{"id":84,"date":"2017-04-12T20:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T20:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/finding-home\/?post_type=project&p=84"},"modified":"2023-01-16T14:08:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T14:08:49","slug":"maryam","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/finding-home\/project\/maryam\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryam"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_css_main_element=”height: 100vh;” transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Maryam” header_fullscreen=”on” content_orientation=”bottom” content_max_width=”none” title_font_color=”#000000″ admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font=”Lato|on|||” title_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size=”80px” background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)” background_image=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/finding-home\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/04\/Maryam-feature-image-option-2.jpg” parallax=”on” background_layout=”light” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ background_url=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/mrp\/finding-home\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/04\/Maryam-feature-image-option-2.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”on” button_one_letter_spacing__hover=”0″ button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”on” button_two_letter_spacing__hover=”0″ button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” column_structure=”1_4,1_2,1_4″][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Lato||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”18″ text_line_height=”2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]Maryam, 17, stationed herself in front of her house every day just after dawn. There was always a bowl in front of her, filled with little wraps of Alale,<\/em> pudding made out of beans. She would sit there until she sold the last wrap.<\/p>\n

By the end of the day, she would have almost 500 naira, about $2 CAD, clenched in her fist. She had to sell 50 wraps to make that much money. And on most days she succeeded, sometimes even as early as mid-afternoon.<\/p>\n

One sunny day, she had just set up when she heard loud sounds.<\/p>\n

Prrah! Prrah! Prrah!<\/p>\n

Gunshots.<\/p>\n

She had heard these before, when soldiers came to her village. And then she heard something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!\u201d<\/p>\n

Familiar words. She said them when she lifted her hands in prayer. But the men who shouted these words did not have the calm of prayer in their voices.<\/p>\n

From where she sat, she could see as her village secretariat, not far away, was swallowed up in flames. She did not wait to watch it burn to the ground. She ran into her house.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody was scared,\u201d she said to me in the Hausa language.<\/p>\n

That was the day she heard about Boko Haram.<\/p>\n

That morning\u2019s incident added her village in Madagali, in northeastern Nigeria, to the list of places where Boko Haram has unleashed terror.<\/p>\n

Later that evening, Maryam told her mother she wanted to go to Mubi, a northeastern town she considered safe. It was 100 kilometres away. Her uncle lived there.<\/p>\n

Maryam\u2019s mother gave her some travel money and she set out to Mubi the next day, with her younger sister.<\/p>\n

Mubi was as safe as she imagined, but she missed home. She heard that her village had been peaceful since she left. So two weeks later, Maryam and her sister packed their bags again and returned home.<\/p>\n

But Boko Haram was still close by.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they took Gwoza, we were not scared,\u201d Maryam said about Boko Haram\u2019s bloody raid in a town just 24 kilometres away from hers.<\/p>\n

She remained in Madagali with her family, optimistic that the terrorists would not strike. But Boko Haram returned, and came knocking on her family\u2019s door.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]