Speaking out

The tragic kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls is personal to Deborah Peters. In 2011, the teenage girl from Chibok - the same village where her friends were abducted last month - barely escaped the ruthless Islamist militant group Boko Haram, after they shot and killed her family in cold blood.

Speaking with reporters in Washington, Peters participated in the social media campaign #bringbackourgirls and joined famous supporters like US First Lady Michelle Obama by holding up her own sign for reporters. The goal is to bring the kidnapped students, who were abducted from their boarding school by Boko Haram in April, back home.

People in Nigeria have been protesting what they perceive as inaction on the part of the government. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to return the girls to their families, but so far has not been able to do so. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has sent reinforcements to help with the rescue.