"When we were Queens,"
Donation protected
A group of Boston women are working to improve the lives and education of young girls in Nigeria. Several months ago, 300 Nigerian girls were kidnapped from their school. Their alleged abductors are members of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. “Boko Haram,” translates to, “Western Education is Sin.” What they hate even more than western education: the education of women.
Boko Haram fears educated women because smart women become powerful women; women who can change their families, their villages, and their countries. Women like Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Educated at Harvard, she is now the first and only female head of state in all of Africa.
Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, also served as a senator in her home country. She received her PhD from Cornell University and is now a fellow at Boston University’s African Presidential Center. Massachusetts is now her home, but Obasanjo’s heart is still in Nigeria. The place where she was educated as a young girl. Now, Obasanjo and others are working to make girls schools in Nigeria a safe place to learn, grow, and become leaders.
Obasanjo’s African Women Advocacy Project is teaming up a local fundraiser to improve Nigerian girls’ schools. The fundraising project is called, “When we were Queens.” The name is a play on the Muhammad Ali documentary, “When we were Kings.” The title refers to a time when African men were leaders with great power. “When We Were Queens,” will focus on restoring dignity and pride to young African women. Reminding them that they once were Queens. They were leaders. And in today’s world, leadership and education go hand in hand.
“When we were Queens,” is the brainchild of Obasanjo, Nneka Nwosu, an Emmy Nominated Nigerian-American journalist working at WCVB-TV, and Myriam Michel, founder and owner of M&M Elite Events. “When We Were Queens,” will start its work at Queens College in Lagos, Nigeria. Queens College is an all-girls middle and high school. It is also Obasanjo’s alma mater. During her time as a student, Queens College was one of the top girls’ schools in Nigeria. Today, like many schools in the west African country, facilities need to be updated, learning tools need upgrading, and even access to basic hygiene products needs improvement. Queens College students come from all over Nigeria, including many from the Boko Haram controlled north.
Our hope is to raise $20,000 by October 1, 2014 to cover the following:
Purchasing computers for a school computer lab
Buying basic school supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens, etc.)
Personal hygiene and sanitary products for boarding students
Costs of shipping and securely delivery goods
Travel costs of volunteers
Thank you for your time in reading this letter and your willingness and support the effort to improve girls’ education.
Sincerely,
Iyabo Obasanjo
Nneka Nwosu
Myriam Michel
Boko Haram fears educated women because smart women become powerful women; women who can change their families, their villages, and their countries. Women like Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Educated at Harvard, she is now the first and only female head of state in all of Africa.
Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, also served as a senator in her home country. She received her PhD from Cornell University and is now a fellow at Boston University’s African Presidential Center. Massachusetts is now her home, but Obasanjo’s heart is still in Nigeria. The place where she was educated as a young girl. Now, Obasanjo and others are working to make girls schools in Nigeria a safe place to learn, grow, and become leaders.
Obasanjo’s African Women Advocacy Project is teaming up a local fundraiser to improve Nigerian girls’ schools. The fundraising project is called, “When we were Queens.” The name is a play on the Muhammad Ali documentary, “When we were Kings.” The title refers to a time when African men were leaders with great power. “When We Were Queens,” will focus on restoring dignity and pride to young African women. Reminding them that they once were Queens. They were leaders. And in today’s world, leadership and education go hand in hand.
“When we were Queens,” is the brainchild of Obasanjo, Nneka Nwosu, an Emmy Nominated Nigerian-American journalist working at WCVB-TV, and Myriam Michel, founder and owner of M&M Elite Events. “When We Were Queens,” will start its work at Queens College in Lagos, Nigeria. Queens College is an all-girls middle and high school. It is also Obasanjo’s alma mater. During her time as a student, Queens College was one of the top girls’ schools in Nigeria. Today, like many schools in the west African country, facilities need to be updated, learning tools need upgrading, and even access to basic hygiene products needs improvement. Queens College students come from all over Nigeria, including many from the Boko Haram controlled north.
Our hope is to raise $20,000 by October 1, 2014 to cover the following:
Purchasing computers for a school computer lab
Buying basic school supplies (notebooks, pencils, pens, etc.)
Personal hygiene and sanitary products for boarding students
Costs of shipping and securely delivery goods
Travel costs of volunteers
Thank you for your time in reading this letter and your willingness and support the effort to improve girls’ education.
Sincerely,
Iyabo Obasanjo
Nneka Nwosu
Myriam Michel
Organizer
Nneka Nwosu
Organizer
Dedham, MA
