The Birth of an Idea
In early 2002, I, Babagari Baraya, experienced one of the toughest periods of my life. Everything seemed to fall apart my family went three days without food, our rented house was disconnected from electricity, my children’s school fees were unpaid, and my rent was long overdue. It was a season of deep struggle and uncertainty. On Saturday, May 4th, at the height of my hardship, I began to reflect. I asked myself: If I eventually overcome this phase, how could I help others facing similar challenges? Though I knew nothing about NGOs at the time, an idea struck me to open a bank account and dedicate a portion of any future income to supporting struggling families. I planned for the funds to revolve, allowing more people to benefit continually
From Vision to Foundation
I called this idea “Murmushi,” meaning smile, symbolizing the hope of bringing joy to those in need. I documented the vision as a personal pledge to myself and to those I aspired to help. Between 2002 and 2016, before Murmushi became a registered organization, I supported vulnerable families through feeding programs, educational support, small-scale livelihood aid, and health assistance. A close friend who admired my consistency encouraged me to formalize the effort into an organization
On 29th June 2016, this dream became a reality with the registration of Murmushi People’s Development Foundation (MPDF). What began as a simple act of compassion during a time of hardship has grown into a vibrant foundation dedicated to restoring dignity, providing opportunities, and creating smiles in vulnerable communities.
track record of experience
| s/n | project title | major program focus | Geographical coverage | project duration | donor |
| 1 | Formulating nutrition Pap powder using 100% locally available ingredients is easy to use and very effective. We call the product “Murmushi Pap Powder” | To develop generally acceptable and effective solutions to malnutrition Problems in Nigeria | Adamawa State | 2017 | MPDF |
| 2 | Sampling and treating 12 malnourished Children using Murmushi Pap Powder | To treat malnourished children | Bole and Sangere FUTY communities of Yola South and Girie LGAs | 2017 | MPDF |
| 3 | Basic Computer Training for Boys and Girls: 10 participants | Education: Capacity Building | Mubi North and Mubi South LGAs, Adamawa State | 4 Months in 2018 | MPDF |
| 4 | Rollback Malaria Intervention | To eradicate Malaria in the State | Ten (10) Wards of Mubi South LGA | 2018 | PHCDA |
| 5 | IDP Youths Training in Film and Television Operations | Education for Self-reliance | Yola South and Girie LGAs, Adamawa State | 6 Months in 2018 | British Council |
| 6 | Community Peace and Safety Partnership(CPSP) | Peacebuilding (early warning) | Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Hong LGAs, of Adamawa State | 9 Months in 2018 | British Council |
| 7 | Women’s Empowerment: Bead making | Capacity building for self-reliance | Mubi North and Mubi South LGAs, Adamawa State | 4 Months in 2018 | MPDF |
| 8 | Dialogue Facilitation between Farmers and Herders | Peace Building | Bole community, Yola South LGAs, Adamawa State | 9 months in 2018 and 2019 | British Council |
| 9 | Community peace dialogues | Strengthening Resilience and enhancing protection (Child protection, Gender Based Violence (GBV), and Protection of Civilians) of the Boko Haram Insurgency-affected communities | Hong, Kala’a, and Uba communities of Hong LGA | 8 Months in 2019 | Victims Support Fund (VSF) |
| 10 | Basic Computer Training for 12 participants | Education: Capacity Building | Mubi North and Mubi South LGAs, Adamawa State | 4 Months in 2019 | MPDF |
track record of experience
| 11 | Basic Computer Training for Boys and Girls: 25 participants | Capacity Building | Mubi North and South LGA, Adamawa State | 4 Months in 2019 | MPDF |
| 12 | Palliative Distribution | For COVID-19 and Ramadan | 226 wards of Adamawa State | 2020 | ABHF |
| 13 | Strengthening Resilience in the North-East | Community Development Planning | Gombi LGA of Adamawa State | 10 Months in 2020 | GIZ |
| 14 | Community Peace and Safety Partnership (CPSP) | Peace Building (early warning, Education, and GBV) | Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Hong LGAs | 12 months in 2021 and 2022 | British Council |
| 15 | Community Peace and Safety Partnership (CPSP | Community Peace and Safety Partnership (CPSP | Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Hong LGAs | 3 months Extension Sept 2022-Dec 2022 | British Council |
| 16 | Farmer/Herder Conflict Resolution (Consortium Project) | Peace Building | Bazza, and Madzi communities of Michika LGA. Dishidi, Kwaba, and Shahau communities of Hong LGA | June 2022 – January 2023. | EU-ACT Consortium Grant / British Council |
| 17 | Coaching and mentoring of 3 CSOs in Adamawa State | Capacity building | Mubi North, Mubi South, and Hong LGAs of Adamawa State | August 2023 – November 2023 | EU-ACT/British Council |
| 18 | Advocacy for citizen engagement in the Budget process at the grassroots | Advocacy | Adamawa State Government MDAs | May 2023- date | MPDF |
| 19 | Promote the well-being of conflict-affected boys and girls as well as adolescents in Adamawa State through access to quality Child Protection and Education services | Education | Gombi, Mubi-North, Michika, and Madagali, LGAs | May 2024- February, 2025 | Nigerian Humanitarian Fund |
| 20 | Social and Economic Participation of Returnees, IDPs and the Host Population in North-East Nigeria (SEPIN) | Co-Facilitation of Community Development Planning Process | Demsa LGA | November 2024 till July 2025 | GIZ with funding from the European Union |
- Back
Hong Local Government Area (LGA) is one of the 21 LGAs in Adamawa State, with 12 wards, 6 districts, and 28 villages. The major languages spoken are Kilba, Babur, and Fulfulde, and Mondays serve as the main market days.Boko Haram attacks hit Hong LGA,...
Murmushi People’s Development Foundation (MPDF), in partnership with the Victims Support Fund (VSF), implemented a peacebuilding initiative in Hong LGA to promote social cohesion and coexistence among communities affected by insurgency. The project used sports, advocacy, and capacity-building activities to unite youth and strengthen...
Farmers and Herders in Bole Community of Yola South LGA, Adamawa State sign a Peace Accord The conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria isn’t new. However, the recent situation in Numan LGA has become especially alarming. The violence caused many deaths and destroyed...