17 yr old Pakistani education activist and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai, wrote a touching letter to missing Chibok girls to commemorate their 1 year in captivity.
In the letter, Malala who was in Nigeria in July 2014, said she will never forget them and called on Nigerian and World leaders to do more towards the rescue of the kidnapped girls. Full text of her letter below…
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 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 schoolgirls 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
Malala
