Thither… Hither

Hello everyone! We are super excited to share a write up by  Adeyemi-Bisileko O.A Esq that expresses his thought on violence and the need to rise up and make peace.

The year is 2300 and it’s almost Utopia. Nations have fought wars in the distant past, worn themselves weary and stretched to the brink of ruin, and thus have learnt to love themselves back to life.

Borders yet exist and the laws too, but they exist primarily for the welfare of each nation as it connects to a global vision that almost everyone agrees on and actively works on. There seemed to be no limits to what the world could achieve as one, but this path had been defined by blood, loss, sweat and death and everyone knew that this was no honeymoon or fairy tale with a guaranteed happy ending.

As a result there was ever a need to remind each person how far humanity could fall if there were no checks in place. It was agreed that a people known as the memory keepers be selected and their duty was to erect memorials in strategic parts of the world, stories told in remembrance of the fallen heroes and to educate the younger generation.

The lessons today were in form of what earthlings of that time called a throwback and it happened to be on a Thursday, one of the few phrases which had survived from a world that was only a couple of centuries away, yet in character could as well have been the Dark Ages.

Most meticulous were the memory keepers in ensuring that nothing akin to hate or apt to incite or provoke was shown to these impressionable minds, but yet the clips shown and history as it was taught sufficed to tell the children of where we had been as a globe.

Chief amongst the subjects taught and shown were the millennium goals of the last age and the obstacles that had been faced.  The adults would have needed no classes, but seeing how far we had gone, everyone needed to be reminded of our collective destination.  Viola’s violence against her younger brother all in the bid to correct his naughtiness, Tobi’s disregard for his wife’s feelings which venom was passed down to the children giving them a skewered view of family , the child often bullied because he was perceived as different with nerdy glasses and an uncanny ability to understand deeper concepts that only further pushed the child into isolation and valuing his company above all else, the grandmother who saw it fit to mutilate the genitals of her female grandchild in the bid to uphold tradition and keep her sexual drive in check, of the male child being the only male amongst female siblings who never had to learn the art of domestic chores and went through life thinking such beneath him and that the entire female gender existed for his pleasure and to do his bidding. Of the male child exposed to sexual discovery by an “aunt’’ and could never keep his raging hormones in check, and of a girl abused by her teacher and closed up, never seeing the light in herself less others again, of a society that hails the male for such discoveries achieved early and slut-shames the girl into silence, of the child ripped away from family and all that’s familiar to serve as a servant to the urban family. Books would fail to tell of the horrors seen by the child, of early wakings, tottering between near-starvation and barely eating, driven by a will and dreams bigger than himself/herself and late sleeping…

The list would be endless and the screen would fade into oblivion and the children would leave with a firmer resolve to brighten their world to a never-setting sun of equality.

With heavy breathing and pounding hearts would the humans all wake as ones tugged awake by a corpulent puppeteer, having dreamt the same thing.

This is the year 2018 and the United Nations 16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence is on, but ripples are already endless behind the scenes of organized marches. The space/time continuum has been broken and humanity shown a glimpse into the future if they continued life without making deliberate alterations to the known order of things.

Each is halted in his/her tracks, broken by catharsis and rising with a stronger resolve to amend their ways and make the world so much brighter and hand that baton to each generation….

With this, the future that holds peace and equity only as an aftermath to brutal war and upheavals begins to be extinguished now as men(generic) refuse to be bound to a future over which they have no say or control…

And even now rises the chant throughout the globe like a paean…We want peace now!!! We want equity now!!! We end violence now!!!!

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM CAMPAIGN

HEAR ME TOO

For the past two weeks, we have had people talking about the #HearMeToo movement and we decided to join in and we got a couple of interesting line up of activities on our  social media platform.

Today, we have Daniel share a story to add his voice to the HearMeToo movement as the campaign comes to an end.

 In July 2018, I was on my way to the airport to get on a flight to Brazil. The weather was fine, the birds singing happily and everyone driving on the road seemed to be sane and happy. My dad turned the radio knob trying to find a radio station airing a nice program. This is where the sensitization began.

The chosen station had the OAP interviewing a lady (sadly I didn’t take note of her name because I didn’t expect what happened next). The topic was Female Genital Mutilation. I had had few discussions about this issue but the guest did justice to the topic. She started by introducing herself and speaking about the work she does and why it was important. She then vividly described what exactly FGM was.

Here’s the picture she painted, “So imagine a girl between the ages of 5-14 years being laid down on a table, very scared of the pain she’s about to go through. She is surrounded by aged and other community women who really don’t care about this because they probably went through the same system also. They urge her harshly to comport herself and ensures  she’s doing the right thing for herself, family and future husband.

There are no painkillers to be found. Nothing to make her drift off while this inhumane act goes on. She is wide awake. Watching under restrains. Her heart is racing faster than a horse. The supposed native surgeon who is a self-acclaimed midwife brings out the blades she just used for the previous victim. That is even a nice option for her because some go as far as using broken bottles or glass and knives to operate on their victims”.

After some minutes the process is completed after lots of struggle, pain and shouting. She has been stripped of what makes her a woman. Her major source of pleasure has been forcefully taken away in a bid to cut down on promiscuity. She suffers swellings and some complications for a few months and it heals up. Along the line, many other issues such as difficulty urinating and passing menstrual flow, chronic pain, the development of cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth, and fatal bleeding come up. There are no known health benefits.

Hearing this story made my body itch so badly, I almost jumped out of the car. I had clear pictures of the whole process in my head and it scarred me for weeks. This is the story of over 200 million women and girls in 27 African countries; Indonesia; Iraqi Kurdistan; and Yemen (as of 2016). No one should be put through such evil. Something has to be done.

Now that you are aware, the next thing is to join the movement to put an end to it. This can happen only through powerful activism and proper sensitization of affected communities. Change can only happen when we come together for a single cause. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. FGM is one of such violence and with your help: shares, actions and positive comments we can save the happiness of many more.

My name is Daniel Odediran and I urge you to Make a difference today.

#Orange the World

#HearMeToo

MEET GBADEGESIN OYEWOLE ALAWODE

Gbadegesin is the Founder/CEO of HYTEM LTD, a development social enterprise focused on generating and implementing bold ideas towards improving the health systems-through sustainable policies, research and technological innovation. At the heart of his work is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 that provides a framework to accelerate impact in the lives of poor and vulnerable most especially in developing countries. He pairs extensive knowledge in public health, technology and entrepreneurship expertise to impact the world for good. He has special interest in politics, policy making and research as they intersect to promote good governance and enhance the socioeconomic status of the poor.

Gbadegesin was born in Ibadan and raised by a single mother. He could have ended up on the street if not for the positive influence of his mother who made sure he saw the four walls of the University. This humble background fueled his passion for community service- wanting to help and liberate children and communities prone to hardship and poor health. This led him to start his community/volunteering experience at the age of 18 when he joined the “Youth Rescue Club” of Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Ibadan, Nigeria. During this period, he built confidence, discovered himself and learnt how he could identify and solve social problems within his community. He was trained as a Youth peer educator on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV//AIDS, contraceptive use coupled with diverse life building skills. He worked with young people from various poor communities to improve access to correct information on Sexual Reproductive Health and Right as well as build their capacity/skills to make informed and healthy choices.

As a 2016 Women Deliver Youth Scholar, he organized a step down advocacy training on Sustainable Development Goals and Deliver4Good investment case centered around Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for over 500 secondary school students. He believes young people need to own and be part of the implementation and evaluation of the SDGs if we are to make any significant progress by 2030.

Recently, he was a finalist for the 2018 British Council Future Leaders Connect, Nigeria where he championed global policy solutions to achieve the Universal Health Coverage by 2030 and expand access to quality and affordable healthcare for the millions of poor and vulnerable people.

Gbadegesin, envisions a world where everyone regardless of their socioeconomic background, tribe or colour will be able to live a healthier, productive and prosperous life.

Well done Gbadegesin!We celebrate you and the great work you are doing.

MEET ABENA BENEWAA

Abena is a graduate of the University of Cape Coast and currently a graduate student at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. She is a young people’s development activist and also has a social enterprise called Benewaa, it’s a clothing line that does advocacy through customized caps, t-shirts, sweaters and cardigans.

She believes that prioritizing the social, economic and political development of women and girls is fundamental to the development of any society. She thrives on fighting entrenched toxic societal norms and practices that hinder the full development and participation of women especially in matters that directly affect them.

Abena has a special interest in women and girls in rural communities. To her, rural women and girls face double the challenges their counterparts in the urban communities face. Challenges such as rape, domestic violence, harmful cultural practices like female genital mutilation, early and child marriages among others. Most parts of her childhood were spent between a rural community and a fishing community where girls had little or no aspirations and had no role models except the older women in their communities who themselves were usually domestic farmers, petty traders and fishmongers.

This is what gave birth to her project called “YEBETUMI“.

Yebetumi, means ‘We Can’. It was founded in 2015 and it is targeted at mentoring and providing skills training in rural communities for girls, they provide mentoring, sexual reproductive health and rights education, consent and body autonomy workshops and grooming. Their goal is to inspire in girls the motivation to aim high, pursue higher education and careers, to see themselves as capable of more and also be conscious of the control they have over their own bodies. For the women, the goal is to give them financial literacy and independence. She usually does these training in partnership with other organizations, they join PTA meetings to educate parents on the need to prioritize the education of their daughters.

Abena’s dream is to create a society where systems and structures provide avenues for women and girls to fully develop their potentials and are given equal opportunities to explore and meaningfully engage in their society.

Keep up the good work Abena!. You are celebrated now and always.

MEET MELANIE IDEHEN

MEET MELANIE IDEHEN, THE FOUNDER OF EUREEKA.
Melanie Idehen is a fifth year Medical Student at University of Benin and her greatest passion is bridging the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ with emphasis on access to quality health care . She is the founder of Eureeka; a medical research community poised to tackle Africa’s unique problems through research, scientific reasoning and innovation.
 It is not only about the hospital for Melanie; she is a 2018 ONE Champion campaigning for Improved Health Care, Girls education and Gender Equality.
She is also the Program coordinator of the BIIG Girl Foundation, a faith based NGO centered on guiding secondary girls and female undergraduates in Benin on the path of self discovery and empowerment. Since inception, the BIIG Girl has impacted over 1000 girls through the BIIG Girl Conference, Secondary School Outreaches and The Naked Meeting ; which serves as a judgement free, safe space for young girls.
 She also volunteers and coordinates health outreaches organized by Creation Care Initiative for the Less Privileged.
Melanie is an alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Center (YALI RLC), West Africa and currently serves as the South-South Regional Representative of the Nigerian Alumni Body.
 She is an intellectual powerhouse with several academic honors to her name. Melanie is a firm believer in girl power, breaking stereotypes and showcasing female excellence.
Keep up the good work Melanie!
We celebrate you now and always.

OUR WCW IS CHIDINMA IBEMERE

  MEET CHIDINMA IBEMERE THE CONVENER OF C.H.O.P.

Chidinma is a young lady currently working on a masters degree in Epidemiology and Medical Bio statistics from the University of Nigeria. She is a Youth Champion for ONE in Nigeria, which is a global organization with a focus on campaigning and advocacy .

She is the convener of Chidinma Ibemere Outreach Program popularly known as CHOP which started in 2016. CHOP has a mission to guide girls and children on the path of self development and by extension national development.

Since its conception, CHOP has had 19 outreaches in different communities with the aim of having a society where young girls move from being spectators to being relevant participants in the society .

Because of these outreaches, many girls have become more aware of the power and creativity that they are blessed with and they have been able to learn to speak up because they matter.

Chidinma is also a writer. For her it comes naturally as she most times uses her writing power to translate relevant to reality through images and words.

We celebrate you for your continuous work and impact in the development space. Keep soaring!

We are a youth-led non-governmental organisation set out to advancing human rights, advocating for gender equality, enhancing quality education through policy and developmental strategies.

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Lagos, Nigeria.

+234 705 516 3740

inourhandsdevinitiative@gmail.com