Save Our Needy Launches M.E.T Girls

In commemoration of the UN Universal Children's Day, Save Our Needy implemented the M.E.T Girls program. On Friday, November 18th, notable speakers converged in New Era Girls High School, Lagos, to inspire, motivate and educate young girls to take the lead and become successful in every sphere of their lives. 

Two public secondary schools in Lagos State namely New Era Girls High School and Ajigbeda Girls Senior Secondary School were selected to participate in the program which aims at Motivating, Educating and Training young girls to become leaders.

The guest speakers gave the girls compelling reasons to believe in themselves and in their abilities to become successful leaders in whatever they choose to do in life. There was an interactive question and answer session where the girls had their questions answered.

Speakers at the event were; 

Mrs Scholastica Lan, a fellow of the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists and Program Manager at Nigerian Academy Of Science. She urged the girls to enrol in STEM classes and break barriers in the world of technology in Africa.

Kate Ekanem, a writer and a Girls' Rights Activist. She is the first Nigerian to represent the African Union at the global Girl20 summit, Turkey. She is a Vital Lady of the Vital Initiative Africa, a Delegate for Development Dialogue Nigeria, a Queen Young Leaders awardee, and a Global Media forum scholar. 

Anu Adelakun, a passionate Gender Advocate, journalist and Development practitioner with years of experience working on issues affecting marginalized girls and women in Nigeria. She is dedicated to empowering, and creating opportunities for girls and women in rural and underserved communities.

 

Being a very grave issue affecting every Nigerian today, the ONE "Make Naija Stronger" Campaign was highlighted at the end of the program. Participants were urged to sign petitions that will be presented to the Nigerian government in December to put pressure on them to improve healthcare in Nigeria.

Save Our Needy strongly believes that investing in girls education, health and safety is a key to ensuring they reach their full potential as well as improve Nigeria's development. We believe that the provision of quality education for girls is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The MET Girls program supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of promoting girl-child education as well as ending extreme poverty and gender inequality by 2030.

This initiative was implemented in partnership with ONE Campaign and Waje Safe House.

 

U.S. Election Night Event

The U.S. Consulate, Lagos, invited Save Our Needy's Jerry Odili to attend the Election Night Event at the Intercontinental Hotel. It was not just a night to mingle and have fun, but also learn about the American electoral process.

How A Young Beauty Queen Used Facebook To Reveal Her HIV Status

This is an inspiring story and a must read!

Robinah Babirye was just 10 years old when her mother told her she was HIV positive.

“My mother took my twin sister and I in her room and told us that we were HIV positive,” she says.

“My heart was broken. I felt like my life had come to an end.

As she got older, Robinah kept her HIV status a secret at school out of fear of rejection.

Robinah Babirye crowned queen

“Because I couldn’t trust anyone, I turned to my journal,” she says. “I wrote down things I couldn’t tell even my mother. I wrote my pain, my joys, and every time I finished writing, I felt better.”

Like many in her generation, Robinah turned to Facebook. One morning, she decided to send a message that she would not be beaten: It was time to tell the world about her status. She put on a t-shirt that read, “HIV Positive,” took a photo, posted it on her Facebook page, and waited in trepidation for the responses.

Robinah declared her HIV status via Facebook

  

“People contacted me and encouraged me. Some were other young people living with HIV who were amazed at my audacity,” she says. “I got phone calls from friends that were feeling sorry for me and those that were mad at me for making such a joke.”

 That was the beginning of Robinah’s journey as an HIV/AIDS ambassador. Emboldened, a few months later, she joined a support group of young people living with HIV who would meet and share their stories. This was an opportunity for her to share her own, giving her the strength she needed to feel like she could move forward with her life. “I now had purpose,” she says. “I was full of life and I was ready to conquer the world.”

 

In 2014, Robinah heard about a Miss Young Positive beauty contest organised by te Uganda Network of Young People Living With HIV. She knew that declaring her status on such a public forum could be either a blessing or a curse—but she went for it anyway.

“I decided to enter the contest for Miss YPLus 2015. The contestants were prettier than me and they had these amazing projects they were doing,” she says. “But I just presented myself as I was, and I won! This was the happiest day of my life.”

Robinah, now 23, has been unstoppable ever since. She’s shared her story at countless conferences in Uganda, and traveled to Australia to speak to an audience of about 15,000 people during the 2014 AIDS conference. She was named Young Personality of the Year by the World Savers Network, and spoke at the ICASA AIDS conference in Zimbabwe. Many young Zimbabweans followed her after the conference to ask her how she manages to be that courageous.

Robinah shares her story

“I told these young Zimbabweans that regardless of my HIV status, I have chosen to be happy,” she says. Robinah is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in community-based rehabilitation at Kyambogo University in Uganda. After college, Robinah says that she would like to reach out to young, HIV-positive mothers.

“My life’s mission is to fight stigma against people living with HIV,” says Robinah.

Robinah's mission is to fight stigma against people living with HIV.

 “I keep going because many young and old people have approached me to confide in me,” she says. “I get countless phone calls from strangers and this makes me feel like I am a change agent.”

Asked whether she had a message for people reading her story, Robinah said: “Life is not simply about living; it is about how you live it. Don’t dwell on the past; use the present to create a foundation for the future. It is entirely up to you to determine how firm your foundation will be.”

Everyone can appreciate those wise words from a determined woman who has already done so much to change her own life, and those of countless other people living with HIV.

Story culled from one.org