Entries were open for submission from – May 10th to June 20, 2016.
THE 2016 SPOKEN WORDS COPETITION WINNER (June 25, 2016)
Hope for African Girls Initiative and the spoken words judges are pleased to announce the winner of 2016 spoken words , Valentine Onyeka Ogunaka.
Valentine’s “I will speak for her” is a clever, deftly delivered spoken words which remains in the imagination long after it has been read.
Our thanks to all the poets who gave us a chance to read their work, and our congratulations to Valentine who wins N100, 000
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THE 2016 SPOKEN WORDS SHORTLIST (June 25, 2016)
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Spoken words competition. Our judges re-read the longlisted entries and came up with this outstanding list of four. Congratulations to the shortlisted writers
Caleb Adebayo
AISHA
Daughter of Destiny
Chucks Obi
Fortune C. Okorie
Girls are not Brides
Imam Abdulbasit Kolapo
Girls not Brides
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Thank you everyone for entering the contest. We had over 150 entries and so many brilliant Spoken words from clearly talented Poets. our Judges’ Highly Commended the entries. Congratulations to you all. Keep writing!
The Hope for African Girls Initiative relies entirely on donations from individuals and corporations. HAGI is an Organisation which will depend on funds raised yearly to achieve the objectives.
...Transforming the Lives of Girls in Africa.
Saturday, 25 June 2016
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Generation next and Africa' growth
The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, in collaboration with Atlas Network, has organised a four-day Students and Young Professional African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Participants at the event discussed how youths can champion Africa’s growth. JENNIFER UMEH the Execuctive Director Hope for African Girls Initiative was there.
What are the dividends of democracy and good governance for Africa in the last 50 years? This was the topic for discussion at a four-day Students and Young Professionals (SYPALA) conference held in Accra, the capital of Ghana, last week.
Over 100 students from West Africa gathered at Mensvic Hotels in Accra for the event, organised by the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, a thinktank, and ATLAS Network. The event was aimed at training a new generation of young African leaders to solve the continent’s problems.
IMANI’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Franklin Cudjoe, said conference was a drive to awaken youths to take the advantage of innovation and entrepreneurship to unlock the continent’s economic potential. Cudjoe urged African leaders to promote the contienent’s growth through economic freedom and sound policies.
Executive Director, African Liberty Organisation for Development (ALOD) Adedayo Thomas, who spoke on Achieving market economy, said youths would support the government that is willing to implement free market policies. He said there would be no growth if the government controls the economy, noting that Africa is poor because the government suppressed free market economy.
He called for limited government and liberalisation of public institution, saying: “Africa can no longer tolerate plundering of wealth by a few in the name equality. For Africa to rise, government must withdraw from economy and allow free market economy to bring growth.”
Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors’ CEO Senyo Hosi, said countries that achieved a sustained economic growth promoted the ideas of liberty, individual autonomy and property rights.
He said there would not be meaningful progress if individuals did not have liberty to innovate and protect intellectual property. He said the conference was to open the eyes of the participants to importance of freedom and capitalism.
A leader blogger and entrepreneur, Japheth Omojuwa, said libertarianism brought more opportunities for African youths, pointing out that more innovative young people have achieved prosperity in the last 10 years in countries, such as Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
He said the government must give people a right to have choices and protect the rights of minorities. The development of Africa, he said, rests on the energies of its youths to bring out good innovations that will change the story of the continent.
Founder EDEL Technology Consulting, a digital product firm, Ms Ethel Cofie, identified lack of courage as a challenge preventing women to innovate. Beyond raising children and family, Ms Cofie said women dream big and compete with men in entrepreneurship.
“We need to dispel a notion that women in leadership positions are authoritative. We need to encourage and support ourselves and pursue open opportunities to achieve our latent potentials,” she said.
Director, Economic Growth Office of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Brain Conklin, explained how economic freedom could be used for determining human development.
According to him, regional economic communities are meant to be building blocks for continental integration, adding that the government’s restrictions were threatening meaningful development.
The conference also featured panel of discussion on participatory democracy and term limit for African leaders.
A participant from Nigeria, Amaka Udeh, said many African countries have the potential to be the next economic destination, adding that the struggle for power among leaders was part of the reasons people remained poor.
A participant from Ghana, Richard Abeiku, described the conference as educative and thought-provoking, saying it challenged him to take up responsibility to educate people on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Another participant, Henry Eshun, said: “I have been enlightened on the causes of African challenges and the way forward. I will go back to my community to see how I can change the story of my people.”
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
I am volunteering to help girls and my work has meaning!
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| Jennifer recieving her scholarship as EAG scholar. |
My name is Jennifer Chinonye Umeh. I am Educate a girl scholar in Nigeria (EAG scholar).Educate a Girl (EAG) is about giving girls in need the ability to transform their lives, enter the workforce & have a voice in the media. $100 covers the entire vocal education in media studies of one girl in Nigeria, as well as further grooming.
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| picture taken at the EAG event, held in Lagos state Nigeria. |
The project is actively engaged in educating, grooming, mentoring and placing girls in the job market, both in radio/tv/print journalism and PR/
social media bloggers for multi-nationals/ corporates.
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| Jennifer recieving her Certificate of completion on Fundamentals and practics of Journalism |
This project is helping women and girls get and keep jobs and then create a system to hire others. The project is reminding girls they have a voice, giving them a platform for that voice to be heard and the freedom to say whatever they want. They are bringing together Nigerian deserving girls from different ethnicities in Nigeria to educate them and Give them a Future
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| A group photo, with the pupils of Ipe community primary school. An Outreach organised by MAGIC fellows. |
I am a MAGIC FELLOW. (Mentor a girl child fellow) MAGIC FELLOWS are youths who are passionate about the issues facing the Girl Child In Nigeria, ranging from Early Marriages, Child abuse, Health, Education etc
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| Jennifer lifting a child at the MAGIC fellow outreach held at Ipe in kwara state Nigeria. |
The fellowship program which is an initiative of Her Voice, runs for a period of a year to improve the livelihood of the girl child. During this period the Fellows are exposed to mentorship, networking and training opportunities during their fellowship tenure.
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| A group photograph at the 2016 Liberty camp organised by ALOD. - Lagos Nigeria. |
I am a libertarian at African Liberty Organisation for Development - Think-thank. As Libertarians, We are called the "CHEETAH GENERATION" Cheetah generation are the new and angry generation of young African Students, graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective. We are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. You may call us the “restless generation” but we are Africa’s new hope.
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| Participants at the 2016 SYPALA. -Accra Ghana |
We brook no nonsense about corruption, inefficiency, ineptitude, and incompetence. We understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. We also know that many of Our current leaders are hopelessly corrupt. We do not look for excuses for government failure
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| A friendly photograph with participants at the 2016 SYPALA. - Accra Ghana. |
Our outlook and perspectives are refreshingly different from those of many African leaders, intellectuals, or elites, whose mental faculties are so foggy and their reasoning
or logic so befuddled that they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. They blame everybody else for Africa’s problems except themselves.
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| A group photograph at the 2016 SYPALA. held at Accra Ghana. |
We are the young ones, We are the ones that will change Africa.
We are strong. We are impatient
with corrupt governments. We demand the responsibility and the LIBERTY to run our own lives, to make our own choices, to pursue our own happiness.
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| Students displaying every woman is a star at Benin Outreach. |
I got my chance in 2016, I became a State Coordinator with She is a Model International. SHE’S A MODEL ACADEMY is an international organization poised with the passion of total personality branding of the girl child. They give intensive training designed to train young ladies to be model of true success,and equip them with fresh perspectives and new strategies to discover their authentic destinies.Interacting with young people, guiding them, answering queries were all part of my job.
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| Jennifer metoring Students at Every woman is a star Outreach organised by She is a model Int - Benin city. |
In January 2016, I became the Executive director of Hope for African Girls Initiative. HAGI is a platform for implementing SDG’S goal 1, goal 4 and goal 5 in all it forms. In line with the sustainable development goals agenda, the issue surrounding women and girls’ empowerment, Gender Equality and human dignity becomes a primordial task for every stakeholder. These pressing issues led to the creation of Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) in January 1st 2016 with the vision of seeing the Girl child at the centre of development and peace. HAGI is developed to improve and foster the self actualization of the girl child’s potential for societal development.
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| HAGI Outreach programme - Kwara state, Nigeria |
We want to see the girl child being celebrated, empowered, educated, and creating mastery of purpose, exercise of human rights and total engagement of women. In Africa, there are a lot of challenges facing the girl child. With detailed study over the years, these challenges have been best categorized under the niche of Education, Health and basic Human rights that shouldn't be gender depriving.
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| HAGI Outreach programme - River State Nigeria |
The girl child, like her awesome gender counterpart is also faced with these enormous challenges but we are compelled to attend to the more vulnerable the girl child and women at large. Our mission is to educate and empower the girl child with the aim of enhancing their values through campaigns and raising awareness, if just one girl is touched our mission is accomplished.
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| HAGI Outreach programne - Ogun State, Nigeria |
As i mentor and empower young girls, I somehow, became their hope. My job entails providing, educating, mentoring and empowering girls with information. I also identify the most vulnerable cases to make best service of the capacity we have. We have 150 girls but we don’t have the capacity to serve them all with our limited funds.
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| HAGI outreach programme - Enugu state , Nigeria |
What I consider most precious about this job is to be able to listen to everyone’s problems and offer some compassion. For the girls, they have someone they can talk to who can perhaps try to find a solution, who represents their chance of some respite from their never-ending plight.
I am volunteering to help girls and my work has meaning!
Volunteering gives me happiness - Anurika Mary
My name is Chukwu Anurika Mary, i am a state coordinator for Hope for African Girls Initiative. I work as a state coordinator here in Rivers State, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
My first project was conducted on 27th May 2016 at University of Port Harcourt where children gathered for Match - pass and other activities.
Our focus was on the girl child especially the one's hawking, it was children's day celebration yet they weren't opportune to celebrate with their fellow children instead they were hawking
We shared launched pack, educational materials and snacks with them... It was a fun-filled day for them, we talked, encouraged, empowered and mentor and advise them on the need to be educated.
All thanks to HAGI for giving us the privilege

Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Maimuna's Story
Where I am from, education is disregarded by so many. Everyone wants to be successful, drive flashy cars, wear the most expensive clothes and carry the latest phones. But I believe that education is essential for everyone; it is education that helps people to earn respect and recognition.
In my village, which is in Kaduna State in northern Nigeria, hawking is seen as more productive than educating a child. Kids are married off at a very early age, too. You will see a 12 year old who already has a baby and is tied down with so many responsibilities.
In my community, if a parent allows their female child to reach the age of 15 in the house, they are seen as irresponsible and their children will be insulted. At 15, single girl is considered a disappointment because all of her friends are married. No man in the village will want to marry her.
THE ONLY GIRL IN SCHOOL
I was 14 years old when our village school re-opened. Most parents only sent their male children. But my dad had made up his mind to do whatever it took to send his children to school because he had dropped out when he was very young. I was the only girl in the whole school.
With time, my friends started developing interest. Most of them joined because they found it a way to escape chores and others were impressed by the changes they saw in me. Registration was free so anyone could join the school. As for my mum, she only allowed me to go to school because my dad said so. Every morning she gave me stuff to sell when I got to school.
My teacher noticed my interest in studies. He checked my work and corrected me when I was wrong. Anytime he didn’t see me in school, he’d come all the way home and take me on his bike to school because he didn’t want me to lose interest like others did.
By the time I reached my sixth year of primary school, all of my friends had been married off and my relatives kept pressuring my dad to marry me off too. They said: sending me to school was a bad decision because “Educated children end up spoilt and irresponsible”. But he refused.
MY DAD, SCHOOL AND TRAINING HAVE HELPED MAKE MY DREAMS COME TRUE
One day after I completed primary school, my father asked my cousins and my brothers and sisters what plans we had for the future. I was sure that I didn’t want marriage yet so I spoke out. I told him I wanted to continue my studies to university level. He was impressed by my ambitious response and gave his word to support me even though we didn’t have the money.
Three years into secondary school, with no friends but my Dad, bearing long walks to school and back, hardship, hunger, and no money, I almost gave up. But Girl Child Concerns helped me. They helped pay for my school fees and books and gave me life skills training too. My dad and I have decided that any time I come back home for holidays, I will teach my younger relations, married women and other youths who are interested in the things I have learnt at school, including Islamic knowledge.
Many people are impressed by this action I have taken, and wish they chose school over marriage. My sisters say that once they got married, it’s the same routine all the time: chores, babies and all with no money to take care of themselves. The women I teach tell me that they wish they had had the chance to go to school, even for a day.
Others, especially my relatives, are still against it. Whenever I come back for the holidays they look at me in pity and say: “oh maimuna, so this is the path you have chosen for yourself”. Well, “idan ba’a yi sharan masallaci ba ‘a yi na kasuwa” meaning- one day, in the process of getting western knowledge, I will end up with an unwanted pregnancy. Their words hurt me but I refuse to give up.
WHEN I FINISH MY STUDIES I WANT TO
IMPROVE HEALTH IN MY COMMUNITY
I have chosen to study health. My community has a large population and an unending problem of early marriage, which means children are born every day. But there is only one hospital, with 6 wards and few attendants. It’s more like a pharmacy or clinic because only minor injuries can be treated. For most problems, they just prescribe panadol, drips and injections, without finding out what the patient’s problem is.
Lives are at risk, and that touches my heart. When I finish my studies I will go back to my village and make a change. To help with the reconstruction of the hospital; treat as many people as possible, assist the pregnant, old and helpless. I believe that with good health we can all work to achieve our dreams. This is the goal I have set for myself and by God’s grace nothing will stop me from achieving it.
I would like to use this as an opportunity to advise or plead any parent who is reading this to allow their children, especially girls, to go to school. Those who have been lucky to go to school should please try to share the knowledge they have acquired with siblings, friends, whoever they can reach out to. We should recognise that “the best gift any parent can give to their child is education”.
source: GirlnotBride
GIRL CHILD EDUCATION TO NATION BUILDING
Investment in girl education benefits the individual, society, and the world as a whole. Broad-based education of good quality is among the most powerful instruments known to reduce poverty and inequality. With proven benefits for personal health, it also strengthens nations’ economic health by laying the foundation for sustained economic growth. For individuals and nations, it is key to creating, applying, and spreading knowledge—and thus to the development of dynamic, globally competitive economies. And it is fundamental for the construction of democratic societies.
The importance of girl child education in a nation’s welfare are:
Reduces inequality:
Education is a great “leveler”, illiteracy being one of the strongest predictors of poverty. Primary education plays a catalytic role for those most likely to be poor, including girls, ethnic minorities, orphans, disabled people, and rural families. By enabling larger numbers to share in the growth process, education can be the powerful tide that lifts all boats.
Increases productivity and earnings:
Research has established that every year of schooling increases individual wages for both men and women by a worldwide average of about 10 percent. In poor countries, the gains are even greater.
Drives economic competitiveness :
An educated and skilled workforce is one of the pillars of the knowledge-based economy. Increasingly, comparative advantages among nations come less from natural resources or cheap labor and more from technical innovations and the competitive use of knowledge. Studies also link education to economic growth: education contributes to improved productivity which in theory should lead to higher income and improved economic performance.
Poverty-reducing effects :
Education can vitally contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. While two of the goals pertain directly to education, education also helps to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, lower child mortality rates, protect against HIV/AIDS, reduce
fertility rates, and enhance environmental awareness.
Improves health and nutrition:
Education greatly benefits personal health. Particularly powerful for girls, it profoundly affects reproductive health, and also improves child mortality and welfare through better nutrition and higher immunization rates. Education may be the single most effective preventive weapon against HIV/AIDS.
Contributes to democratization :
Countries with smaller education gap between rates of boys’ and girls’ schooling tend to enjoy greater democracy. Democratic political institutions (such as power-sharing and clean elections) are more likely to exist in countries with higher literacy rates and education levels.
Reduces women’s fertility rates :
Women with formal education are much more likely to use reliable family planning methods, delay marriage and childbearing, and have fewer and healthier babies than women with no formal education. It is estimated that one year of female schooling reduces fertility by 10 percent. The effect is particularly pronounced for secondary schooling.
Lowers infant and child mortality rates :
Women with some formal education are more likely to seek medical care, ensure their children are immunized, be better informed about their children's nutritional requirements, and adopt improved sanitation practices. As a result, their infants and children have higher survival rates and tend to be healthier and better nourished.
Lowers maternal mortality rates :
Women with formal education tend to have better knowledge about health care practices, are less likely to become pregnant at a very young age, tend to have fewer, better-spaced pregnancies, and seek pre- and post-natal care. It is estimated that an additional year
of schooling for 1,000 women helps prevent two maternal deaths.
Protects against HIV/AIDS infection:
Girls’ education ranks among the most powerful tools for reducing girls’ vulnerability. It slows and reduces the spread of HIV/AIDS by contributing to female economic independence, delayed marriage, family planning, and work outside the home as well as greater information about the disease and how to prevent it.
Increases women’s labor force participation rates and earnings:
Education has been proven to increase income for wage earners and increase productivity for employers, yielding benefits for the community and society.
Creates intergenerational education benefits:
Mothers’ education is a significant variable affecting children’s education attainment and opportunities. A mother with a few years of formal education is considerably more likely to send her children to school. In many countries each additional year of formal education completed by a mother translates into her children remaining in school for an additional one-third to one-half year.
ORJI IFEOMA AMAKA
Education the key to development
Girls and women all over the world remain deprived of full and equal opportunities for education. The UNESCO World Atlas argues that there has been progress towards parity in primary education; however, after secondary level education, this tapers off significantly in the developing regions. In Nicaragua, 45 percent of girls with no schooling are married before age 18 versus only 16 percent of their educated counterparts. In Mozambique, the figures are 60 percent versus 10 percent and in Senegal, 41 percent versus 6 percent. See what a little education can do? Education is a key to preventing immature childbirth and early childhood marriage ( Girl Effect ).
From research, we know that when a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, on average, she will marry four years later and have 2.2 fewer children (Girl Effect ). An extra year of primary school has proven to boost a girls’ wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school boosts their wage about 15 to 25 percent – one extra year of school! Think of how that one additional year could improve and change the course of their life. In Half the Sky, Kristof and WuDunn argue:
“The single most important way to encourage women and girls to stand up for their rights is education, and we can do far more to promote universal education in poor countries.”
Emmanuel Jal, a child soldier-turned-rapper, shares his thoughts on the power of educating women. He says:
“The best way to help Sudan, is to educate its women.”
He speaks of his sister who was raped during the civil war. Rather than sit and complain about it, she has turned her pain into positive actions, because “she understands the power of education.” He goes on to say that women are much more clever than men but never have the chance to fully demonstrate their strength. Women are the ones who educate the kids and teach them how to behave; they take care of the household and make sure everyone gets fed. “Men are too busy talking politics and killing each other” ( World Bank ).
In Kenya, if every girl completed secondary school, this would add about $27 billion to the economy over the course of their lifetimes (Girl Effect ). In Ethiopia, if girls completed secondary education, nearly $6.8 billion would be contributed. These are astronomical figures.
In October 2010, The World Bank started an initiative called “Educate a Woman, Build a Nation…” They created an Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) to help young women get jobs after high school. This program also encourages the girls to finish high school. Since its inception, almost 20,000 adolescent girls from Afghanistan to Rwanda have been impact (Girl Effect ). In their occupational training programs, they have a nearly 95 percent completion rate. BRAC reaches nearly 800,000 girls globally by providing girl spaces, life skills, and access to microfinance (Girl Effect ). Movements like the AGI, and other similar initiatives launched by BRAC, the NoVo Foundation, and the Nike Foundation, have changed the way the world perceives the importance of education for both men, and women.
Education can transform and empower girls and women to create sustainable development for society as a whole.
Resources
Girl Effect: Fact Sheet. http://www.girleffect.org/explore/taking-the-girl-effect-to-scale/deck-assets-the-world-for-girls
UNESCO: World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education . United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 1-94.
Girl child education is a primordial task for every stake holder - Jennifer Umeh
Speaking at a programme organised by She is a model International in conjunction with Hope for African Girls Initiative, Miss Jennifer said there is need for more sensitisation and enlightenment programmes to educate the public on the need to give priority to girl child education. A nation that neglects the education of the girl child is heading for peril, Umeh warned.
She called on all to see the education of the girl child as a priority, saying there is need to work more against their violence.
“Education is very important because when you train a child, you have trained a nation. We also believe that training a child will boost the economy of the nation,” she said.
While praising governments’ effort at giving the girl child the right to education, She noted that government alone cannot do it hence the reason for her organisation’s decision to come in to assist.
“The government is trying but it is obvious that they cannot do it alone; that is why we took it upon ourselves to help. We also call on well-meaning Nigerians to come to our aid in the struggle to give the girl child the right education,” she said.
Girl child education is not negotiable,
“It is the girl that develops into a woman, so there is need for her to be taken care of and given proper education, She added.
The Change Agents
The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) and its franchise partner, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited (CCNL) once again demonstrated their commitment to youth development in Nigeria, hosting 50 students of different tertiary institutions across the country to a two-day workshop at the 11th edition of the biannual Campus Life workshop in Lagos.
The workshop themed, Building a Drug-free and Non-cultist Generation, was organised in collaboration with The Nation Newspaper for the student journalists.
Community Affairs Manager, CCNL Emeka Mba, expressed the delight of NBC and CCNL with the initiative, especially as serves to empower the youth and points them in the right direction towards the campaign for a drug-free and non-cultist generation. He encouraged the participants to be good ambassadors and report happenings in their environment objectively.
“The Coca-Cola System is aware of the potential that resides in the youth and this initiative is one of the cardinal programmes of the System’s corporate social investments in Nigeria,” Mba said.
At the workshop, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), lawyer and human rights activist, encouraged the student journalists to be the agents of change Nigeria desperately needs.
“To change the society, the youth have to be convinced that the society requires a surgical operation and must be ready for sacrifice,” Falana said.
Assistant Director, Drug Abuse Preventive Education, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mrs Stella Ngwoke enlightened the youths in a talk titled Causes, Signs and Consequences of Drug Abuse
She urged the youths to play frontline roles in the fight against drug abuse, as key stakeholders in the quest for a drug-free society.
“Drug abuse is dangerous and should not be tolerated in all spheres of social life,” she said.
Editor of The Nation Newspaper’s Campus Life column, Mr Wale Ajetunmobi spoke to the student journalists on Writing and Phone/E-mail Communication Rules and on Ethics of Journalism Practice.
The brain behind who-is-who in Campuslife Magazine.
Students writers from various institutions
in Nigeria under the auspices of Campus life have published the maiden edition of the “Who -Is-Who In Campus Life Magazine”, which is aimed at bringing together the offsprings of the late Mrs. Ngozi Agbo and to brought to remembrance the late matriarch.
Jennifer Umeh, The Executive Director of Hope for African Girls Initiative is the brain behind the Magazine.
“This magazine Who is Who in Campuslife is borne out of our desire to immortalize the legacies of late Ngozi and to celebrate those who believed in her vision and followed it even after her life. Thus, it centers on late Ngozi Agbo (nee Nwuzor). To that end, that brings to bear how many lives she touched and improved.
“The Nation was lucky to have been enriched by her and I truly believe that her legacy will live on”.
Also speaking on the development, Femi Asu, former Campuslife reporter, eulogized late Ngozi as a teacher, source of inspiration, a friend, a change agent, and an enabler of dreams to many young persons and not only to those in the pen family.
Asu, added “the fact that Wale Ajetunmobi, one of her mentees in the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has been coordinating the affairs of Campus life since her demise speaks volumes about her (Aunty Ngozi’s) efforts at mentoring and building young people for the good future she dreamt about”
In his own view, Gbenga Ojo, a graduate of Petroleum Training Institute, Delta state, listed students now working in media houses as a result of the training they received under the platform as undergraduates.
However, there were 72 students reporters featured in the maiden edition of the Who Is Who In Campus Life publication.
The Executive Director of HAGI was recently awarded the outstanding student in her School
She received the award from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Senate, Oluwatosin Ogunkuade. The SUG president, Yusuf Olalekan, urged students to be good ambassadors of the institution as he recognised their support for his administration. He promised to always fight for their welfare. The event featured musical entertainment by upcoming artistes on the campus, including Starboy Dance group and Olamide of Offa. This was followed by a lecture tagged: What
next after school?, which was anchored by the NANS Senate President. Ogunkuade, who is a former student of the polytechnic, said students must be up and doing in both academic pursuit and
entrepreneurship. He urged them to work hard to achieve their aims, saying: “You must not be
seen idle. Always use your head to think about good ideas that will make your life better. You
should never be tempted to steal. With good ideas, you can make legitimate money for a living.”
The lecture was followed by award presentation, which came in four categories, certificate award, award of honour, awards of excellence and management award of recognition. Some of the awardees include, Saliu Olawunmi, Olaito Adelele, Ola Iyana, Lasisi Adams and Babalola Taiwo. Speaking after she received the award, Jennifer said she saw the honour as a reward for her effort to make the campus a better place to study. She said: “I am grateful to the management for this honour. I was not expecting it though, because no campus reporter has ever been honoured this way by the school. Campus reporters are important people not just on campus, also in the larger society. But they are given less attention. But, this award will spur other campus writers to make more efforts for the peace and progress of the school.”
Meet the Executive Director of Hope for African Girls Initiative
21-year old high-spirited Jennifer is a self-driven, creative and motivated woman. An Entrepreneur, Journalist, Libertarian and author. She founded Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi), a non-profit volunteer-driven, education-focused organisation, backed by a team of other young professionals who also share in the vision of providing quality education to undeserved children in geographically marginalised communities.
She was among the privileged participants at the just concluded, 2016 Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) workshop in Accra Ghana, which also served as the maiden edition of the Africa Liberty Forum. The Forum brought together friends of the freedom movement across Africa to discuss challenges facing the region and to learn from one another on the most effective way to advance the free-market reforms.
»»Tell us about your work: how you came to work as a humanitarian and what you were doing before?
I wanted to be a Journalist and worked in a media house. I think that desire was what made me what I have become today. While nursing my desire for Journalism, I became a freelance writer with The Nation Newspaper. I have also contributed in the production of different Magazines/Newspapers.
My first voluntary service began after I had attended the Educate a Girl Nigeria workshop in Lagos. The workshop was an eye-opener to me as I became aware of too many illicit behaviours bedevilling the girl child around the world such as child marriage, sexual assault, violence against girls etc. I saw the need to help young people, I desired to speak out so that my voice to be heard. I said to myself, if only my voice could change the status quo in Africa, why should I hold back. I approached some NGOs indicating my interest to serve as a volunteer. I joined Her Voice Africa, YALI Network, One African Child, Earthplus, She is a Model International etc.
In order to be exuberant and to ensure that my voice is loud enough, then I founded Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) in January 2016. Since then, HAGi has mentored over 1000 girls across Africa.
As a student, I have been motivated to work in places where I could contribute and provide value. I have performed excellently in different roles like taking care of children in my church, communications and development.
»»Who inspires you?
My mother is my inspiration. She always supports me in every goal-oriented endeavour. She desires to see me reach the peak of my Endeavour and become a voice to reckon on.
Another source of inspiration is the young people I’ve met in the course of doing my humanitarian works, whose stories always resonate hope and which I carry with me through every session, seminar, or lesson I give.
»»Who is the most important mentor in your life, and why is he/she so valuable to you?
I have been lucky enough to have many mentors in my life. I believe that one mentor may not be enough to guide one in all the things that one may encounter in career and life. I found mentors so valuable because usually they have been around the block and have already tackled the issues I am facing. They can tell me what to avoid as much as guide me on what I could do. All mentors are important but my best mentor, the woman who transformed my life is Mrs Juliet Kego Ume-Onyido, founder of Whole woman Network.
»»What are the key projects you have accomplished?
We are supporting community-based schools in Africa and our literacy effort is playing an instrumental role in ensuring that young girls in Africa have access to education. It is an investment that will give dividends to generations unborn. Globally, enormous progress has been made in closing the gender gap in primary education over the last 20 years.
This year, we have mentored and empowered over 1000 young girls in Nigeria.
Our projects includes:
1. Social Action Project: The aim of the project is to address one of the social issue affecting our communities such as
•Access to Education for all.
•Sexual Assault
•Violence against girls
2. A Day with a Girl Child: To ensure a better future for our girls. They will have to be shaped and properly guided. The A Day with a Girl Child project is mainly for children between 6-13 years old. The program involves:
•Career Talks,
•Educational Discussions
•Mentoring and Quizzes.
3. Community Outreach: This project is mainly for the street children and the Less privileged children. It includes...
• School Empowerment for female students
• Back to school/ enrolling at least 1 out of school girls in school.
An education inspection of the
educational system reveals that many pupils finished their schooling without being able to read. Therefore, we shall focus on both the quality of education and enrolment rates because we know that educating girls has tremendous multiplying effects on families and societies.
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»» What does Volunteering look like to you?
With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer to help people. However, the benefits of
voluntary services are enormous.
Through volunteering, one can find friends while reaching out to the community, learn new skills, and even advance in career. Helping others can also help protect one's mental and physical health.
I’ve come to believe that anyone can do this “Volunteering” anywhere.
»»What is your long-term goal?
Dr. Thomas Dooley, US Navy Physician once said, “Dedicate some of your life to others. Your dedication will not be a sacrifice. It will be an exhilarating experience because it is an intense effort applied toward a meaningful end.”
My ultimate goal is to contribute to the improvement of girl-child education in Africa and to put a stop to issues militating the development of the girl child, such as sexual assault, violence against girls and child marriage. My dream is to locate those gifted young girls who deserve a chance to education but may not be able to get near it due to lack of funds.
I would very much like to be in a position where I could do something to make that dream a reality. As my life moves forward, I want to see thousands of girls having their future aspirations fulfilled.
»»Where do you see Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGI) in 5years time?
In five years time, I want to see HAGi impacting more lives and bringing succour to underprivileged girls. I want to see thousands of girls, having their aspirations fulfilled. I desire to see more development partners, partnering with HAGi to ensure full realisation of our set goals.
I desire to see HAGi being at the fulcrum, championing a campaign against child marriage & other violence against young girls.
»»Tell us more about your NGO HAGI?
Hope for African Girls Initiative is a platform for implementing SDG’S goal 1, goal 4 and goal 5 in all it forms. In line with the sustainable development goals agenda, the issue surrounding women and girls’ empowerment, Gender Equality and human dignity becomes a primordial task for every stakeholder. These pressing issues led to the creation of Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) in January 1st 2016 with the vision of seeing the Girl child at the centre of development and peace. HAGI is developed to improve and foster the self actualization of the girl child’s potential for societal development. We want to see the girl child being celebrated, empowered, educated, and creating mastery of purpose, exercise of human rights and total engagement of women.
In Africa, there are a lot of challenges facing the girl child. With detailed study over the years, these challenges have been best categorized under the niche of Education, Health and basic Human rights that shouldn't be gender depriving. The girl child, like her awesome gender counterpart is also faced with these enormous challenges but we are compelled to attend to the more vulnerable the girl child and women at large. Our mission is to educate and empower the girl child with the aim of enhancing their values through campaigns and raising awareness, if just one girl is touched our mission is accomplished.
»»What’s your advice to young people who want to make a difference but aren’t sure of how?
“There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions in a way that serves the world and you.” - Richard Branson.
You must not wait until you become affluent before you impact people. Successful people always focus on the positive side even when they know challenges are inevitable.
Start with small steps. I did not magically start speaking to young people all at once. I started with trainings, and conferences. But that is not even strictly a requirement to get engaged. Helping a less fortunate individual by sharing your food or your time is a good start. Also volunteering in outreach programs and participating or joining in school and community-based organizations could help. But educating one’s self and caring sufficiently enough to really know the other person’s concerns are keys to engaging and making a difference. After all, the world may be vast but we are really just connected invariably and inevitably. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” —Pablo Picasso
Child Marriage
It is clear that child marriage often means the end to a girls’ formal education. When a girl drops out of school she is denied her right to an education and the ability to
develop the skills and knowledge needed to live a healthy, fulfilling life and one where she can earn an income and contribute to her family and community. Girls tend to drop out of school in the preparatory time before marriage or shortly afterwards. Once a girl is out of school, she is more vulnerable to child marriage and early
pregnancy. Child brides are often disempowered, dependent on their husbands and deprived of their fundamental rights to health, education and safety. Neither physically nor emotionally ready to become wives and mothers, child brides are at greater risk of experiencing dangerous complications in pregnancy and childbirth, becoming infected with HIV/AIDS and suffering domestic violence. With little access to education and economic opportunities, they and their families are more likely to live in poverty
Young girls with low levels of education are more likely to experience violence by an intimate partner. A young girl who is still struggling to understand her own anatomy is forced to make conjugal relations and often show signs of post traumatic stress and depression owing to sexual abuse by her older partner. Neither their bodies are prepared nor their innocent little minds.
Forced sexual encounters lead to irreversible physical damage. The psychological damage cannot even be comprehended. The girls are three times more likely to experience marital rape. The girls who marry after 18 years are more likely to talk to their husbands
about contraception, discuss when to have children and how many. Young brides face a higher risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases owing to her marriage with an older man with more sexual encounters.
UNICEF Statistics states that "Young girls who are less than 15 years are five times more likely to die during child birth than those in the 20s" The infant mortality rate is very high because the young body of a woman is biologically not capable of maternity.
Owing to their tender age, some of them are sexually exploited by other men in the family and they are too scared to go out and complain. In the absence of proper education, little
do they know that the gender of a child depends on the father and not the mother. If sex determination issues and female foeticide continue for a girl child, it would possibly further add to their woes. Girls who marry at a tender age are more likely to believe that it is justified for a man to batter his wife than her peers who marry after attaining adulthood.
Many girls aren’t in education because schools are inaccessible or expensive, or simply because parents don’t see the value of education for their daughters, either because it is poor quality or not seen as relevant to their lives. With few
alternatives available, parents often see
marriage as the best option for their daughter. Child marriage and early pregnancy can also force girls out of school. Girls tend to drop out before or shortly after marriage because their new role of wife often comes with new expectations around taking care of the home as well as caring for children and extended family. Returning to school can be difficult too. Married girls who would like to continue schooling may be both practically and culturally excluded from doing so.
However, education alone is not enough to end child marriage. We also need to address the root cause of child marriage, gender inequality and the low value assigned to girls in society. Only then we will end the practice once and for all.
The Cheetah Generation
Early this year, Jennifer Umeh, The Founder of Hope for African Girls Initiative, attended the Liberty and entrepreneurship Camp held at Lagos State Polytechnic. During the four days workshop, an entrepreneur and youth development expert, Sarah Kawala, has described entrepreneurship as the solution to poverty in Africa.
Kawala said African youths must be part of the “cheetah generation”, a term she used to describe young’ people who do not wait for the government to do things for them. If Africa must develop, she said, its youths must shoulder the responsibility for the continent’s salvation.
Kawala said African youths must be part of the “cheetah generation”, a term she used to describe young’ people who do not wait for the government to do things for them. If Africa must develop, she said, its youths must shoulder the responsibility for the continent’s salvation.
Kawala, a Kenyan, spoke at Liberty and Entrepreneurship Camp jointly organised by African Liberty Organisation for Development (ALOD) and the United States-based Language of Liberty Institute (LLI). The four-day event with the theme: The call of entrepreneurship, was held at the Engineering Theatre of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH).
One hundred students from some higher institutions attended the camp to learn the principles of free society, liberty and entrepreneurship. The objective of the event was to chart a course for peace, liberty and prosperity.
The programme was supported by Network for a free Society and Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.
One hundred students from some higher institutions attended the camp to learn the principles of free society, liberty and entrepreneurship. The objective of the event was to chart a course for peace, liberty and prosperity.
The programme was supported by Network for a free Society and Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.
The ALOD Executive Director, Adedayo Thomas, blamed Africa’s woes on the leaders’ addiction to socialism, saying the philosophy closed doors of economic prosperity on the continent He said the practice of centralised authority and payment of social entitlements would take Africa to nowhere, noting: “Our political institutions in Africa don’t respond well to changes. It is unfortunate that many of us trust the government, whereas it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Thomas said principles of free society and liberty had brought prosperity and mutual respect to countries that put them into practice, adding that if people value their fellow humans, the society would achieve peace and development.
He told the participants not to look up to the government for their survival, but to see their salvation in their creativity.
Speaking on Theorising capitalism: An analysis of opportunities, Mr Ibrahim Anoba, a lecturer at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), said African countries must pull down obstructions at their borders, which were raised against free trade. This, he said, will bring about economic prosperity.
He said: “When people have freedom to trade, values would be created and mutual respect would be earned.”
Anoba added that closed borders would engender closed opportunities for the young entrepreneurs to create wealth, wondering why there are trade borders when trade itself is peaceful.
He added: “It is time African governments removed barriers against economic activities and allow people to trade freely.”
Thomas said principles of free society and liberty had brought prosperity and mutual respect to countries that put them into practice, adding that if people value their fellow humans, the society would achieve peace and development.
He told the participants not to look up to the government for their survival, but to see their salvation in their creativity.
Speaking on Theorising capitalism: An analysis of opportunities, Mr Ibrahim Anoba, a lecturer at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), said African countries must pull down obstructions at their borders, which were raised against free trade. This, he said, will bring about economic prosperity.
He said: “When people have freedom to trade, values would be created and mutual respect would be earned.”
Anoba added that closed borders would engender closed opportunities for the young entrepreneurs to create wealth, wondering why there are trade borders when trade itself is peaceful.
He added: “It is time African governments removed barriers against economic activities and allow people to trade freely.”
Wale Ajetumobi, Editor of CAMPUSLIFE of The Nation, who spoke on Liberty, media and the best value, advised the participants to develop their latent skills. As budding entreapreneurs, he said the participants must understand the market and calculate risks involved. He charged the participants to engage social media positively and become entrepreneurs who earn living using their mobile phones.
He said: “It is very difficult to achieve prosperity without creating a structure to leverage your efforts. With the right structure in place, every action you take will lead to big reward in physical prosperity.”
He said: “It is very difficult to achieve prosperity without creating a structure to leverage your efforts. With the right structure in place, every action you take will lead to big reward in physical prosperity.”
Other speakers at the event included proponents of libertarianism, such as Dayo Pelumi, Alamu Olamilekan, Adebola Bakare and Segun Sotola.
After the session, participants were divided into groups to engage themselves on what they learned from each speaker and come up with entrepreneurial ideas.
A participant, Olamide Akinro, a graduate of University of Ibadan, said: “The camp is a good platform to help youths discover the potential. It helps to awaken the giant in us, open our eyes to some problem we encounter daily and how we can proffer solution to them. I have been prepared for better tomorrow and how to be a change agent in the society.”
After the session, participants were divided into groups to engage themselves on what they learned from each speaker and come up with entrepreneurial ideas.
A participant, Olamide Akinro, a graduate of University of Ibadan, said: “The camp is a good platform to help youths discover the potential. It helps to awaken the giant in us, open our eyes to some problem we encounter daily and how we can proffer solution to them. I have been prepared for better tomorrow and how to be a change agent in the society.”
2016 Girl’s Empowerment Seminar
Application
is now open for the 2016 Girl’s Empowerment Seminar scheduled to hold on 28th
of June 2016 at Lagos.
Theme
“Girls not BRIDES” Your Call
Students
from any African Tertiary Institutions are eligible to apply. Send in your
application to haginitiative@gmail.com giving reason(s) why you wish to attend
the Seminar.
This
event will promote not only healthy self-esteem and self-image, but also
provide practical tools for overcoming many of the issues that affect today’s
young girls such as:
Child Marriage
Peer Pressure
Purpose in life
Being different is okay and so much
more!
We
invite young girls, ages 18-24 to REGISTER for this fun-filled day.
Date: June 28, 2016
Venue: Methodist Primary School
Hall, Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria
Time: 10:00am till 2:00pm
These
young girls are our future as such we encourage fellow Organisations to partner
with us in making this seminar a true success and transform their lives. You
can get involved by volunteering your time or making a financial donation to
sponsor a young girl. We are confident that with your support, we will be able
to watch their lives change before our eyes.
Our
skilled and trained staff are so excited for the opportunity to interact with
young girls. Please pass this invite along to anyone you know that might be
interested.
This
event is totally Free of Charge but strictly by registration
For
Details, please call organizers on 08139743651
If
you are passionate about girls’ empowerment, education and development, then
you are eligible to apply. Limited spaces are available.
Register
TODAY and take advantage of this great opportunity.
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