When I saw the community where I was posted for the compulsory one-year paramilitary service to my country, Nigeria, I never knew how much my experience in that environment will change my life and also shape my journey. In a remote village in Enugu State Nigeria, I was confronted with the dilemma of young people especially girls who were inconsistent in their school attendance, participation and performance. I met young girls who were challenged by their background, conflicted as to how to often times take care of themselves especially during period days, besieged with a lot of cultural and religious beliefs and lacks basic knowledge of their sexual and reproductive health.
Aware of all these challenges, I took a decision to help and when I concluded my one-year service, I continued my training programs in other rural communities, and at that time named it Rural Literacy Initiative. With the urge to grow, learn and be more, I moved to Lagos in 2017, where I interned with International Centre for Leadership Development (ICLDNG), an organization which I later found out is a Corporation Circle with URI. Working with the organization opened me up to the activities of URI and also drew my interest in promoting peace and ethnic/religious tolerance. I eventually moved to another organization and CC, African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, AYICRIP in 2018 where I get to learn and engage more on URI partnered activities.
In 2020, I successfully registered a non-governmental organization, Impact Her World Foundation (IHWF) and also relaunched the sexual and reproductive health trainings known as – She Needs to Know - in Lagos targeting public schools populated with young people who are mostly from low income earning communities. Also, as part of my determination to ensure a holistic intervention, promote the dignity of the girlchild and ensure total healing, I and my team launched the Girl’s Period Kit. With the kit we are creating not just access to knowledge but also access to sanitary products to put to practice the knowledge gained as well as impact their education positively.
Meanwhile, in late 2022, IHWF launched a new initiative, Women in Security, Peace and Diplomacy Network (WISPAD) to amplify feminine voices in the peace and security sector, promote dialogues and advocate for the implementation of the WPS agenda. Working on this initiative, I joined URI as an individual member.
And this remains my best decision till date.
The learning and sharing platform that URI presents and the feeling of belonging that it gives is one of the best parts of being a member. As a recipient for the URI Youth Seed Grant to implement my project Peace to the Girlchild through Period Kit. My project which is targeted at training and making accessible period kits for young girls is a unique response to period poverty as well as reducing the vulnerability of young girls to violence and/or abuse, poor information, myths and taboos as well as school absenteeism during periods.
In the last 10 years, I would have thought that my decision was a choice looking at my current realities at the time. However, I believe my journey is more than a choice but a call to serve humanity. I am beyond grateful to be a member of an organization such as URI that is committed to helping, teaching and promoting the activities and good works of its members, as well as providing them with a community which can be leveraged to thrive. I am not only committed towards delivering on the seed grant project but also being a valuable member of the organization. I look forward to becoming a CC member soon.