The story of the abducted Nigerian girls may be lost in a media vacuum, but today I’m finding it hard to think about anything else. 234 young women. This number has a very personal translation in my life: the total of every single scholarship recipient at Education and Hope and all of our teachers. I imagine what it would feel like to have our entire program plucked out of its place and each life hurled into danger. I try to wrap my mind around the terror of being ripped from your bed one night and sold into slavery, punished because you dared to become educated. My heart imagines the anguish and fear of the parents going mad as they contemplate the fates of their daughters, the desperation of their neighbors and their communities begging the world to do something to keep these girls safe and hearing almost nothing in response. The words offered by officials sound more hollow with each passing day, empty promises and the sense of urgency all but lost. These images of protest, of the Nigerians not willing to be silent in the face of this atrocity, are my meditation. In solidarity with the voices shouting to be heard, praying for the safe return of these young women. #BringBackOurGirls
Thank you for posting this Julie. It is so sad that this kind of thing goes on all the time around the world. I only hope that this will help to draw more attention to the sad plight of so many young girls, and boys too, who are sold into slavery each year.
Please keep up your good work!