This month marks the first anniversary of the kidnapping of over 200 girls by the Nigeria-based terror group Boko Haram. One year and one international campaign later, all but a handful of those 276 schoolgirls are still missing. Then, late yesterday, the Nigerian Army announced that it had rescued some 200 girls and 93 women from the country’s remote Sambisa Forest– where Boko Haram has long been suspected of operating. But an army spokesman later told Reuters that the hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped last April were not included in the rescued group.
According to Amnesty International, at least 2,000 women and girls have been abducted by Boko Haram since the start of 2014 alone.
Here are ways you can help women affected by violence in Nigeria:
Women for Women International
Women for Women International has served over 52,000 women through their yearlong educational program. The training helps women earn and save money, promotes family planning, and helps women influence decisions in their homes and communities.
Global Fund for Children The Global Fund for Children provides multiple grants to help children affected by violence in Northern Nigeria. One program, the Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection works in rural communities and urban slums to provide educational assistance, leadership training, and mentorship support to victims of gender-based violence and sexual abuse, by moving them to safer environments. Another, Bo Sita MADE, is a female-led youth development organization that responds to the needs of human trafficking victims by removing them from dangerous environments such as brothels and supporting them holistically.
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