradition, and poverty collide, these women remain the beating heart of survival, proving that poverty does not erase power and that endurance itself is an act of defiance.