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Debbie and Grace were part of the first 57 girls who escaped from Boko Haram terrorists after the mass abduction of almost 300 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014. Unlike most of their colleagues who jumped out of trucks en route, the two were taken all the way to the terrorists camp in Sambisa before they escaped and made it back home in a terrifying journey that took about a week with their captors in hot pursuit. They were the last to escape Boko Haram until last year's escape of Amina Ali after two years in captivity.
The two schoolgirls
were among a dozen Nigerian girls sponsored to school abroad by a
Nigerian NGO Education Must Continue Initiative with the help of US
based international human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe. EMC is run by
victims helping victims overcome the impact of the insurgency by the
world's deadliest terror group Boko Haram which has destroyed hundreds
of schools and killed thousands.
By this graduation,
Debbie and Grace became the first escaped Chibok girls to graduate from
an American high school with diplomas after completing and meeting
academic standards. This comes three years after terrorists interrupted
their education during their final year in school in northeast Nigeria.
Several other girls had dropped out of EMC's school abroad project after
managing to graduate from middle school (8th grade) last year and are
now attempting to take the GED exam (external GCE equivalent).
On hand to witness
the historic graduation of the two Chibok girls in the class of 2017
were a delegation from Nigeria which included the founders and directors
of Education Must Continue Initiative Mr and Mrs Paul Gadzama and the
parent of one of the girls who traveled all the way from Chibok in
northeast Nigeria. The only Chibok girl currently pursuing a degree
program in an American university, cut short her summer vacation in
Nigeria to return for the graduation of her colleagues. The girls'
American host families and Barrister Emmanuel Ogebe and his family were
among the audience who witnessed the historic graduation.
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,
the NGO volunteers from EMC for supporting them to achieve their dreams.
They particularly appreciated them for driving the girls daily to and
fro from school for two years.
Also speaking, the
parent visiting from Nigeria stated that he had personally seen that the
team had done more for his daughter in America than he could have done
for them in Nigeria and thanked them for their love.
Recounting the
story of how he conceived the project by divine favor, human rights
lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe described how he first brought the orphan of a
pastor murdered by Boko Haram to school in the US in 2013. The following
year, Boko Haram attacked her village and abducted 276 girls.
Consequently because he had helped an orphan from Chibok before he was
able to help these ones as well. He concluded that "unless God builds a
house, the laborers labor in vain."
He appreciated the
sacrifice of EMC founders Mr and Mrs Gadzama who flew at their own
expense to witness the girls' graduation after missing their own
daughter's graduation with a 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. The
girls had to repeat 11th grade after their initial school failed to meet
up to its obligations.
A church
Thanksgiving is planned for the girls who are exploring their future
endeavors following graduation. Among several awards won by them was an
award 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," says Emmanuel Ogebe the International Program
Director. "This is why the girls in EMC's US program are the most
articulate Chibok girls anywhere in the world."
Confirming this,
host parents including lawyers, doctors and accountants narrated tales
of how Americanized the girls are quoting one as saying "mum, the
weather is gross" while on another occasion explaining to her host mum,
an American doctor, how Uber, the app-based taxi service, operates.
With this
graduation, EMC has no more students in high school in the US. All are
now post-secondary level and exceed all the Chibok girls in the Nigerian
programs run by the Federal Government and Borno State government. EMC
and AUN's programs are the two most advanced programs for Chibok girls.
"The fact that these girls could succeed inspite of the worst of
terrorism and the opposition of their own government no less is proof
that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the March of a girl
committed to achieving her dreams or any band of individuals united to
support them. They are truly a testament to the indomitable human spirit
under guidance of a great God. Not one iota of support has come from
any government anywhere. Rather we have paid the Nigerian and US
governments numerous times for various needs for the girls. At the end
of the day, our labor of love has been crowned with success in spite of
all the naysayers and saboteurs. To God alone by the glory. We thank all
our friends and supporters," Ogebe says.
Out off the five girls placed in this same school, one of them is now in college earning a degree, two graduated with diplomas on Thursday while two who were taken by the Nigerian government last year still don't have a diploma.
Out off the five girls placed in this same school, one of them is now in college earning a degree, two graduated with diplomas on Thursday while two who were taken by the Nigerian government last year still don't have a diploma.
