I made N3,000 hawking water in 20 minutes - White Naija Girl

~PUNCH, Nigeria. Sunday, May 15, 2016

Popularly known as White Naija Girl, Ibukun Afolabi, from Hungary tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO why she decided to hawk sachet water on the streets of Lagos

Can you give a brief background of yourself?


My husband gave me a Nigerian (Yoruba) name, 'Ibukun,' which means 'blessing.' I am originally from Hungary. I live in the United Kingdom at the moment. In 2008, I came to the UK, where I met my husband, Gbenga Afolabi of MagnumN3. I studied Business and Management. I also hold degrees in German and French languages. When I first came to the UK, I could not speak English, so I had to start learning it from the beginning.

In 2012, I decided to start ­a blog, the whitenaijagirl.com, soon after I got married. Initially, I wanted to write a book, but my husband advised me to start a blog instead so I could reach more people. I started to write about my experiences as a 'Nigerian' wife. Soon, many people - men and women – in relationships with Nigerians started to contact me, asking different questions. The blog became quite successful. Finally, I visited Nigeria in the middle of October last year. I stayed for a month. It was during that period that the video of me selling sachet water was shot.

Was your visit to Nigeria in October your first trip to the country?

Yes it was. But here in the UK, I have had contacts with a lot of Nigerians. The church I attend in the UK is predominantly a Nigerian church. I have always been inspired by Nigerians and their way of living. I love the culture, food and their attitude to life. I also love it that Nigerians take education seriously. My husband is a film-maker and I produce most of his films. When we came to Nigeria; that was when I noticed how hard people in Nigeria are working and how much they needed to struggle on a daily basis to earn a living.


What was the inspiration behind the video of you selling pure water and drinks on the streets of Lagos?

It is because I saw these people doing this every day for a living. And I wondered why they had to live like that in a rich country like Nigeria. That 'pure' water video was done because I wanted to experience what Nigerians are going through, to empathise with them and to go through what they are going through. I realised that it is really hard. And I wanted people to know about this. In the UK, when you have a child, you get child benefits. In Nigeria, there is nothing like that. It is difficult for the women hawking 'pure' water. It is really a difficult job. I wanted to raise awareness about their plight. These people need help from the government. They don't have to risk their lives on the road doing such a job. That was purely my inspiration. It was a great experience, I felt their struggle, because it was hot, you could see me sweating. The load was very heavy. At the beginning, I could not take off the bowl from my head. It was hurting my head even though I had the scarf on. I am planning other projects to raise more awareness about the difficulties every day people face. For me, what I did (selling pure water) was not so extraordinary. What is extraordinary is that people are doing this job daily for a living.

That thing (bowl of sachet, bottled water and drinks) on my head felt so heavy and I only carried it for less than an hour. But those people who do it for a living actually do that for about eight to 10 hours a day. They are the real heroes, not me. I did it for less than an hour because we attracted a little too much attention so we could not carry on. And that was at the time the police were really after people selling on the streets. So, we were a little cautious so as not to get into trouble.

Were you scared at any point?

'5,000 discarded plastic bottles I collected from gutter paved my way to success' – Eluagu

Written by Ebele Orakpo

~Vanguard, Nigeria: Interview By Femi Ajasa 

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Mr. Nzubechukwu William Eluagu, a visual artist and graduate of Fine Art (Sculpture) from the Yaba College of Technology, took waste recycling to another level with his final year project; an audacious 13.6 feet sculpture entitled, Your Destiny Is In Your Hands, made mostly from waste materials.

In this chat, the 2013 HND holder says he was forced to think of an alternative way to execute his project as a result of paucity of funds. Excerpts:

Inspiration:

One day, I was going to church and I saw plastic bottles littering the gutters. I said to myself that I could use them to create something. I wondered why artists have not started using them because I noticed that none of my predecessors had used something like that. Again, I had this urge to reduce waste and, at the same time, reduce cost for myself. I wanted to do something inexpensive with readily available materials. That was what really motivated me. Even if I don't score an A, I will be fulfilled that I used something that was thrown away and recycled it into something nice.

How did you construct the over 10-feet structure, did you use a ladder or crane?

Well, I did the job beside the school's Computer Centre. It used to be a sculpture garden so there is a metal and concrete work there that aided me to climb. Basically, I did the work on the ground before mounting it. After doing the iron reinforcement, I attached the bottles. I also used a metal drum which I borrowed from one of my lecturers to stand on because I didn't have the luxury of scaffolds. Again, there was no time because I was under intense pressure. While in school, especially during my HND, I had to fend for myself. It was very challenging but thank God, I had some contracts in arts and it helped me. In my final year, I had so many contracts I had to finish and the people were on my neck so much so that I felt like running away from school but, at the end, I had to do something.

How long did it take to complete the project?

It took roughly three months but I had to finish the work within three weeks because the lecturers were on my neck, the external moderators were coming so I just had to do it. In fact, the way I planned to do it was not the way I finally did it. Though it was my project, friends assisted me when there was so much pressure. It was my fiancé that actually suggested I did it in a certain way. Though it almost caused a quarrel between us because that was not the way I had wanted to do it but she was insistent and before you know it, we started doing it her way. It was going to take much of the materials and I was trying to manage my materials because I did not have so much money to spend. Anyway, at the end of the day, it came out well.

Finding a terra firma quickly! AN AMAZING STORY...

Facebook: Suminda Deepal Rajapakse shared William Baird's post.

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic .
All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland.
He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately -- no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.
While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.
We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander , New Foundland, to have it checked out.

Nigeria’s Freeman Osonuga named among 3 finalists for space trip

Written by Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale - Vanguard, Nigeria. 

LAGOS-As the global contest for Kruger Cowne Rising Star space trip competition deepens, Nigeria's Freeman Osonuga has been selected among the three finalists for the influential Rising Star programme. His selection among the three finalists is one step closer for a Nigerian to travel to space for the first time in history.

Launched last year at the One Young World Summit in Dublin, Ireland, the programme consisted of a year-long search to find one inspiring individual, who will become the voice of the next generation, culminating in the chosen champion being catapulted onto the world stage and into space.

Flying beyond the 100km mark by XCOR Aerospace'sLynx® Spacecraft, the champion will be presented with the opportunity to view the world from an entirely new perspective.Also through the unique experience, if chosen Rising Star will provide new insight into global discussions on some of the world's most pressing issues.

Freeman Osonuga 

Osonuga who hail from Ogun State was selected based on the tremendous social media engagement, candidate profiles on the Rising Star website, video content among others.Speaking during a courtesy visit to Vanguard Corporate Head Office in Lagos, Osonuga explained that he was selected following his efforts to garner support from the entire country including the government.

"I was also selected for my efforts to use both national and international press to inform an international audience of his journey, from Ebola suit to spacesuit and how his mission to change the world continues."

Elated Osonuga is up against Keren Jackson of Ireland and Hussain Manawer of the United Kingdom. These three finalists will be flown to Bangkok next month where they will attend the One Young World Summit and also deliver a keynote speech on their topic of choice to the thousands of delegates present as well as a panel of global business leaders after which the winner of a space trip will be announced.

The Boy from Jamaica

Today, Jamaica is on my mind. I was flying from Trinidad and Tobago on my way to Atlanta and had to make a brief stopover in Jamaica-the land I had heard so much about through the powerful medium of music. Reggae music.

From the air, you could see the iridescent island sparkling, like a queen, a Caribbean queen bejewelled in a splash of sun, sea and reggae. I wanted to see everything: the sights of Jamaica. I wanted to hear everything: the voices of Jamaica. Men and women in dreadlocks, speaking their patois and reggae music blasting in my ears from ubiquitous loudspeakers such as we have in Lagos. Is this not another Africa? Africans must be Africans everywhere they are. I wanted to smell everything: the smell of ganja, marijuana or whatever name you call it. The ganja that Peter Tosh sang about and campaigned for its legalisation because of what he claimed as an all-purpose medicine that can cure asthma, tuberculosis and what have you. Legalise it, and I will advertise it. Remember that song by Peter Tosh? The Peter Tosh who was killed by gangsters on motorcycle-a victim of gang violence in a society afflicted with so much crime and violence like Nigeria our Nigeria.

Jamaicans don't play with their heroes. They celebrate them. Loudly and proudly. All over Norman Manley Airport are huge photographs of their heroes: Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world in his familiar yellow and green athletic outfit doing his trademark lightning pose. But still, the biggest of them all is Bob Marley, the man whose face is the face of Jamaica, the legendary king of reggae who still rules from the grave. Bob Marley who prophesied his own immortality in the song Bad Card:

"You a-go tired fe see my face/Can't get me out of the race."

Yeah, Bob Marley. The same Bob Marley who sang about Jamaica afflicted with violence in the song 'Johnny Was': A song about a woman who "hold her head and cry, 'Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died from a stray bullet. Woman hold her head and cry...Now she knows that the wages of sin is death, yeah! Gift of Jah is life. 'Johnny was a good man' she cried."

Love and War in Sudan

Written by By Natalie Peart - digital journal Website: http://www.digitaljournal.com/ I hope I don't disappoint you by telling you that this isn't a real love story. I am not going to recite an enchanting story of how I fell in love with a Sudanese man, petrified my Mother and gave up all to move to Sudan and live a nomadic life in the desert raising his camels, or how I witnessed a Mills and Boon style love affair in the country that is 'The Sudan'. The love story does involve me, but it was not one single person but the country and everyone I met and the possibilities it holds that I fell in love

with. The kind genuine Nubian people and the beautiful Nubia desert sand and skies and the possibilities for growth the country has.

Archaeologists say the pyramids, cemeteries and ancient palaces of the Nubian Desert in northern Sudan hold mysteries to rival ancient Egypt and as I meandered through the forgotten pyramids of Meroe with not another tourist in sight (apart from the other 22 people of course) I knew I was one of the privileged few who has ever experienced this. It really sets them apart from the pyramids of Egypt which I feel are slightly overshadowed by the hundreds of other people you have to share the experience with. And this is just one of the many attractions that Sudan hosts.

The war story however is a real war story, as with hope in this country comes misery, violence and death in Darfur. For over three years, everyone from the UN Secretary-General to the President of the United States to actors George Clooney and Mia Farrow have been calling for a stop to the conflict in Darfur. And nothing changes.

For four years the Government has been content in letting humanitarian agencies do the work of the Government and provide basic services to two-thirds of the entire population of Sudan’s Western region. The outcome, affluent suburbs in Khartoum and complete desolation in Southern Sudan and Darfur's states.

When I said I was going to Sudan the response that I got wasn't all unexpected. I'm the first to admit that I was cautious yet curious about the country that we have read so much about in terms of the civil war. But as the oracle that is the Lonely Planet said to me '"Khartoum (the capital of Sudan) is one of the friendliest and safest cities in the world", and of course the Planet didn't disappoint.

How I wasted 35 years of my life in America -Nigerian returnee from the US

Written by Azuka Jebose Molokwu - Nigeria

~ JEBOSE BOULEVARD, Punch Nigeria. 

In the United States, over 3.5 million people experience homelessness every year. The homeless include people from all ethnic backgrounds and discipline. This number includes 35 per cent of the homeless population families with children. In recent years, the number of homeless immigrants, documented or undocumented, has doubled as America continues to experience immigration challenges.

John Atari (not real name.) was once an undocumented immigrant in the US. He was also homeless and an alcoholic. He left Nigeria in the early 1980s in search of better life. After more than 30 years in America,with no home and dependent on substance abuse and alcohol, John, few years ago, returned to Nigeria, somewhere near Port Harcourt. He agreed to share his story, on two conditions: we must change his last name and not use his photographs. "I hope people would learn from my experience. That's why I agreed to share this story."

This is a compelling narrative:

"I left Port Harcourt more than 35 years ago. I missed the sights and sounds of the Garden City; the intrigues of dusty roads and the smells of combusted market places, filled with everyday people hustling to survive through the day. I missed those days, when plantain sellers hawked by the roadside. I thought I might never see these parts of my life again. I retained faded memory of childhood, the path that led me to, in some strange ways, where I am today, back to this peaceful place called home. I used to sit in shopping mall parking lots, in the cold weather of the US, waiting endlessly for sunset.

"A lot happened to me, I have advanced type two diabetes. I am also suffering from a cardiovascular disease. I am living on borrowed time, supported by several medications. I don't have a wife or family except my sister and the church that rescued me when I returned two years ago, after living in America for nearly 35 years, as a homeless alcoholic. I didn't have Green Card to find a decent job. Even if I did get a job, I was not sober enough most days to keep my job. I hustled for odd jobs to maintain my passion for alcoholic beverages. It didn't have to be that way. I occasionally engaged as a gypsy taxicab driver in the city. I lived beyond minimum wage as I began to hang around other homeless Americans in that city. 

During winter time, I would ride in the city's mass transit bus all day, just to get warm and during severe weather conditions, I checked into the Salvation Army or Rescue Mission shelter homes to get warmth, food and shelter. I had been homeless until one Nigerian asked me to come and drive cab for his company. I drove with no licence, no cab permit.

They came, they drank, they got engaged: The story of Ekene and Ngozi

~ Vanguard, Nigeria. 

When Ekene asked Ngozi to accompany him to last Sunday’s Pearl Look 2015 beauty pageant, she did not suspect that anything was amiss. After dating the broad chested Foschini outfit manager for more than five years, it was nothing unusual for him to invite her to spend a Sunday afternoon together at an event.

This was to be the Sunday afternoon of a lifetime though, as Ekene had an almighty surprise in store for her. As they sat sipping Star Radler, comedian EmmaOhMaGod performing at the event decided unexpectedly to take Ngozi onstage during a stand-up routine about proposing marriage.

To her shock, Ekene suddenly appeared onstage and knelt down with a ring. She could not hold back the tears as she said yes, and the crowd at Havilah Centre erupted into wild cheers.

Who says Nigerian men are not romantic?

I’m suspicious of my wife

Written by KEMI ASHEFON - PUNCH, Nigeria

Dear Kemi,

I am in my mid 30s and married to a woman, who is of same age for about five years. I am based abroad while she is in Nigeria. The problem I am having is that I just don’t trust her and I always feel she is sleeping around. Really, I don’t have any concrete proof for my suspicions but it has always been there. This was from the beginning of our courtship before I left the country and returned from my base outside Nigeria to marry her. When I told her about my suspicions, she denied all the allegations and always had ready-made answers to every question. Sometimes, I wonder if I was charmed into marrying her. Is this normal? Please, help, I am really troubled.

A.K, 

Lagos

Since you have not caught her with any man or got reports from anyone about your wife, I think you have to dismantle the mind-set of infidelity in you. In any relationship, especially where the two partners are not living together in the same place, there are cases of suspicions and rumours. It is now left for those involved to be determined to make the relationship work. Why not learn to trust your wife? Or are there things you have not divulged to me? That you even feel you were charmed into marrying her is wrong and could cause cracks in your home. Give her the benefit of the doubt and stop accusing her. I have discovered in most relationships, infidelity could spring up from unnecessary accusations. A faithful partner could be encouraged to have affairs when accusations abound. Trust is a vital virtue in marriage, do all you can to inculcate it in yours. But this should not stop any form of inquiries when you get suspicious of your partner.

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I was jilted for eight years now…

I was in love with a lady some years back but she left me for another man. Now, eight years after, she is back and begging me to marry her. But I am now married with two kids. I am so confused. What do I do?

P.O

Benue

I don’t see why you should be confused on a matter like this. Are you driving away your wife and children to start life with her? Even if you do, what is the assurance that she will not run away again with another man? I believe you should hold on to your wife and children. Don’t fall prey to a philandering woman’s wits. She is like a serpent, she will always bite. Tell her you are no longer interested in her and that you are happily married with kids. Don’t give her audience again and never entertain her calls.

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Another man took my baby

I am 29 years old and dated a 26-year-old girl for over four years. We planned having a proper wedding by December. Last year, she told me she was pregnant. According to her, she was raped at a party she attended and I accepted the pregnancy due to the love I had for her. I was taken to her parents to be introduced and was even asked to come for a formal ceremony after the baby was born. My girlfriend told me that the man who raped and impregnated her was dead and had not been found.

How Calabar pastor’s family lived with python for 10 years

 Written by Ike Uchechukwu - Nigeria

• It's not an ordinary snake-Mallam Rabiu, snake charmer
• How it was discovered, killed; Area boys turn it to delicacy

Rev Tony Amba

CALABAR-SeniorPastor of the MegaFaith Ministries, Calabar in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Rev Tony is said to have seen numerous miracles in his life and undeniably, the Almighty God has used him to do the extraordinary even for others.

All the same, the messenger of the Most High did not plan for the unusual that he witnessed, last weekend, at his 10 Ekpiken Close domicile.

Unknown to the oracle of God, a 19 -year-old python, measuring 20-metre, supposedly feeding on dogs, fowls, rats and lizards for ages, had been a co-dweller with him and his children in the same apartment for about a decade. The moment he stepped out on the revelation day, the ravenous python from its hideaway in the roof, decided it was time to materialize and use one of the children for its next meal.

Amba's words, "Everything that happened that day was nothing less than a miracle. What if this beast had injured anyone, they would have said a lot of things about me and the ministry, I cannot thank God enough for what he did for my family and me because I have been living in that house for about a decade. Only God knows how long the snake came into that place.''

Angelic visit

Rev Amba told Niger Delta Voice, "Two of my children were home alone when they saw that a something like a machete was piercing through the ceiling so they ran out of the house. Fortunately, one of our members was coming to the house at that time, and he is the one, who inquired from them what the matter was and they told him what they noticed in the ceiling."

Shocking discovery

"In trying to find out if there was someone with a machete in the ceiling because the opening made was quite obvious, they set up a form of ladder to climb and look into the place, but saw something that looked like a tyre, but they discovered it was shining. They decided to use a bigger torch light, what they saw was a python and they were shocked," he said.

His words, "I just came back from a journey where I went to see my father in the lord in Abuja and also attended a conference there. My coming into Calabar was to prepare for our yearly programme, 'September to Remember,' but before coming back, I already knew that a battle had been won because God is always in control."

Starting a business in Nigeria

By Yinka Kolawole - Nigeria. 

There are successful stories of Nigerians who pursued their entrepreneurship dream,and their businesses are doing well despite the economic downturn.

The success stories of these entrepreneurs show that starting a business in Nigeria is do-able.

Cosmas Maduka is Chairman of Choscharis Group. He started his business journey from a humble beginning. After seven years of apprenticeship in selling motorcycle spare parts, his uncle gave him a token of N200 to start his own business in 1975. Today, he is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Another creative successful business owner is Cosmos Okoli, who has proven that starting a business in Nigeria and achieving success is do-able.

At the age of four and half years he had polio. He lost his limbs to the disease. He is making money by creating tools that help disabled people live a convenient life.

He is the chairman of Mobility Aids and Appliances Research and Development Centre (MAARDEC) and the chief executive of Cosokoli Ventures Nigeria Limited and Omokas Nigeria Limited.

Starting a business

Prince Samuel Adedoyin is the chairman/chief executive officer of Doyin Group of companies. He is another testimony to buttress that starting a business in Nigeria and succeeding is achievable. He started petty trading at age 14 with an initial capital of 48 pounds. With that token amount, his business grew to conglomerate of businesses which includes manufacturing, motor vehicle sales, real property investment, general merchandising, etc.

Why my marriage crashed -Ini Edo, actress

Written by JOY UMUKORO - Nigeria. 

Popular Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, has revealed that distance, irreconcilable differences, and incompatibility are the factors that largely contributed to her failed marriage.

She made this known while speaking on Rubbing Minds, a show hosted by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu on Channels Television last week.

According to Edo, distance plays a very important role in a relationship. "No matter the indifference or incompatibility, if you're together in love, a lot of things can actually work out. Howbeit, you don't get to work things out when there is no contact. When you are with someone, and you can't agree on certain things or find a common ground, I think being together could have actually helped us to understand each other better," she reiterated.

The actress explained further that acting makes actors and actresses vulnerable. Her words: "Most of the time, we attract wrong people, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Because when people come to you because of what they see on TV, it's hard for them to accept you considering the fact that you are just acting because that is your job. When they find out that it's not the real you, it becomes a problem.

"Marriage is an experience which I don't regret. My husband met me an actress. My job takes my time, because naturally there are certain roles you are not allowed to play once you are married. Even if your husband understands, his relatives might not understand. My husband is the last child, so family interference in the marriage was normal.

"Marriage has taught me a lot of lessons, it made me wiser and stronger. I think it actually made me more matured. I don't think I married too early, maybe I was a little bit in a hurry."

On dating Mike Godson, Edo said: "Mike is just a friend, and we get to work often. He is a friend to my siblings so we are just good friends. I have known him for a long time just like I have other friends in the industry. I could date an actor. I try not to put limits to what hasn't happened yet. I happen to believe that anything is possible."

In Lagos, Abuja, P'Harcourt cars now compete with shops

Written by Eric Dumo - Punch, Nigeria

Okoye attending to a customer

Parking his car at a corner of the busy road, Oluwaseun Akinyele was soon besieged by a flurry of customers - mostly women - just as soon as he started displaying the different collections at the roof and bonnet of his vehicle. One after the other, the ladies checked out shoes, clothes and bags, turning to one another for advice on which items to settle for from the vast array on display. Before long, the men also joined the party; scanning through available shoes, jackets, shirts and trousers ahead of making a choice. As the minutes ticked away, so also did the number of customers that stopped by Akinyele's 'mobile shop' swell. But even with such impressive patronage, the father of four cannot afford to rent a shop in Lagos capital - Ikeja - where he drives to everyday to service his teeming customers. Displaying goods in his car became his only response to the challenge.

Akinyele displaying his wares in his car

"I can't afford to rent a shop in Ikeja where most of my customers are located," he said. "I tried renting a shop around Allen Avenue sometime back and I was asked to pay N5m for two years. There was nowhere I could get such money from. So, this idea came to my mind. I felt that if I could get a car for around N800, 000 and then get the items I want to sell for about N1million, I could move around the city with the goods and make reasonable sales and profits. Since I started, things have been fair," Akinyele said.

A former bank employee, the young businessman lost his job a few years ago during a massive retrenchment exercise that greeted the industry at the time. With employment opportunities proving hard to come by and five mouths to feed - four children and a wife - Akinyele knew he had to look for a way out.

"I graduated from the university in 1999, I have four kids to cater for and I can't afford to beg or sit without doing anything. I used to work in a bank before a lot of us were laid off. A lot of my friends in the United Kingdom were hawking drugs on the streets but since I cannot do such, I decided to look for a decent means to earn a living here no matter how difficult it could be. That was how I got into using my car as a mobile shop," he said.

Wife of world's richest man fetches water in Malawi

Written by Bayo Akinloye - Nigeria.  

Wife of the richest man in the world, Melinda Gates, was pictured on Saturday carrying on her head a bucket of water fetched from a village in Malawi.

Net worth of the United States' billionaire Bill Gates, according toForbes magazine's annual list of the world's billionaires, stands at $76 billion.

The billionaire's spouse, who described herself as "philanthropist, businesswoman, mother, passionate advocate for women and girls," posted a photo of herself with a 20-litre bucket of water on her head alongside two other Malawian women, walking on a dirt road.

In another picture posted on her Instagram page, she was seen doing the dishes in a Malawian village.

Describing her experience, Gates said on her Facebook page, "During my stay in Malawi, I joined the women collecting drinking water. I carried 20 litres and it was tough. Meanwhile, Chrissy (middle) is carrying about 40 litres. Many women do this every day."

She has been described as one of the world's famous social activist "who is trying to serve the people in ignorance."

In June, wife of the US billionaire met with Malawian President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe. The agenda was to discuss the promotion of safe motherhood and maternal health in the country.

After escaping Boko Haram, Chibok girls adjust to new life in America

Culled from Cosmopolitan

After escaping Boko Haram, Chibok girls adjust to new life in America

Grace slept through the sounds of gunfire in the night. Exhausted from final exams at her boarding school in Nigeria, she awoke when her roommate Mary prodded her, "Get up!"

Suddenly, the girls saw a gang of men spreading across the school grounds. "They said they were soldiers. They said they were there to protect us," Grace says. "They told us all to stay together."

Terrified, the girls did as they were told. The men made their way to the pantry, grabbing all the food. Then they headed for the administrative office. On the way, they began shouting, "Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!" It means "God is great" in Arabic. They lit the office on fire.

"We realized they were impostors," Grace says. "They were not there to help us." But it was too late to run. The girls were forced into trucks at gunpoint. Grace sat with Mary as their vehicle roared off into the dawn. As the school burned in their wake, lighting the sky, Grace thought: "These men are going to kill us."