Protesters in a "million-woman march" on Wednesday, April 30, in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, highlight the government's failure to rescue scores of girls who were kidnapped from their school in Chibok in mid-April. Militants seized about 230 girls in the dead of night at a high school in the nation's far northeast, a hotbed for Islamist group Boko Haram.

My daughter plays regularly with a Nigerian doll that was given to her by her great-grandparents who served missions there. I think of the doll and the hands that wove her beautiful braids and sewed her tiny vivid dress and wonder if those hands are reaching out tonight to heaven above, pleading for her daughter to be brought home. If not the maker of my daughter’s doll, then her friends’, or fellow citizens’ girls. That country is hurting, and while they are a world away, they are our sisters; and their daughters are not tucked into bed with their dolls, as mine is tonight. I received this message in an email from one of our Segullah sisters, Sharlee Mullins Glenn, and at her permission I’m passing the text on to you.  Please join me in not just feeling sorry, but doing something, even if it is simple and small.

Dear friends,

I know that there are many just causes to champion, but this is one that I cannot ignore. I am sickened and outraged in the face of this despicable act in Nigeria–and by the world’s relative nonchalance concerning it. Please read about it here:

There must be something we can do. As I’ve researched this situation, I’ve found a couple of efforts already in place. For example, several petitions have been started at change.org to urge world leaders, including Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, to have UN Women and UNICEF make this abduction a priority and to pressure the Nigerian government to actually try to find the girls.

http://www.change.org/petitions/over-200-girls-are-missing-in-nigeria-please-help-find-them-bringbackourgirls

http://www.change.org/petitions/president-of-nigeria-un-european-union-international-community-ecowas-a-u-w-a-sub-region-1-million-signatures-by-5th-may-2014-to-demand-urgent-intervention-to-bring-back-our-abducted-school-girls-secure-our-borders-our-children-right-to-education-by-?recruiter=90999622&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Please consider signing these petitions.

There is another petition at https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/work-un-and-nigerian-government-bring-home-girls-kidnapped-boko-haram/fFcLj7s2

Let’s make some noise about this. How can we remain silent when so many of our sisters throughout the world are treated as little more than chattel?

When you share this story on social media, please use the hashtags #BringBackOurDaughters#BringBackOurGirls, and #HelpTheGirls.

You can also contact the UN office of your home country and urge them to act on this important matter. For those in the United States, please contact your senators and representatives and ask them to shine a light on this situation.

Let’s claim the power that we have to help those who have none.

 


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