"There's power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there's grace in being willing to know and hear others. This, for me, is how we become" "If you don't get out there and define yourself, you'll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others"
- Michelle Obama (Becoming)
My interest in women empowerment and public policy accelerated in high school when I was privileged to lead a student enterprise called Currisex (abbreviated for 'Sex Curriculum'). We worked to design an original comprehensive sex curriculum specific to the sub-Saharan African context. This was to help curb the number of recurring misconceptions and disinformation around sexual health, and how that ultimately leads to an increase in teenage pregnancies and STIs.
As pressing an issue as this already is, the COVID-19 pandemic brought its own problems; cases of gender-based violence against women were at their peak. As a solution, we created a number of online workshops to help create a safe space for young women around the continent and raise awareness. We were able to get a human rights lawyer to speak with these young women from over 5 countries, and we had a deeply meaningful conversation. As the Logistics manager, I had a majority of the responsibility to think creatively about how to conduct the workshops and they were a huge success.
I am very passionate about quality education. The educational system should include resources beyond academic theories since school is an integral part of every child's life. It should be a place of growth and character development so that we can have graduates who not only have diplomas but are also ethical leaders and changemakers. However, issues such as period poverty, consent and GBV against women continue to hinder the girl child from having access to these opportunities. Access to which is essentially a human right. I come from a low-income household and I understand what it means to fail to afford a pack of sanitary pads. That is the reality for many women. This reduces the quality of education they receive and ultimately affects their possibility of qualifying for a place in leadership circles. A never-ending cycle.
As a personal initiative, apart from returning to my former high school after graduating from ALA to teach Consent and Sexual health, during the just-ended winter break, I volunteered as an intern in charge of logistics for an event by AfriHER (an initiative empowering Africa's most vulnerable adolescent girls and young women). I got to work with and learn from Vee Kativhu- a talented education activist and Alina Karimamusama- the founder and a gender equality activist. We conducted a successful workshop demystifying menstruation in rural Zambia and donated sanitary products to underprivileged teenage girls. I still can't imagine anything more fulfilling for my heart.
In 2022, I was recognized as a contributor for AL for the Arts, a South Africa-based creative development network founded by the African Leadership Academy, which launched an online exhibit hosted by Google Arts & Culture titled Redefining Womanhood. Being a part of over 200 female artists to define womanhood and have their work curated was a meaningful trajectory to my journey. I do indeed hope that the world becomes a safer place for women.
Georgetown has been an experience that has opened me to so many even greater unimaginable opportunities as stated throughout my portfolio.
As a first-generation student, I have been regarded as a leader in my community. I come from a small street where very few people can afford to send their children to college, and my family is no different. I feel more compelled to return home to share my experiences and knowledge as I progress academically. I wonder, if I didn't get these scholarships, would I too be home, pregnant, and victimized by GBV? Because to be fair, there wouldn’t be many other options available. Fortunately, I am striving to be an inspiration to another young Nelly out there that it is possible to be a woman and be unapologetically a changemaker and help create opportunities for these dreams.
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