A Community Born from Friendship.
For over two decades, Sant'Egidio Nigeria has been a home for all committed to prayer, peace, and the poor — in every corner of Nigeria.
From Rome to Nigeria: a Friendship That Changed Everything
“The poor are not a problem to be solved. They are friends to be loved.”
Sant'Egidio was born in 1968 in Rome when a young student, Andrea Riccardi, gathered a small group to read the Gospel and serve the poor on the peripheries of the city. That small flame grew into a worldwide movement present in over 70 countries.
In the year 2000, Sant'Egidio arrived in Nigeria. A handful of believers, moved by the same spirit, began meeting in Abuja to pray together and serve those left behind. From that humble beginning, communities have since taken root in Abuja, Lagos, Jos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and beyond.
Today our Nigerian community unites thousands of lay men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities, held together not by structure but by friendship, faith, and an unwavering love for the poor.
Nigeria Chapter · Established 2000
To be friends of the poor and builders of peace
We exist to live and share the Gospel through concrete service to those on the margins of society, listening to them, walking with them, and advocating for a world that leaves no one behind. Our mission is not charity at a distance, but friendship up close.
A Nigeria where no one is forgotten
We envision a Nigeria, and a world, where the dignity of every person is recognised, where communities live in peace across ethnic and religious divides, and where the most vulnerable are not pushed to the margins but welcomed to the centre.
Prayer
Rooted in the daily reading of the Gospel, our community gathers in prayer as the living source of all we do.
Friendship with the Poor
We walk alongside those society forgets: the elderly, children, refugees, the homeless. Not as benefactors, but as friends.
Peace
Through patient dialogue we build bridges between divided communities, making peace possible where it seems impossible.
Community
We are not an NGO. We are a family, bound not by contract but by friendship, shared faith, and a common vocation.
Part of a Worldwide Family
Sant'Egidio Nigeria is part of the global Community of Sant'Egidio, present in more than 70 countries across Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. This worldwide network makes us stronger, sharing expertise, resources, and solidarity across borders.
From peace negotiations in Mozambique and South Sudan to Schools of Peace in Brazil, from care for the elderly in Italy to friendship with refugees in Greece — we are all part of one family, one vocation.
Visit santegidio.org →70+
Countries
80,000+
Members Worldwide
1968
Founded in Rome
56
Years of Service
Become Part of the Community
Join thousands of Nigerians committed to prayer, friendship with the poor, and the pursuit of peace — right in your own city.