Taking The Plight Of Refugees To The White House

Published May 2, 2014 at 12:40 PM CDT

Sasha Chanoff, founder and executive director of RefugePoint, and Yar Ayuel, one of 89 girls who came to the U.S. with the 3,500 Lost Boys of Sudan, will meet with President Obama and the First Lady tomorrow. (Jesse Costa/Here & Now)

Families of the more than 200 Nigerian school girls who were abducted by the Islamism militant group Boko Haram are demanding the government do more, after reports that the girls may have been sold as brides for marriage.

It’s a situation that points to the particular vulnerabilities women face in conflict zones and as refugees.

That’s part of the message Yar Ayuel will bring to President Obama when she meets him and the First Lady on Saturday. Ayuel is one of only 89 girls who came to the U.S. with the 3,500 “Lost Boys” of Sudan.

She went on to get an MBA and now works for a nonprofit and has a family of her own. She’s going to the White House Correspondents Dinner, along with Sasha Chanoff, founder and executive director of RefugePoint, an organization that works to protect the most vulnerable refugees.

Just before setting off for Washington, Ayuel and Chanoff joined Here & Now’s Robin Young to discuss the message they’re taking to the White House.

Related: Adolescent Girl Refugees Face Greatest Risks

Guests

Yar Ayuel, one of 89 girls who came to the U.S. with the 3,500 Lost Boys of Sudan.
Sasha Chanoff, founder and executive director of RefugePoint, an organization that works to protect the most vulnerable refugees. He tweets @SashaChanoff.