Empowering Girls in my community to take ownership of their lives

My name is Jennifer Umeh and I am

 "Educate A Girl Scholar" 

Nigeria. During the one week workshop, we were trained on vocational training in media studies, and to strengthen our voice in media. We were encouraged to be

 social entrepreneurs and to discover our  own unique identity. 

EducateAGirl Scholars

In my case, I discovered myself to write and empower young girls, 

mostly the Girls who always worry about their future as they have parents who mistreat them, or as a result of poverty. 

These girls don't have the chance to develop their talents or to implement the ideas that could change their life and the lives of people living around them. It affects mostly people living in remote areas where young people are often denied an opportunity for education or have no right to speak their mind, making them ponder whether their life has value.

 I organise training sessions with them about their roles as active citizens and the leaders of today as my project. I train them in public speaking skills and build their confidence so that they may stand up for themselves. 

In spite of the poverty that is affecting people in  rural communities. I believe through this project young people can become great leaders because confidence and the ability to stand up for the young can change things as they know what their community needs better than outsiders. These young people can fight poverty in the country and could change the world like everyone else. 

The ability is there, as in my community where I live,  there is a girl whom we enrolled in school  and she achieved a rare first  grade in her primary exam, despite the low level of teaching in the school. 

My priority is to change the attitude of the community about girls going to school instead of getting married at a very tender age. 

1. Talking with teachers in my community , encouraging them to go out into communities and talk with parents about the schooling of girls.

2.  Discuss actions with the local councillors, to develop some strategies for local meetings to include discussion on girls' education

3. Run a series of confidence-building activities for rural girls, showing them that they have talents of different kinds, which could pave way and unlock their hidden potentials and career.

I have planned an outreach programmes, which includes games, creative learning , problem-solving,  ethics and world knowledge.

Offa is an area where there is a lot of families living in low income percentage.

 This is another key area which impacts on the lives of young girls and is quite often left undiscussed. It can lead to further lack of confidence and there my focus lies , where many girls are not able to go to school due to lack of financial constricts., 

within the Offa community during this particular project. I used my  Public speaking skills to help young people living in penury by counselling them and telling them that they are not alone. I train young girls who are forced into marriage to stand up for themselves because they don’t know the health of the people they have been told to marry.

The skill of confidence helps them to be strong and brave for what they know is right for them because I believe their voice can change the minds of parents and people living around them. I feel privileged to be part of the Educate A girl workshop and I hope that we will keep our shared vision clear and continue working together to make the world in general and Africa in particular become a better place. 

Educate A girl workshop has empowered me with the knowledge, skills, networks and I can do more to help young people to build confidence and make them realise that they are today's leaders who can change the world.

The Need for Extra curricular for School children

The students of some schools are far better than other schools . There might be many other reasons behind it , but the most important reason is ‘ the extra curricular activities ’ performed in schools .

For the all round development of a student only the course books and class room teaching are not enough . They must be involved in extra curricular activities. These may include games, quiz contests , spelling contests , dancing, singing , oratory contests , drawing, writing poems , stories , essays , etc.

Engaging students in games,  creative thinking and problems solving help them develop physically and other activities broaden their mind. Educating student doesn’t only mean to teach each and every line of textbooks and solve mathematical problems .

To educate means, to develop the inherent capacity of the students . For this purpose we should give them chances to take part in the activities of their interest . How can we find out which student has the potentiality to become a singer until we give him or her chances?

It is human nature that everyone likes to win and do things better than others . A student who is weak at mathematics  can be brilliant at other extra curricular activities. If we give students chances to take part in these activities , they will not fall into bad company . Rather , they will use their free time in creative works.

Here is what I am doing to support girls in my community - Jennifer Umeh

I shouldn’t be shamed for sharing my pains, struggles and life experiences. No girl deserves to be slammed or termed ‘attention-seeking’ or ‘too sensitive’ for sharing her story. Our stories need to be told because in them is the hope for survival for every young woman.

My life’s journey epitomizes, to a great extent, the challenges faced by the African girl child. I have been through most of the issues plaguing young women, from domestic abuse , low self esteem and everything else in between.  Walking young women through their ordeals is a mutual healing process as it helps me as much as it does them.

While visiting the motherless babies home in my community, I considered it my duty to mentor them, put smiles on their faces and help them  make the right life choices. Gradually, this mentoring circle grew to become a house hold name in humanitarian sector. 

Our programs inspire girls to have an independent voice,  Confidence and problem solving capacity to speak up,  be decision makers and create social change . To address this, Hope for African Girls Initiative has a conference for young girls as well as outreach programs for primary and secondary schools.

In addition, to debunk the myth that young women are naturally face with Inferiority Complex, we created a platform for all the volunteers Here, we come together in an informal setting to discuss issues relevant to girls, share opportunities, advertise and have meaningful debates about girls issues in Africa.

Our approach is the first of its kind. Our structure includes a board, a committee, and Volunteers. Our diversity reveals the implicit beauty of our differences and we are determined to do much more.

Through our several social media platforms, we invite  volunteers  to contribute to our planned projects.. Most times, our outreach programs were carried out by the volunteers and our growing membership increases the need to incorporate a wide range of issues facing every young girl. We work closely with other NGOs while monitoring progress through the appropriate authorities.

I am that strong Girl that everyone knew would make it through the worst. I am that Fearless girl, the one who would dare to do anything. I am that girl who never backed down.

I am Jennifer Umeh
I am bold for change

HOPE FOR AFRICAN GIRLS INITIATIVE (HAGI) AND NIGERIAN WRITERS AWARD (NWA) SUPPORTS CHILDREN IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

In commemoration of the International day of the girl child, Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) and the Nigerian Writers Award (NWA) embarked on a two day visit to schools in Northern and donated 1000 pair of school sandals to the School Children

The schools include Suleiman Muslim School, Bimpe Primary School Offa, Kwara State; Ajoke Nursery and Primary School, Muslim Community School Ipe, Kwara; Community Primary School Ago Baba Osi, Kwara State and Community Primary School Ibido Alpha, Ipe Kwara State.

 The initiators of the project Jennifer Umeh, founder of Hope for African Girls Initiative and Modest Diko, project coordinator, Nigeria Writers Award initiated the project in order to save the children from the hazards which result from walking barefoot to school. The goal of the project is to  take their shame away and kit them through that was why we came up with the theme tagged

 'Footsteps to a better tomorrow'

The team explained further that there are dangers that come with walking the streets barefoot, stressing that children are at risk of injury and exposure to disease  such as bacteria and parasites, which live in the soil and dirty water. This, they said was the motivation that endeared the project.

Explaining how the programme came about, Jennifer Umeh said: “One sunny afternoon as I stood outside my home, watching several eager and bright eyed children returning back from school, my innermost heart was filled with joy not until I looked at their feet and saw many of them walking barefoot, this gave me a thought which spurred me into action.” She said the gesture would have been impossible without the partnership with Nigeria Writers Award, who bought the idea to support the project and permission of the school authorities.

Speaking with Modest Diko, he said “we decided to visit remote areas because they are the people who needs it the most, we donated the foot wares with the hope that the society will realize the dangers which comes with sending children to school barefoot and this will one day come to a halt, he further stated that children are future of the society so if we truly care and believe in them we need to support them, love cares for joyful giving so we all will together cry happy tears when we see them soaring high.

The group thanked the donors and volunteers who supported the project for their generosity and stated that it will be a work in progress

Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) marked Day of the Girl child In Grand Style

 On the 11th  of October 2016, Hope for African Girls Initiative in partnership with Talent Golden Frame hosted an event in commemoration of International Day of the Girl Child 2016 at Omegreen garden, Offa Kwara State Nigeria.

The event brought together, young girls in three schools in Offa. Ajoke Nursery and primary school, Community primary school Offa and Methodist primary school Offa. The event was an  opportunity to highlight the importance of girl child education in the society.

 The girls  were inspired through real life stories of how effective education have shaped
lives and presented amazing opportunities for girls. Notably, amidst activities of the day was the
Reading Contest and Session creative thinking  which was done with the aim of improving the reading and  the ideas of the children especially in terms of
grammar, diction and creating extra ordinary ideas.

The children expressed great excitement as they took turns to participate in the activities thrown to them. Story book, Exercise books, pen  was distributed to the children. It was such an awesome experience commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child

Teaching Girls the Importance of Education in memory of Nelson Mandela

One of the most recognizable human rights symbols of the twentieth century, is a man whose dedication to the liberties of his people inspires human rights advocates throughout the world.

Girls’ education is one of the most effective ways for ending poverty in developing nations. The benefits of their education are seen by individuals, their families, and
throughout society.

Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills,
values, beliefs, and habits.
Education is commonly divided formally into such stages as preschool or kindergarten,
primary school, secondary school and then college, university

Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research.
Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational.

The above is the summary of the message Hope for African Girls Initiative took to Port Harcourt
On 18th July 2016 at Community secondary school Abuloma, Rivers state Nigeria. In honor of Nelson Mandela. The programme tagged: The Importance of Education. about 60 Students between the ages of 12 and 16, in attendance.

The Programme featured talks on Education, Girl Child and achievements of Nelson Mandela relating to Education. There were also games, question and answer session, evaluation, presentation of gifts and photographs. The different sessions were facilitated by volunteers. The talk on Importance of Education Explained to the students that an educated woman is, for example, likely to marry at a later age and have fewer children. An educated woman will also be more productive at work and better paid.

The importance of Education, on the other hand, encouraged the students to take their studies serious and maintain good grades at school by reading their books, doing their home work and attending classes regularly.

They were also encouraged to be good ambassadors of their school. The programme ended with the
distribution of Dictionary and Note books to the students and an evaluation of the programme. In the course of the evaluation, many of the Students expressed feelings of joy at being participants in the pogramme. One of the students said she learnt  alot about Education

 "I have learnt that Education for girls can have the benefit of delaying marriage and pregnancy for young girls. Instead of a girl getting married before age 20 and often suffering abuse by her husband, girls who are educated are likely to have a say in who they will marry

Millions of girls still have no access to learning. Illiteracy prevents hundreds of millions of women from fully participating in their societies. Youth unemployment is a global challenge. Education remains a top priority on the new global development agenda being shaped by the international community. Hope for African Girls Initiative makes the case for a new goal for equitable and quality lifelong learning and is mobilizing governments and a wide range of other partners for this.

The Importance of Female Education which Hope for African Girls Initiative Organised with financial support from Miss Olamide Akinro is another step towards the actualization of both organizations’ dreams to see Educated and empowered African Students (Girls) who will be at the vanguard in the quest to raise Africa to greater heights. Hope for African Girls Initiative thank the volunteers who, through their devotion and labor of love, made the event a success. Volunteers everywhere are encouraged to keep shining the light in their different domains by
being proactive in solving societal challenges.

Educate A Girl Scholars

Ten students in Nigeria were selected and sponsored by Whole woman Network to attend the Legendary leadership conference at Oriental Hotel Lagos. The conference was organised by BeenThere & DoneThat Ltd. JENNIFER UMEH the founder of Hope for African Girls Initiative was One of the selected participants

The students was among the fifty others who attended the Educate a girl workshop in lagos in December 2015. It's 7 months since the Educate a girl workshop took place. The founder of whole woman Network Mrs Juliet Ume-Onyido has always encouraged Educate A Girl Scholars to make sure their impart is been felt in their communities no matter how little it is.

The students participated in the one day Leadership and Teambuilding conference at Oriental Hotel lagos Nigeria .
According to the Organisers. The purpose of the conference was to inspire, motivate and empower young Nigerians who are
or who wish to be in positions of
leadership. The participants will have the opportunity to learn key leadership lessons such as integrity, honesty, determination, courage, commitment, confidence,goal-setting and positivity.


The Organiser of the Workshop Dipo said the workshop
was designed to help participants
understand the importance of leadership, creativity, and team building within the business world. Having speakers consisting local and international, the activities at the conference would not only enhance participant’ knowledge on
leadership and team building, but they would also help other change makers build a close connection with their fellow Mates.
Speaking with Sukurat Adenike one of the selected participants (EAG scholar) she said "My experience was awesome. I learnt other leadership traits other than the ones I knew and I also enjoyed the interactions the panelists had all through the program and I have been able to engage young people in my community. I am a journalist and I also run an NGO called FutureforFututeInitiatives"


Another Participant express her self to us, Amarachi C. Attamah, a Radio/Tv Presenter, a performing poet and a writier. She said "I was very delighted to be selected as one of the participants of the Legendary Leadership Conference. It came with the excitement that comes when you know you are going to pick a new dress. I was selected as one of the EAG scholars who sent in their EAG conference report. After the screening, I made it to the list of those sponsored for the Legendary Leadership Conference. To me, it was an opportunity to widen my horizon. The impact of the conference was as outstanding as the tallest tower and as vital as air. I cannot house an atom of regret fro making it to the conference. As a human, I learnt to be impactful. As a woman, I learnt to be stronger and focused. As a participant, I learnt what it means to be a Legendary Leader.
Meeting some personalities I admire from afar was exciting to me. I expressed myself and made my voice relevant. That I learnt from the powerful young persons who shared their knowledge and experiences with us."

Legendary Leadership Conference she said , added another important feather to her cap and equipped her more for greater tomorrow. Amarachi concluded.

We went futher to interview other participants. Nina Mbah, Founder Nina Prize, She said, "Listening to various leaders in different fields at the conference, I learned that every experience am currently passing through to achieve my dreams is absolutely necessary to making me better and therefore should be happily embraced. And in the course of my mission, never to forget empathy and encouragement needed in carrying other good leaders along."

Another participant who spoke to our correspondent Uwandu Esther Chioma. Said " I felt so excited and elated...being selected from the many people that applied. It showed how relevant I can be.
I have been working on women issues from the grass root level, and my team hopes to go beyond where are now. The conference made me to understand that there are still more works to be done, especially among the youths."

While speaking to many selected participants Adenike superb, One of the team members of Hope for African Girls Initiative, shared her experince with our Correspondent she said" The Leadership program sponsored by Juliet Ume-Onyido; the altruist in deed, kind and ideology was a bumper event. It was filled with eye-openers, professional advice in the field of journalism, presence of profound dignitaries and elegant women. Just a few of the myriad things we discussed which includes the topic 'politics and journalism, lessons from the last decade/lessons for future leaders', was anchored by Victor Mathias, Tolulope Balogun and Osikhena Dirisu. Victor declared the role of the leaders and the media, being divergent. He also stated the invention of the social media being a blessing and a curse, frowned at the idea of voting once in four years, as he thinks it is not just the vote that counts, but what happens after voting. Tolulope emphasised on strategy change and approach to solving problems in our country, discarding the old, which has refused to help. Osikhena raised a call for the legitimacy of stories by bloggers and reporters, to strive to report the exact situations that they appear. Also, that these reporters give their opinions while reporting, which i feel would be impossible; for their profession is a liberal art. Kate Henshaw, Lola Shoneyin, Arinola Giwa, had a discussion on 'Gender and Identity, Turning Barriers to leadership opportunities'." She went futher to say that "Kate defined gender to be male and female. She made a profound and simplistic definition of gender equality, away from it's misconstrued meaning to mean having same or equal opportunities. The question, is patriarchy the women's or men's fault?. It was posed by one of the attendees. After reflecting, I reminisced the saying, what a man can do, a woman can do better; I have come to deem it wrong, an axiom of strife and a sheer competitive statement. I have come to believe more in the reform made to that axiom which says: a woman was born to do what a man cannot do. With the distinction and truism in it, I say patriarchy is the fault of whoever believes in it.
Lola Shoneyin, with her striking and interesting rejoinder, "the level of a woman's education determines how beautiful her kitchen will look" to the saying, a woman's place is in the kitchen.
As a rational woman, i asked myself "what have I gained from this program?" and "what has it impacted in me?". With an addition to my enlightenment, and wherefrom I speak, I can now impact on others, as was to me, and do wonderfully more."

Jennifer Umeh also shared her experience with us. She said "I felt really good to have my servant leadership recognised. I felt elated being selected to participate in the one day Leadership and Team building conference at Oriental Hotel lagos, Nigeria . It showed how relevant I can be. It was a delight to have benefited from this Leadership training. The Conference has done well in improving my leadership skills".

During the conference, Educate a girl scholars were able to
learn, engage in and reflect on issues related to community service, social justice and
leadership.


Some key Notes of the conference are The Importance of Visionary Leadership on the Economic Development of Nigeria
(Mr Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant (Media & Publicity) to Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo)
Other Distinguished Speakers/PanellistsPanel Discussion 1: Politics and Journalism, Lessons from the Last Decade/Lessons for Future Leaders (Osikhena Dirisu, Tolu Adeleru Balogun and Victor Mathias) Panel Discussion 2: Gender and Identity,
Turning Barriers to Leadership
Opportunities (Kate Henshaw, Lola Shoneyin and Arinola Giwa)
Panel Discussion 3: Politics and Governance, how Young People can make a Difference (Gbenga Olorunpomi, Nnamdi
Anekwe, Demola Olarewanju, Oluseun Akinrinoye and Ibilola Essien)

HAGi: How it all started

We are pleased to introduce you to Jennifer Umeh from Anambra State, Nigeria. The 21-year-old youth is a student of The Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State and she is the founder of Hope for African Girls Initiative. Her drive is drawn from a workshop she attended in December 2015.

Her full Story (Read and be Inspired)


As a survivor of Domestic Violence, Jennifer Umeh believes that girls and young women access to education and health service is fundamental for sustainable development in Nigeria. Jennifer grew up in a broken home with rough experiences of abuse and neglect. Her parent divorced Nine months after her birth in Eastern Nigeria. Her Father showed no interest towards her education.

She was raised by her single mum, grand mother, uncles, aunties, and people. As a girl filled with many ambitions despite her experiences. she was determined to further her education. With her decision making ability, She believed that if she could go to school, she would gain knowledge and skills access limitless opportunities and reach her potentials in life.


Today, Jennifer Umeh is 21-year-old and She is the pioneer of Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) an
organisation founded to Educate Girls to be empowered enough to stand up for themselves and to discover their self-identity
through quality education and
empowerment. Her skills include Public speaking, Teaching, Writing, Counselling and Leadership.

She likes attending workshops and seminars organised by both local and international organisations that provides platform for her to maximise her youth impact and be a strong voice for others. Jennifer Umeh is a Campus Correspondent with The Nation Newspaper and she is also Mentor a Girl Child Fellow. She is currently a member of African Liberty Organisation for development (ALOD) and a Youth Ambassador for Earthplus.


Jennifer's inspiration started after she had attended the Educate a Girl Nigeria workshop in Lagos. The workshop was an eye-opener to her as she became aware of too many illicit behaviours bedevilling the girl child around the world. She saw the need to help young people, she desired to speak out so that her voice could be heard. She said to herself, if only her voice could change the status quo in Africa, why should she hold back. she approached some Local Organisations indicating her interest to serve as a volunteer. She joined Her Voice Africa, YALI Network, One African Child, Earthplus, AREAi, She is a Model International etc.

In order to be exuberant and to ensure that her voice is loud enough, then she founded Hope for African Girls Initiative (HAGi) in January 2016.


On how she started her journey
As a teenager, Jennifer started by Visiting the motherless babies homes in her community and taking out time to play and educate the children giving special attention to the girls without money or financial assistance.

She shared with them the knowledge of what she was thought at the workshop that inspired her. "it felt so beautiful to see them smiling not letting me go home .It was wonderful to teach what they would not learn even at school.” She said


Jennifer inspired many of her friends with most of her facebook post and her passion for girls and was able to attract other youth to support her project. It then shifted from ‘me’ (Jennifer Umeh Initiative) to ‘we’ (Hope for African Girls Initiative) Together with her passionate Volunteers,

They are supporting community-based schools in Africa and their 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. In less than a year they have mentored and empowered over 1000 young girls in Nigeria.

The programme was held in schools, including Kwara, Enugu, Anambra, Lagos, Rivers, Abuja,
Ogun, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo states

Jennifer has been able to develop her leadership competence by seizing other training and volunteer opportunities that
allow for young people to be co-learners and well as active contributors to the development of their community.


Jennifer's advice to young people who want to make a difference but aren’t sure of how?

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 mentoring young girls 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 organisations could help.

 “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” —Pablo Picasso

That happy moment with children at Offa Community

"I will never forget the look in their eyes or how they felt in that fun moment of impact. That’s the moment I found my purpose and recognized the potential my voice, our voices, have to make a change." 

Girls are Leaders of today this was exactly the case of the children at Offa Community in Kwara State Nigeria. It was a fun and

learning at this gathering, the smiles on their face and the happiness that exudes from them was priceless, they were all joyous

singing, clapping and enjoying

the moment. It was one of those

moments to be cherished forever,

That moments that reminds me that Every child Has the right to

Be Happy, healthy, protected

and Loved I think about how many others we have yet to reach. We can reach them. We must. Because all children deserve a

Happy childhood. Let’s make the world a place where their dreams

can come true..

It was a beautiful gathering . The

children showcased how happy they can be even without money. They children showed eagerness to

learn and displayed their intellectual capabilities.

The Mentor of our TIME ~ Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido

Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido is an international Performance Poet, Speaker and Master-Certified Leadership Trainer & Coach. She is the author of the upcoming books “UN-Locking Your HeART of Leadership” and ‘Today, I will not bow”. Her portfolio of poems has been featured across different media platforms and performed live in Canada, USA and in several African countries. Two of her poems were recently selected by Danish Publisher L&R Uddannelse to be included in a new educational book Africa Unfold by author Anne Hess Thaysen.

Nicknamed a ‘reminderist’, and a self-described life-connoisseur, her message is simply: “To use the power of written-spoken-sung WORDS to connect, heal, empower, change and transform our inner and outer worlds. Words have power in the meaning and interpretation we choose to give them and all of life is synchronistic poetry in motion!”

Juliet was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria; she immigrated to Canada about a decade ago and currently splits her time between her birth and adopted homelands. Juliet spent many successful years in the corporate world in different diverse roles and fields: Engineering, Financial Services, International Business and Sales.

In 2010, she co-founded the Whole Woman Network, an Empowerment and Leadership Social Enterprise focused on world-class and integrated leadership coaching, training and consulting for African women, at home and in the diaspora. The goal is improving the overall well being of women, by educating, engaging and empowering them to become leaders and organic catalysts of transformation for themselves, their families and communities.

She is also the strategist and visionary of the F.L.O.W initiative: Financial Literacy for Women, a global financial coaching & leadership platform, for women and youth, particularly in developing and under-served communities.

Juliet simply loves life and the whole human experience! She’s a huge proponent of work-life integration and artistically crafts her roles as wife, mother of five, community builder and businesswoman.  

Her other passions include: Traveling, Fund-Raising, Belly Dancing, Volunteering, Coaching & Mentoring, Angel Investing, Writing, Exploring World Music-Cinema-Literature-Cultures.

She shares her portfolio of poems on her poetry blog: (www.kegoonyido.com), her reflective posts on her Facebook page: (www.facebook.com/wholewomannetwork) and blog: (www.wholewomannetwork.org).

Follow her on Twitter: @wholewomaninc (professional), @julietumeinc (personal) and on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/julietumeinc

Poem: ‘Peace in Her Piece of The World’ by Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido

She tried valiantly to say a heartfelt prayer and sing a songTo utter the words you seek, for unity, harmony and world peaceAnd yet the only lyrics that escaped her dry, parched tongueWas a silent, solemn and selfish cry that her hellish life will ceaseThat she may not awake to the wails of a mother’s weeping todayAs she holds a malnourished, lifeless child, at a breast bereft of milkThat she may not behold the anguished face of a father, who’s on his wayTo sell off his daughter for some bags of wheat, grain and fine silkYes, peace in her world is but a very small and fragile thing indeedThat she wakes up tomorrow in dignity and not sunk in deep despairAfraid that the soldier who raped her yesterday also left behind his seedPeace to her is a flicker of light, a lonely, small yet mighty bud of hopeThat the world does not look away in apathy or pity but with careThat someday, she may sleep to the sounds of music and soft voicesFar away from the endless wars, bullets, grenades and harsh voicesThese are her words and you’ve allowed her say her pieceAnd in listening to her, you’ve gifted her world with peace.

(c) ‘Kego Onyido 2014 (All rights reserved).

The 2016 Spoken Words Competition Results.

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

……………………………………………

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
………………………………………………….


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.

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.”

I am volunteering to help girls and my work has meaning!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!