Life-changing  Stories of 2 Upstreet Girls Fascinate A  Humanitarian Journalist

By Abdulkareem Haruna

One thing constant about being a journalist is the fact that once you’ve been through that path forever you remain a pen-pusher even if vicissitudes of life blows your sail off the course to islands of treasure. 

That seems to be the story of amazing female journalists who after years of incredible reporting now found another calling in the humanitarian world – Nubwa Miss Ibrahim Bawuro. 

Recently Miss Ibrahim, who now works as a Communication Officer at Plan International,  n her social media page talking about her love for journalism and how her dream of being a great reporter still waxes stronger even as she had on departed the conventional newsroom. 

In one of her Facebook posts Nubwa recalled “growing up, I wanted becoming a news reporter where I can simply go to the field with my camera man and have my

stories captured by them…fastforward to now, I have no regrets building up my skills in my profession and I am looking forward to acquiring even more to be in tune with the present world.”

As a communication officer at Plan International, the Adamawa state born journo is still fortunate to be in a department that affords her the pleasure of doing what she is trained to do for a living.

Nubwa has always said that just as her new career path has not disconnected the relationship she had with her colleagues, so has it not robbed her the chances of meeting people whose lives are a great source of story for every crack reporter. 

Nubwa’s recent intriguing story was about how two amazing girls had grown from being somehow naive and socially disadvantaged persons to *becoming actively involved in the decision making process in their communities.”

According to Nubwa’ narrative the girls – Halima, 22, from Simari and Lydia, 24, from Kaleri communities, in Borno state. They are two of 600 other young ladies volunteering under the aegis of Kaleri Youth Group who’s core mandate is ensuring that “adolescents, especially girls, are carried along in building a better future and becoming the drivers of peacebuilding and change in their communities.”

“Five years ago, Lydia lost her father in an attack by insurgents. Lydia’s story is of a girl born and raised in the Kaleri community. On the other hand, the post indicated, Halima’s story was that of “a timid girl and couldn’t speak up” even when offended in her community.

In the report, Lydia said the Plan International intervention has enabled her to  interact with other people, and that had helped her manage the trauma of watching her father being “killed in front of her.” 

The exposure has helped in “rekindling her hope in life as a valuable youth in the community.“

And since then, life became unbearable for my siblings and my mother, but The Youth Leading Stabilization Efforts in the Lake Chad Basin, an European Union in Nigeria funded project, transformed my life completely,” young Lydia was quoted to have said in Nubwa’s story.

The young girl is now proud and happy about how she has gained knowledge on peacebuilding, social cohesion, and the significance of speaking out and above all, “I can voice out as a young woman and have my voice heard.”

“Before this project, I had no idea that girls could have a voice in their communities; I had no knowledge of how decisions were made, and I lacked the confidence to speak publicly,” Halima was quoted to have said.Halima is a third daughter of her parents. 

Plan International is currently facilitating a project to restore the peaceful coexistence and social cohesion of the population affected by the conflict in the Lake Chad basin. 

This success story of the  numerous life-changing projects of Plan International connects with the core niche of The Humanitarian Times  – the reasons it is being published here. 

Halima and Lydia have become role models for young girls and women in the Kaleri community, mentoring younger adolescent girls and driving positive change in Kaleri and surrounding communities. 

Plan International’s vision “is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity. 

While it’s mission is striving “to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of vulnerable children in developing countries by enabling children, their families, and their communities to meet basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies; Fostering relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different cultures and countries; and Promoting the rights and interests of the world’s children.”

Plan International was founded more than 75 years ago with a mission to promote and protect the rights of children. The organization was set up by British journalist John Langdon-Davies and refugee worker Eric Muggeridge in 1937, with the original aim to provide food, accommodation and education to children whose lives had been jdisrupted by the Spanish Civil War.  

The above vision and mission have to a greater extent been realized in the lives of Lydia and Halima, and that gives Nubwa Ibrahim Bawuro, a humanitarian journalist, the pleasure of happily reporting their story.