Uforo and Eduek Nsentip are 19-year-old twins, second-year medical students of the University of Uyo, and founders of the Nsentip Twins Foundation. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocates and activists, they are passionate about the empowerment and education of young girls. In this interview by Kingsley Alumona, they speak about what life was like for them growing up, their work, among others.
What was life like growing up as twins?
It was the most beautiful experience nature blessed us with. Seeing ‘another you’ in another form that you can touch, feel, communicate and share ideas with is divine. We shared our thoughts and dreams together, and this brought so much love and understanding between us.
Above all, the Almighty blessed us with extraordinary parents who taught us love, the act of service, and the way of light and truth.
What inspired your work in civic/community engagements, activism, and SDGs advocacy?
We started advocacy at the age of 17, after our graduation from high school (Nobles International School). During our preteen, we had a dream to help young girls and those that are vulnerable in one way or the other to understand themselves and to follow the right path.
What inspired us was the story of Malala Yousafzai. Her struggles through life and the services she renders in ensuring that girls have right to quality education is really an inspiration.
Tell us about your organisation, the Nsentip Twins Foundation, the latest work the organisation undertook, and the impact of the work on the beneficiaries.
Nsentip Twins Foundation works towards serving humanity and nature by achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) globally. We have launched various projects and are yet to launch more, some of which includes Novel Glitters, Girls Community for Change (GCC), and The Rekindled World.
Novel Glitters is a project that aims at tackling mental health issues globally. We have dispatched motivational and inspirational letters to over 1000 recipients. Our letters have been shared in public places (pharmacies, hospitals, shopping malls, hotels, and so on), on air through jingles, and online. Novel Glitters has reached over 100 listeners. We got various feedbacks from our dispatched letters, but one of the emotional feedbacks we got was when a Tanzanian mother diagnosed of cancer shared how our letters helped her during her chemotherapy sessions.
The Girls Community for Change (GCC), is a project that is tackling issues affecting the emotional, physical, educational, social, and financial aspect of a girl’s life.
The Rekindled World was initiated to raise awareness on the SDGs in order to build innovative, creative and empathetic leaders. To raise more awareness on the SDGs, we conducted street interviews, shared booklets containing vital information on the SDGs in public places, partnered with an SDG-focused organisation to teach SDGs in schools and reached out to a large population through our newsletters. We have reached out to over 600 people with this project. Most of our beneficiaries have started practicing change-making in their homes, schools and communities.
We launched a project to foster zero waste by partnering with an organisation promoting plastic-free products to achieve sustainability.
Tell us more about the Girls Community for Change.
Girls Community For Change is an eight-month mentorship programme for tweens, teens and young adults (aged 12 – 25 years) which aims at equipping girls with basic-life skills, self-defence (Shotokan Karate), security, self-advocacy, and entrepreneurial skills. Girls are trained on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and career counselling. However, we are working towards sponsoring girls who cannot access quality education in order for them to achieve their careers and educational goals. The mission of GCC is to tackle problems such as: period poverty, inaccessibility to quality education, substandard education for social change, inequality, gender-based violence (GBV), mental health and other issues relating to women development. GCC works towards achieving most of the UNSDGs.
What is your latest work on activism, and what was the outcome of it?
Our latest work on activism is our global movement, which is a petition on the ‘Inclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in educational curriculums globally’. We have reached over 9000 signatures from some United Nations officials, celebrity activists, change makers, to mention a few, which is an evidence that everyone is in need of positive change. This petition has exposed us to lots of prestigious and inspiring personalities, and some activities we never imagined we will initiate or participate in. We need everyone’s support to reach over 10,000 signatures to gain attention from the United Nations and world leaders via this link: http://chng.it/Y6jGmPcb.
So, what is your next move when the petition receives over 10,000 signatures?
When our petition reaches 10,000 signatures, we will continue creating awareness on SDGs in schools globally. Also, we will partner with organisations achieving the SDGs as well as working with the United Nations and its agencies to start up projects and campaigns to achieve sustainability and a better world.
Furthermore, we will mentor upcoming change-makers, social entrepreneurs and business enterprises on how to initiate sustainable projects and policies.
How would you advise the Nigerian government on its current human rights status, especially as they affect girls and women?
There are various actions the Nigerian government can take to promote gender equality, but we will point out a few.
Desmond Tutu said, “If we are going to see real development in the world, then our best investment is women.” So, government should give girls access to quality education. They should formulate and implement more policies to end violence, child marriage and sexual assault against girls and women.
Moreover, they should ensure girls and women have access to menstrual facilities in schools and in the workplace. Finally, government should increase the number of women in the workforce and in the seat of leadership in order to achieve more development.
How do you think social/community engagements can help make Nigeria a better place?
For the development of Nigeria, what is essential is orchestrating a network of young people to create positive change in their communities which will create a ripple effect nationally, and this is possible by integrating the SDGs in our educational curriculum. The SDGs which aim at solving social, economic and financial problems for a better and sustainable future globally also aid in creating innovative and problem-solving individuals.
To add to that, when SDGs are taught in schools, the mindset that only the government is the seat of development will be erased. If this is implemented, Nigeria will definitely skyrocket to being a developed country.
How do you get financial/moral support for your work? And how do you manage other challenges associated with your work?
We get moral support from our family, friends and role models. However we get financial support from our parents, like-minded organisations, donations, gifts and our partners.
What do you think would happen to your organisation/work when the two of you end up living in different cities or get married?
Absolutely nothing. It will be running perfectly. There are various alternatives that can be implemented, kudos to technology and our exceptional executive members.
What are your plans for school and career?
Currently, we are second-level students studying Human Anatomy (Uforo) and Medical Physiology (Eduek) in the University of Uyo. However, we will definitely love to explore other career opportunities.
What are the things the two of you both love and hate? And what three things do people not know about you that you want them to know?
There are so many good things we love. Basically, we love being in the company of happy and great-minded people because it awakens our consciousness to learn and achieve more. On the other hand, we don’t like a wasted day.
Well, the three things we WIll like to share that no one knows is that when we were much younger, we enjoyed licking powder. The second is we will love to take up painting as a new activity. And we are dog lovers.
What advice do you have for young people who are aspiring to be like you?
Know who you are. Then, you will realise that the strength to reach for the stars has always been in you. You are your greatest asset. Also, practice solitude because that is the only way you will learn to grow, love and understand yourself.
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