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EI invites member organisations and concerned citizens to join in a call on 23 July to mark the 100th day since the abduction of the girls of Chibok, 219 of whom are still missing, held captive by Boko Haram.

A World at School, a movement of hundreds of thousands of people from more than 250 civil society, teacher, faiths, youth, business, international and non-governmental organisations, has urged people to demonstrate solidarity with the girls and their families. The group also want to highlight the continued global concern for the girls, and the support for everything that can be done to ensure their safe return.

UN: Girls will never be abandoned

“We, of course, hope that the Chibok girls will be released before 23 July,” UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown said. “However, by marking the 100th day of the abduction of the girls’ kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists, and by pledging never to abandon them, we are reminding people that we are in the midst of a global civil rights struggle.”

Girls' rights should be taken seriously and they should have the right to be at school free of intimidation and violence, he went on to say. The UN will mark the 100 days by pledging to rebuild their Chibok school and by calling for international support for safe schools across Nigeria, he stressed.

EI: Freedom campaign ongoing

“We want these girls back with their families and communities,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “We will never cease to promote actions and advocate for their freedom until then.”

He also strongly emphasised that EI and teachers’ unions globally relentlessly fight for the right of all children, girls and boys, to have equal access to quality education brought by quality teachers, as well as quality teaching and learning environments and tools.

In the last years, 171 teachers at have been killed in the States of North East Nigeria, van Leeuwen highlighted. The latest recorded incident concerns the assassination of six teachers in their homes in the town of Dikwa, Borno State, on 12 March 2014. After the brutal killings, members of Boko Haram allegedly took the teachers’ wives and their 22 children to an unknown location.

Get involved!

- Send Messages of Support

A World at School is collecting messages that will be passed to Chibok community leaders and families of the kidnapped girls. These messages of support - and calls not to forget the girls - will be sent by the UN Special Envoy for Global Education to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

Messages can be sent from www.aworldatschool.org/100days

You can also collect messages and deliver them to the Nigerian Embassy in your own country, and share images of the handover with A World at School via [email protected] or mentioning @aworldatschool on Twitter.

- Host a Vigil

A vigil, usually held outdoors after sunset with candles, is an assembly of people showing support for a specific cause. Vigils will be held to show solidarity with the girls and families of Chibok and let the world know we will not rest until we #BringBackOurGirls.

After the event, you can send photos and video from your vigils to highlight your support: [email protected]

- Spread the Word, using messages such as:

• I just sent a message to the girls of Chibok. Send yours and help make #SafeSchools a reality: http://bit.ly/1oNwBVJ#BringBackOurGirls #100Days later and we still need to #BringBackOurGirls. Raise your voice for the 219 girls still held captive. [twitter graphic link]
• It’s been #100Days since 219 girls of Chibok were kidnapped. Send your message of support here: http://bit.ly/1oNwBVJ#BringBackOurGirls
• #100Days ago, 219 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted. No more should pass. #BringBackOurGirls

To download the campaign image for Twitter, Facebook, or other social media, click here