The LEAH Project
Advocating for the forgotten, supporting victims of persecution, and helping restore hope, dignity, and freedom to women and girls facing unimaginable adversity.
Free Leah
On February 19, 2018, 14-year-old Leah Sharibu was abducted by Boko Haram terrorists from her school in Nigeria. While many of the girls taken alongside her were eventually released, Leah remains in captivity because of her Christian faith.
More than eight years later, Leah’s name still echoes around the world as a symbol of unwavering courage, resilience, and hope in the face of unimaginable darkness. Her story represents not only the suffering endured by countless girls and women trapped in captivity, trafficking, and religious persecution, but also the urgent need to fight for their freedom.
Leah Sharibu’s story is a reminder that these victims are not forgotten. The world must continue to stand, speak, and act on behalf of those who cannot yet walk free.
The programmes
Leah Sharibu has become a global symbol of the persecuted Church in Nigeria. She is a reminder of the countless women and girls who have suffered for their faith.
Rescue
- Emergency response. Immediate intervention for women and girls affected by terrorism, trafficking, and religious persecution.
- Safe shelter. Providing refuge and protection for survivors escaping abuse, captivity, and exploitation.
- Medical care. Emergency medical assistance for survivors of violence, abuse, and displacement.
Leadership
- Education. Scholarship opportunities for young women and girls.
- Masaada House. Transitional women’s home for survivors of ongoing abuse.
Empowerment
- Hope & Freedom Center. Counseling, discipleship, education and skills training.
- Sandy’s Helpers. Empowering widows and women in animal husbandry and promoting economic development.
- Literacy. Women improve reading and writing skills to be more independent and economically empowered.
Advocacy
- Religious freedom. Advocating for religious freedom in Nigeria.
- Globally. We work in human rights forums in the USA, the UK, and Abuja.
- Sew Freedom Summit. Empowering Nigerian women to lead efforts in IRF/FORB.
Humanitarian
- Cookstove renovation. Using less fuel saves funds and improves the environment.
- Rehabilitation. Substance abuse rehab programs.
- Trauma healing. Trauma healing programs.
- Awareness. Promoting gender-based violence awareness through humanitarian efforts.
Dr. Gloria Samdi-Puldu
President, LEAH Foundation. Dr. Gloria Samdi-Puldu is the President of the LEAH Foundation, a Faith-Based Organization that advocates for the Religious Freedom of Women and Girls in Africa, and the Global Director of Give Her Voice. As a Religious Freedom Champion, she is committed to raising awareness on religious freedom violations in Africa, and through the LEAH Foundation, she supports Girl-Child Education by sponsoring girls to get an education, as well as providing Women Empowerment Programs to help empower women in Africa.
Dr. Gloria, aside from being a strong voice for the persecuted Church in Nigeria, is also a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Political Science, University of Jos, Nigeria. She continues to advocate for the plight of Leah Sharibu, a young Christian girl abducted by Boko Haram (ISWAP) in February 2018. Leah has remained in captivity for more than eight years as a Prisoner of Conscience for boldly refusing to renounce her Christian Faith.