Girls Arise Initiative

It was sometime in October 2016. I got a mail from a friend I had met few months back via World Pulse; an online community of women changemakers. My friend, Bimbo Adegbite had read about our work with Ijegun girls on World Pulse and was keenly interested in partnering with us to mentor and assist them to maximize their potentials. A girls-right advocate herself, Bimbo is a highly resourceful and kind-hearted woman who upholds that every girl should be empowered to be her best. And so from January 2017, she began to engage the girls through her call-in-sessions, at our monthly meetings. Through this medium, she was able to add her voice to such topics as Goal Setting, My Future Ambition, Friendship, Mentorship etc. By March, Bimbo saw the need to engage the girls more closely through one-on-one mentorship. So she came up with the idea of buying telephone sets for each of the girls and getting a team of amazing and equally resourceful women to serve as adult friends and call th...

When Olamide first gained admission into secondary school, she had high hopes of passing with flying colors. She also had plans all mapped out to head on to nursing school, earn a degree as a registered nurse, and practice the profession she is so passionate about. She looked forward to being one of the best caregivers in town and someday raising a healthy, beautiful family. She was 12 years old then, the first of five children raised by indigent and estranged parents. In spite of the challenges at home, Olamide demonstrated great courage and hope for a better life. But her father had left home, and without him she lacked mentorship and guidance. At age 17, she became involved in a relationship with a young man named Rotimi, and one year into that relationship, she got pregnant. As a result, she suffered rejection and ridicule, as is customary in this culture. She had to drop out of school. Back home, her parents expressed utter disappointment and refused to support ...

My experience at WATFON is something I cannot express totally in paper because it was purely transformational. I never thought I will ever have the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place of interest. It was indeed a wonderful day for me. Although, my journey to the WATFON venue was a bit stressful, at least I got there on time. Upon entering into the hall of event, what I saw totally breathtaking! I saw so many students from different schools with their beautiful, colourful and well ironed uniforms. The staffs, the people, the lights especially the chandeliers were so attractive. Moreso, the convener Mrs. Yinka Ogunde was so warm and friendly. I was surprised to see her in person. Well, except that I do see her on Television stations occasionally, this was my first time of seeing her in person. My friend beside me nudged me to look up and I saw Senator Liyel Imoke! I told my friend with bulging eyes to please tell me that I wasn’t day-dreaming and she said it’s real. To cou...

Nigeria is a nation blessed with special people; people rich in culture and values; rich in fertile soil and mineral resources. However, despite the towering image and national riches, Nigeria’s endemic challenge is corruption.    How sad that the high level of corruption, lack of patriotism, negative-mindset of youths has eroded the glory of our nation. Our cherished values are far lost; our morals have been thrown to the wind. This and many more are the reasons that birthed the vision to rescue Nigeria and save the future of its youths. This same vision is what made the amiable educationist and mentor, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde initiate the program popularly called WATFON. We are the Future of our Nation (WATFON) is a platform for youths (secondary school student) to be educated, enlightened, motivated, inspired and guided to achieve greatness. An annual summit organized to bring youths face to face with role models as they discuss issues of national importance and how each ...

Talking frank about sex and sexuality! Our youths should know their reproductive health rights and needs. Thanks to our  youth mentors, Mr. Olalekan Akintunde and Mrs. Temitope Adetola, who did justice to the subject during the break out sessions. The youths sure had a swell time too; they had the opportunity to ask questions that Dad and Mum were not willing to answer. This year''s Val was real and memorable. It was also fun all the way. And trust me, there was lots of wining and dining too!

For anyone to be outstanding, he/she must be purposeful and committed to a set ambition. And for young girls, it is easy to dream and desire a future laced with roses and sunshine. Unfortunately some don’t even know what they want out of life. They are content with whatever life throws at them. The more reason why every girl should be inspired to dream; to have a future ambition and to be positive minded.   A future ambition can be something you desire to do in the nearest future, especially a career you earnestly desire as young boy or girl. And so, at our February 2017 meeting, we had an interactive session on this important topic. If you ask a small girl what she wants to become, she will definitely have something to say. But it is one thing to have an ambition; it is another thing for the ambition to be a worthy one. Interestingly, the girls also had a practical session as they wrote essays on “My Future Ambition”, highlighting what they desire and how they think their...