Horsham college supports #BringBackOurGirls campaign

Hoards of staff and students took to their cameras to snap shots of college activists sporting posters and placards to show the community backing for the cause.

The international #BringBackOurGirls campaign started when it was revealed that an more than 200 students were seized by Boko Haram Islamist militants from a school in Chibok from the North-Eastern Borno state on 14 April.

Collyer’s day-long demonstration has been deemed a real success by the college, with more than 300 photographs taken throughout the day which is hoped will encourage local awareness of the issue.

Photos taken at the event will be spliced together to make a video stream to be published on YouTube and the Collyer’s website.

Collyer’s Principal Dr Jackie Johnston said: “Attacks on education, including the education of women, are attempts to set back their country and prevent them from having a brighter future.

“It is the work of cowards and criminals to take these young women and they must be stopped.

“All people who understand that education empowers and frees us should add their voice to the campaign to Bring Back Our Girls. Collyer’s staff and students feel very strongly on this issue. We must speak out.”

The idea was organised by IT and art students along with the help of teachers Di Dowling and Mel Kavanagh.

The exercise has received strong backing from Frances Maude MP, who sent a message of support for the students involved: “I was pleased to hear that Collyer’s students are engaged in raising awareness of the plight of the kidnapped Nigerian students.

“You don’t have to be a parent of daughters to imagine the anguish being felt by their families, and it is deeply frustrating that Britain has not been able to help sooner in joining the search for these girls.

“If this global campaign of solidarity highlights such inequality, helps to find these girls and makes a difference in stopping the desperate trade of human trafficking, then something real and lasting will have been achieved.”

Since the news of the kidnapping broke the online campaign #BringBackOurGirls hashtag has received more than one million tweets on the social media site Twitter.

The campaign has gathered worldwide support from a number of celebrities and political leaders.