"All I wanted is to stay alive and continue my education"- Says 14-year-old Boko Haram escapee

Hajara (not her real name) loves education and was determined to get one. She was 12 years old and in form one at the junior secondary school when Boko Haram attacked her home town of Bama in September 2014. She was captured three times and escaped three times.

"All I wanted is to stay alive and continue my schooling," she said.

At the last escape, she and other escapees trekked for 12 days, mostly at night to avoid recapture until she got to Maiduguri.

Today as part of the safe school initiative funded by Norway of which UNICEF is a key partner, Hajara is now a proud student of one of the Federal Government Colleges in northcentral Nigeria. Our dreams are worth fighting for.

Source: UNICEF