Malala’s open letter for kidnapped Nigerian girls

Malala’s open letter for kidnapped Nigerian girls

By Newsgram Staff Writer

Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday wrote an open letter to the Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped a year ago by Boko Haram militants.

"Please know this: we will never forget you. We will always stand with you; we will not rest until you have been reunited with your families, you will never be forgotten and never lose hope," wrote Malala in the letter.

The girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok, last year. The incident drew international attention to the humanitarian crisis caused by attempts of the militants to establish a medieval-style caliphate in religiously mixed Nigeria.

Malala, through her letter asked the Nigerian authorities and the international community "to do more" for the sake of the freedom of those kidnapped 200 girls by Boko Haram Islamist militants.

"In my opinion, Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you," wrote Yousafzai.

"Your parents are grief-stricken. They love you, and they miss you," Malala wrote in the letter.

Adding to that, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the kidnapping; The Malala Fund, the charitable organization founded by Yousafzai and her father Ziauddin to empower girls through education, launched the #DearSisters initiative to gather messages of hope and support for the kidnapped girls.

The Amnesty International reported earlier this week that, Boko Haram has kidnapped at least 2,000 Nigerian women and girls since 2014; many of whom are sexually abused or trained to fight.

Here is the full letter by Malala:

To my brave sisters, the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok,

On this first anniversary of your captivity, I write to you with a message of solidarity, love and hope.

My name is Malala. I am a Pakistani girl of your age. I am one of the millions of people around the world who keep you and your families foremost in our thoughts and prayers. We cannot imagine the full extent of the horrors you have endured. But please know this: We will never forget you. We will always stand with you. Today and every day, we call on the Nigerian authorities and the international community to do more to bring you home. We will not rest until you have been reunited with your families.

Like you, I was a target of militants who did not want girls to go to school. Gunmen shot me and two of my friends on a school bus. All three of us survived and are back in school. Now we speak out on behalf of all girls about the right to get a proper education. Our campaign will continue until you and all girls and boys around the world are able to access a free, safe and quality secondary education.

Last July, I spent my 17th birthday in Nigeria with some of your parents and five of your classmates who escaped the kidnapping. Your parents are grief-stricken. They love you, and they miss you. My father and I wept and prayed with your parents — and they touched our hearts. The escapee school girls, my father and I met impressed us with their resolve to overcome their challenges and to complete their high school education. My father and I promised your parents and the girls who had escaped that we would do all we could to help them. I met Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and urged him to work harder for your freedom. I also asked President Jonathan to meet your parents and the girls who escaped the kidnapping, which he did a few days later. Still, in my opinion, Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you. They must do much more to help secure your release. I am among many people pressuring them to make sure you are freed.

There are reasons for hope and optimism. Nigerian forces are re-gaining territory and protecting more schools. Nigeria's newly-elected president, Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to make securing your freedom a top priority and promised his government will not tolerate violence against women and girls.

"You will have the opportunity to receive the education you want and deserve. The Malala Fund and other organizations offered all your classmates who escaped the kidnapping full scholarships to complete their secondary education. Most of the escapee girls accepted this scholarship and are now continuing their studies at a safe boarding school and with the support they need. We hope to someday extend that same scholarship to all 219 of you, when you return home.

Remember that one day your tragic ordeal will end, you will be reunited with your families and friends, and you will have the chance to finish the education you courageously sought. I look forward to the day I can hug each one of you, pray with you, and celebrate your freedom with your families. Until then, stay strong, and never lose hope. You are my heroes.

Your sister,

Malala

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