MY VISION

My personal vision in life is to remain an instrument of change especially to women liberation and empowerment. In this one month of this VOF application process, I have noticed that marginalization and violence against women is not my country’s problem alone but it cuts across different countries and continents and my vision for women in my community, country and all over the world is to see women freed from lack of empowerment, poverty and violence. I would want to spread my tentacles not only in Africa but globally through all means especially using web 2.0 which is the fastest, simplest and costless means to reach these women starting from my home country Nigeria where I work and live.

Women are the backbone of rural economies in developing countries and specifically in Africa; these women play a significant role to ensure their families’ well-being. This is seen in terms of providing food, shelter, health and education for the children. Being the majority (about 55%) of the rural population, their role is crucial in bringing about change in their communities. Most of the rural women provide for their families through subsistence farming and other agricultural activities supplemented by petty trade or micro enterprises. Agriculture, which is practiced mainly for home use, takes various forms such as, keeping chicken, growing vegetables, tending the family garden and small-scale horticulture for the market place, among others. A few women keep livestock as part of the family assets as well as savings. Majority (90%) of these women are engaged in these activities out of necessity given that they have limited choices outside their traditional roles. Most have hardly gone beyond primary education and have very limited or no training. Yet they are left with little or no opportunity to participate in social activities or take crucial part in the polity.

Among my vision in life is to have a voice of my own to be able to speak and have people listen as well as a platform with which I can use to constantly reach out to rural women, equip them with skills and capacity to be able to speak for themselves and this is what is really driving me to becoming one of the voices of the future correspondent. The training I will be getting as a result of being one of the VOF correspondents will go a long way in equipping and preparing me to also look forward to becoming the minister of women Affairs and poverty alleviation in my country, in order to successfully improve the strength of women, secure their rights and sustain their rightful position and also represent women globally in high level consultative meetings internationally.

Though I’m using my organization, “Treasureland Health Builders” as a platform to build the capacity of women and girls in my community, but I see being one of the correspondents in the voices of the future program as a wider tentacle to reaching and speaking for more women in my community, my country and the world, this will go a long way in helping me achieve my goal and vision for women, speak for myself as well as helping other women speak for themselves too.