BLESSING EWA

Growing up as a young girl in Calabar Cross River State Nigeria, I was made to believe that the only effort I needed to put in place was to learn more about home management so that I can be of great value to my husband when I get married.

I got used to sayings such as: If you keep acting like this, your husband will send you back home, or is this how you will behave when you get to your husband's house? No one took the time to advise me on leading groups or becoming an effective leader. That, however, did not stop me from having big dreams of being a leader. I always told myself that I could, and I will. 

Today I'm glad to share that I have been leading groups since my undergrad studies. Not only that, but I also founded an organization called Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future (YASIF) Nigeria, aimed at strengthening the capacities of young people and communities affected by climate change, reaching over 5000 young people and 2000 grassroots women through training and various empowerment programs.

I may not have started early enough to become the leader I want to.  Nevertheless, God’s leading, some determination, and a positive mindset brought me to becoming the person I have always dreamt to be, even though I am still a work in progress.  That is to say, you will go as far as your determination goes. Being disadvantaged becomes a disadvantage only when you allow it for so long. Map your path, follow through, and you will be shocked at how far you will go.