Fatima and Maryam are cousins from Maiduguri, Nigeria. They went on radio to comment on the impact of our show on their lives:

“We stopped going to school after completing the Junior Secondary year. Our parents didn’t understand the importance of education for girls. They are of the view that educating a girl is a waste since she will end up getting married. Whenever we expressed our interest in going back to school, our parents discouraged us saying they couldn’t afford to sponsor us any longer.”

“While at home, doing nothing, we came across the Kanuri and Hausa versions of Search’s radio program Dignifying our Children. We became big fans of the program. Listening to it motivated us to keep an interest in going back to school. It also helped us learn about small businesses such as tailoring, cap making, and perfume making so that we could become self-reliant.”

“Now, we have specialized in cap making and are saving money from the caps that we make. As soon as schools resume after COVID, we are planning to enroll again and continue to sponsor ourselves with the money we earn from cap making.“

“We are also spreading the word amongst our friends who are going through similar situations. We are encouraging anyone who wants to get married to also secure a means of livelihood before getting into the marriage, as we learned from the radio drama.”

“We hope that Search for Common Ground will continue broadcasting this program. It’s timely and very enlightening. We also suggest that they discuss the need for parents to understand the importance of girls’ education!”