The determination of two Chibok schoolgirls who escaped from their Boko Haram abductors in 2014 to rebuild their lives is paying off. Debbie and Grace
The determination of two Chibok schoolgirls who escaped from their Boko Haram abductors in 2014 to rebuild their lives is paying off. Debbie and Grace, as they are simply called, graduated from a high school in Washington DC, the United States of America (USA) on Thursday after completing junior year (11th grade) and senior year (12th grade) at a prestigious private international school in the Washington metro area in America.
A US based human rights lawyer and the International Director of Education Must Continue Initiative, a Nigerian non-governmental organization involved in the care of the girls, Emmanuel Ogebe, confirmed the development.
Debbie and Grace were among the 57 girls who escaped from the terrorists soon after their mass April 2014 abduction at Government Girls State School, Chibok, Borno State. They were, along with 10 others, subsequently sent abroad for the continuation of their education by the NGO which is run by victims of Boko Haram helping other victims to overcome the impact of the insurgency.
Ogebe said: “The class of 2017 was the 50th graduation of the school which was the first high school in America to win a prestigious President’s award last year. The Chibok girls were among only 21 students who graduated as a few international students were unable to graduate.”
In remarks during a celebratory reception, the Chibok girls thanked their host families and the NGO volunteers from EMC for supporting them to achieve their dreams. They particularly appreciated them for driving the girls daily to and from school for two years.
Mr. Ogebe appreciated the sacrifice of EMC founders, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gadzama, who flew at their own expense to witness the girls’ graduation after missing their own daughter’s graduation with masters in Public Health (MPH) in Michigan just a few weeks earlier.
He also thanked EMC’s American volunteer Education Adviser, Deanna who helped obtain admission and scholarships to the exclusive $35,000 per year school for her role after their former school tried to take advantage of them.
Mr. Ogebe said the girls won several awards, including for Most hard-working student in English as Second Language 3.
“This is an outstanding feat for Chibok girls especially given the fact that in Nigeria, most continue to speak in Hausa to the consternation of many Nigerians. This shows that our education model of immersion placing the students in American homes was immensely successful as they are now able to engage confidently, communicate effectively and blossom generally. This is why the girls in EMC’s US program are the most articulate Chibok girls anywhere in the world.”
