Six Nigerian youths have been tagged as young changemakers who are making different changes and innovations in their different communities by social entrepreneurship network, Ashoka Africa. ENIOLA OYEMOLADE takes a look at how the network is helping to bring these youths together.
These youths have great ideas, they desire change and they want societal progress, and neither their ages nor the harsh economic reality of the country serve as barriers.
A revolutionary movement called ‘Everyone A Changemaker’ launched in Lagos State recently by Ashoka Africa and the aim of the movement is to fast-track home-grown solutions to solve some socio-economic challenges being faced in Nigeria.
The launch showcased six youths who are below 21 years and are making changes in different fields such as technology, advocacy training, digital skills and so on.
Each of these change makers started their work at their local communities before they were selected. They went through various interview sessions and they will be leading the ‘Everyone A Changemaker’ movement.
These six youths have applied themselves to creating the necessary changes to make their society a better place.
Ashoka described the carefully selected young ones as “Youths who have found their feet in their communities and are leading a team and engaging their peers in producing goods and services and are also promoting awareness for social and economic progress at local and national levels.”
Ashoka also disclosed that the idea is to bring the young change makers together to share ideas, make contacts and build relationships for programme advancement across communities.
For more than 30 years, Ashoka Africa has been fostering Africas’ largest network of system-change social entrepreneurs. Ashoka Nigeria is part of the Ashoka Africa Hub and was launched in 1990.
Its goal is to stimulate and support the most innovative entrepreneurial solutions to the social and environmental challenges we face today, and to foster ‘Everyone A Changemaker’ societies along with other key stakeholders across sectors.
The change makers unveiled by the Ashoka young change makers programme are:
Ayomide Akran
Princess Ayomide Akran is a secondary school student and an innovative change maker dedicated to attaining sustainable environment and gender equality in Nigeria.
At age 11, she founded Pink Diva Organisation with the sole aim of ensuring better and safer recycling system for Nigeria and to also provide sustainable reusable pads for young girls.
Ayomide’s co-workers and volunteers are teenagers like herself and as school children, they all put in a few hours during the week to strategise, plan and monitor production of the pads for the organisations upcoming events.
Ayomide’s mother assists the teenagers in moving around selected rural communities, distributing the pads to girls and also teaching them about personal and environmental hygiene. While promoting their products, they also encourage children to do something new to help themselves and their society.
On why she decided to go into production of reusable low cost pads out of other options available, Ayomide said, “I realised a recurring trend of period poverty amongst some of my school mates and local communities I visited while volunteering with my mother’s non-governmental organisation. I believe that girls can be whoever they want to be without periods limiting them.
“Girls can rise to the top of the society by starting from humble beginnings even at a young age to be problem solvers. All that must happen is that a determined young girl must put her vision to work. She must get her ideas out of the mill. This means we must not surrender to the devil trying to spread hopelessness among the young ones. Girls should not have to do unimaginable things just to buy pad every month. Some girls don’t want to be girls just because of period poverty.”
Deborah Benjamin
The 20-year-old, through her Save A Girl Africa project is working on the creation of a safe environment for young people from sexual violence and to help them make better decisions as regards sexual safety. The project is a Pan-African non-for-profit movement that works towards promoting the End-Gender-Based-Violence Agenda.
Save A Girl Africa also focuses on advocacy training and empowerment and it equips the Gen-Z to take charge of their sexual safety and create new innovations that can protect young people from sexual violence. She uses community leadership, creative sex education and design thinking to create sustainable solutions to problems confronting youths.
She is currently the director and team lead of the organisation and is leading a team of young leaders to execute strategic projects that would promote the vision of the organisation.
Godwin Jonathan
19-year-old Godwin Jonathan is a technology guru with a strong determination and commitment.
He started STEM Club to promote STEM education and social innovation in poorly funded public schools. Through the STEM Club, he is tackling digital illiteracy problem by empowering public secondary school students. This is by using alternative learning models of technological innovation for education and entrepreneurial competence.
Godwin Kevin
Godwin Kevin is another 19-year-old change maker whose aim is getting young ones connected to opportunities in their communities and the nation as a whole. He is making the young ones aware of available resources through training and engagement that provokes creativity. He does this through his Inspire For Greatness project.
Splendor Kalu
Yet another 19-year-old change maker is Splendor Kalu who is committed to empowering young boys and girls in rural areas with digital skills through his organisation known as CommunitiesWillConnect.
He is bridging digital literacy gap by giving these young boys and girls in rural areas the opportunity to learn the basics of coding, computer skills and become innovators who can solve problems in their communities using technology. He is also connecting them to global opportunities that would help them learn and grow. This will in turn, help them to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) just like their counterparts in urban areas.
Asides being a student, Splendor is a front-end developer and aspires to become a computer engineer in the near future.
David Onilude
Aged 20, David is a technological innovator who has designed a system to eradicate digital illiteracy by providing young people with resources and skills they need to harness opportunities and attain better results for their future. He is the founder and executive director of Tech Now Global, a Gen-Z-led non-profit organisation that addresses marginalisation in rural communities by empowering young persons in rural communities with basic digital/21st century skills.
His organisation, Tech Now Global has directly impacted over 10,000 teenagers in communities that have been tagged “Unreached Community”. This he did, by impacting them with 21st century digital skills to aid quality education and employability.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Revealed! Details Of South-West APC Leaders Meeting With Presidential Aspirants
Russian energy embargo unlikely for years, says Putin
MORE revelations have emerged about Friday’s meeting held by South-West leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with aspirants from the zone, whose main objective, was on how to avert a crisis that will create a fractured party as it prepares for primary on May 30 and 31, Sunday Tribune has reliably gathered…
Supreme Court Has Cleared Civil Servants To Participate In Politics, Falana Tells FG
NIGERIAN workers are constitutionally-free to participate in politics, lawyer, Mr Femi Falana has said. He was responding to the warning from the central government to civil servants to stay off politics…
Battle For New Alaafin Begins As Ruling Houses Insist On Producing Next Oba
Russian energy embargo unlikely for years, says Putin
and then