Who we are

A non-governmental organisation working to uplift underserved communities, founded by a fourteen-year-old and now operating across states and countries.

Our story

It started with a schoolgirl and a campaign.

was in junior secondary school when she began volunteering with local initiatives in . In , as the Bring Back Our Girls campaign spread across the North East, she was fourteen and already organising. That work became the Advocacy for Human Value Foundation.

The foundation was formally incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission on as a body of Incorporated Trustees, certificate number . Both dates matter. One is when the work began, the other is when it became an institution.

AHVF is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting human dignity and empowering marginalised communities, including the less privileged and internally displaced persons. Through its charitable initiatives, the foundation strives to improve the lives of those facing extreme poverty, displacement and social exclusion.

Today the foundation runs programmes in health, education, water and sanitation, and protection, with full-time staff and more than volunteers.

Our vision

A world where every individual has access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive, and communities are empowered to build sustainable, inclusive, and equitable futures for generations to come.

Our mission

To empower marginalized communities by addressing critical challenges, providing access to basic needs such as clean water, education, healthcare, and protection, and fostering sustainable growth.

What we believe

The principles the work runs on.

01

Dignity first

Every intervention starts from the belief in the inherent dignity and worth of each person. Beneficiaries are not statistics, and they are not photographed or described as though they were.

02

Built to last

A borehole is only finished when the community can maintain it. Every water point comes with training for local operators and periodic quality checks afterwards.

03

Nobody left behind

Programmes are designed around the people who are usually missed: displaced families, orphans, people with disabilities, and girls whose education stops first when money runs short.

04

Local before external

Field officers, volunteers and partners are drawn from the communities served. Work is delivered in the languages people speak at home.

05

Say what happened

Figures are published with the period they cover and the report they came from. Where something did not work, it is reported as a challenge rather than left out.

06

Safeguarding is not optional

We work with children and with survivors of violence. Every volunteer is checked and inducted, consent governs every photograph, and complaints have a route that does not go through the person complained about.

Where we work

Eight states, and now beyond the border.

Headquarters Borno State Maiduguri, where the foundation was founded and where most field operations run from
North East Yobe, Taraba Displacement, conflict recovery and education access
North West Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa WASH, health outreach and girls' education
Federal Capital Abuja Advocacy, partnerships and government engagement
Also delivered in Bauchi, Gombe The Masangwa borehole and the Al-Walidyn school
Beyond Nigeria Sudan, Chad Relief coordination and refugee advocacy, from 2025
Milestones

How we got here.

2014

The work begins

Fatima Mohammed Habib, then fourteen, starts the foundation and joins the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in the North East.

2017

Formally incorporated

Registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as Incorporated Trustees on 23 February 2017, certificate CAC/IT/NO 95009, with a board chaired by Dr. Mohammed Kyari Dikwa.

2020

Huawei and the Federal Ministry

Al-Walidyn Charitable School in Gombe State renovated and equipped with IT hardware, commissioned in October alongside the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

2024

The Borno floods

A medical camp, cash relief and home repairs reaching more than 43,000 people after the flooding in Maiduguri.

2024

49,600 lives

The foundation's largest year on record in Nigeria, reported in full in the 2024 Annual Report.

2025

Across the border

The foundation coordinates the Nigeria to Sudan Relief Mission with YAPD4Africa for families in Al-Fashir, and speaks for the 18,000 Nigerian refugees living in Chad.

2025

The Future Awards Africa

Fatima Mohammed Habib nominated for The Future Awards Africa Prize for Community Action.

2026

When The Flood Waters Came

Official partner on the Deensisters online book launch and fundraising conference, with half of all proceeds going to flood relief.

Governance

Registered, governed and accountable.

AHVF is a body of Incorporated Trustees under law, governed by a board and registered with the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering.

Board Chair Dr. Mohammed Kyari Dikwa mni, DSc, FCNA, FCTI
Trustee Hadiza Ahmed Umar
Trustee Hajia Laraba Shuaibu
 and other board members