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
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