bringbackourgirls
Due to the recent tragic news of the 276 Nigerian girls being abducted, we’ve seen a great deal of support via social media. However, some of our readers as well as the Conscious Team have been raising the question, “What can we actually do to help?” Here are a four ways to take action beyond hashtag activism.

01 Contact representatives in your government
Raise your voice, and not just virtually. Ask your government to put pressure on the Nigerian government to take strong action to rescue the girls, and seek prosecution. Also, encourage them they provide services for the girls.  Support the Malala Fund as they will donate 100 percent of funds raised to local Nigerian nonprofit groups focused on education and advocacy for girls and women. Click here for more information.

02 Support groups that promote girls’ education and civilian protection:
Save The Children
UNICEF
IJM
Amnesty International
CARE

03 Educate, Educate, Educate
Research and be informed of the latest developments. Check out The Global Coalition, they have documented a pattern of attacks on schools, teachers and students in 30 countries in the last five years — a video on this is here: Education Under Attack 2014. And for an interactive map click here.

04 Pray
Pray for the precious girls whose lives are being taken from them. Pray for the families who are missing them. Pray that the families would find healing and comfort during these troubling times. Pray for the country’s young generation to rise up with boldness and to stay strong in the face of fear.

Photograph by Ruth McDowall of Buzzfeed
The image is from a “nighttime vigil in Abuja late Wednesday marked the 30th day in captivity of the 276 girls held by Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group that kidnapped them from their dormitory in Chibok, a village in northeastern Nigeria.” –, Buzzfeed Staff