My Quest

Growing up for me was pleasurable. I was not exactly born with a silver spoon, but I guess fortune smiled on my father early in life. Unlike some other children, I and my siblings (4 sisters and 3 boys) had a very supportive father who believed in us all irrespective of our sexes. He was all out to see that we attain great heights in life, especially the girls. It is only now that I reminisce that I realized how much we all have evolved and blossomed over the years.

Even with the obvious stereotyped roles carved out for both sexes in our society; my father never for once applied its rules through all our growing years. All eight of us were treated equally and nobody was made less important to the other. So we all grew to respect ourselves and never looked down on our abilities.

Over the years, I never got to understand why my father had that strong stance about giving his girls a platform. Only recently did it occur to me. Memories of his childhood haunt him. Being a product of polygamy himself, he never wished that any of his children suffer similar cruelty, untold poverty and hardship that came his way as a child and his mother. I remember him telling me that despite the harshness of his growing years, his strength laid in his mother’s undying love, courage and sacrifice, which saw him through the hell.

And so it is against this background that I approached life. I knew that there was something wrong with the system and began searching for answers with the assumption that life’s journey ought to be seamless. How will I ensure that my father’s legacy is passed on? What can be done to ensure the next generation enjoys a life of freedom?

In my quest for solution, I joined a women’s rights organization focusing on women’s rights advancement. For over 9 years, I have committed/continue to commit myself to seeking best practices and information via all forms of media and creative options, to challenge existing cultural/traditional norms affecting women’s development. My eagerness to learn and desire to impart knowledge led me to ‘Voices of Our Future’.

I believe that World Pulse and Voices of Our Future perfectly fit in with my vision considering that it is a platform that will enable me interact with a various stakeholders in multidisciplinary environment who have significant experience and understanding of human rights management and advocacy. With links and media knowledge, I believe I can be a key player in bringing about the desired global change and lend my voice for the benefit of more women in my constituency.