Joy Bishara, and Lydia Pogu Escaped Boko Haram And Are Now Heading To University
One horrifying night in April 2014, nearly 300 female students were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in Chibok by the extremist terror group, Boko Haram.
About a month ago, over two years since they were captured, the Nigerian government successfully negotiated for the release of 82 girls – in addition to the 21 girls who were released eight months ago thanks to the involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government
Back in 2014, as many as 57 girls were fortunate enough to escape their captors almost immediately; and two of these girls, Joy Bishara, and Lydia Pogu, are not letting the trauma define them.
In August 2014, Joy and Lydia moved to the US to complete their education. With the help of an NGO in Virginia and a Nigerian activist group, they were able to attend boarding school for two years in Virginia before transferring to another boarding school in Oregon.
Joy, now 20, and Lydia, now 19, graduated earlier this month – both giving speeches at their graduation ceremony. They now plan to attend the same college, Southeastern University in Lakeland, later this year (they already started a GoFundMe page to help with the expenses).
Speaking with People Magazine, Doug Wead, the president of their boarding school said:
“These young ladies are amazingly focused, stubbornly focused. They’re determined to outwit their captors by turning their grisly nightmare into something hugely triumphant.”
Lydia told People Magazine that she hopes to become a lawyer, and is interested in helping people who have no voice. While Joy wants to be doctor, because she wants to save lives.
But it’s worth remembering that while Lydia and Joy’s journey is certainly inspiring, and over 100 of the Chibok girls have been released, over 100 girls are still in captivity. So, we can’t get tired of asking the government to #BringBackOurGirls.
