“Together, each one of us accomplishes more”

Trying to write my story from my growing up days, my childhood, teenage years, or from my adulthood, so much to write, I had a wonderful family till I lost my Dad in 2002 which was my first experience of losing a loved one, but one good thing about it, I became focused about what I really wanted to do. Talking about losing a loved one, in October 2008 I lost a close friend again to AIDS and that brings me into development world as an agent of change, a strong drive so as to avoid losing anyone again.
As a volunteer peer Education trainer involved in HIV and AIDS prevention with National youth service corps in a remote rural village, it was an eye opener for me, thinking that HIV is an issue almost everyone knows about but not in my village as a volunteer, I meet her left alone locked up in a room without anyone to help her out, waiting for a date with death. A community were teenage pregnancy is seen as a normal thing where a girl is having her second child at age 15 and in some cases for a second father and definitely dropping out of school to caterer for a child not planned for. This was an experience that got me working on creating awareness on HIV and AIDS with a passion I never experienced, a passion that added HIV as my surname “MIRABEL HIV” but satisfied I was saving lives and making a difference. Out of this passion Youth In Action Nigeria (YIAN) was born and right now we are reaching out to young women with a passion on HIV prevention, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, early marriage and capacity building on leadership. Today we have young women who dropped out of school due to early pregnancy going back to school.
Today as I write this story I’m excited about VOF because VOF is all about Ensuring that many hear about the reality and experiences of one person and share in it so that together a change can be made. I can say in my journey to saving lives, I’m living a satisfactory life.
“Together, each one of us accomplishes more”