Can chess help children displaced by conflict to rebuild their lives?

12 year old Mary has spent most of her life in an Internally Displaced People’s camp in north-east Nigeria.

Her family were driven out of their village by militants Boko Haram- a group whose exploits have left millions in the region displaced.

Over 3 million people have been displaced in Nigeria and more than half of that number are children. This have also contributed to the north’s reputation for having the highest number of children out of school.

But over the last year a very different world has opened up for Mary, and it’s all because of chess. She’s won medals and competed in tournaments in the United States. She was taught to play by chess coach Vivian Ibrahim, a woman who believes chess could help children in these camps to get back into education.

In today’s episode Alan Kasujja speaks to Mary and her mother Hanatu about their journey. He also speaks to Vivian about the power of chess.