Exclusive Interview with Alabi Tawakalit Omolara, Founder Girls2women Initiative

I have had to cancel an event at the last minute because some people wanted us to settle them first.

Alabi Tawakalit Omolara Olutayo is the founder, Girls2women Initiatives, a 2017 Fellow, Young African Leaders Initiative  (YALI) RLC Accra, Ex state coordinator, YALI Network ,Osun state, a mentor at Raising Girls Ambition, Facilitator on sexual and reproductive health and rights at Initiative for sound education, Relationship and health (ISERH) and presently the state coordinator, YALI Network, Kwara state.

Interview conducted by Muhammed Muaz Saeed, member Creative writing SAED, NYSC, Kwara state.

* What's your NGO about?

Girls2women initiatives is a non governmental organization that is committed to creating safe spaces for the girl child, educating, nurturing empowering and creating a mastery of purpose for women and the girl child in rural communities. We advocate on SDG 3-Good health and wellbeing of women and the girl child to not only have access to basic and affordable health care services but to also have the ability to manage themselves in a way that is not only healthy but enbales full participation in school work and other activities. We do this through menstrual hygiene management sesitization, we also train young girls in rural commumitties on how to make the reusable sanitary pads as we believe that is a long term solution to menstruation problems facing young girls as many of them can not afford the expensive disposable sanitary pads which prompts a lot of them to opt for other unhygienic  menstrual products , SDG 4,-Quality education ,we work on this by sourcing for scholarships from well to do individuals and organizations and merging them with young girls in secondary schools who are from undeserved families and communities to help them have access to quality education and making them a better person and Lastly SDG 8, Decent work and economic Growth, we train women and young girls in rural communities on basic skills acquisitions in beadmakimg, catering, events decorations, events planning and management, baking and confectionery, bridal accessories  and vegetable farming, through this, we are empowering them to be self sustained and contribute their own quota to the economic developments of their various communities. We also anchor health talks sensitization in secondary schools for girls, promoting women and girls participation in community development and leadership trainings. We want to raise a generation of self conscious girls aiming for excellence in all areas and are determined to make a difference in their spaces.

How many young girls have you trained?

G2win was founded in 2015 and since then we have trained over 2000 girls in skills acquisition  and making the reusable pads and we have sensitized over 5000 young girls in secondary schools within Kwara and Osun states respectively on health and menstrual hygiene management.

* What's your view on the general treatment of the girl child?

Generally, the girl child is seen as the weaker being so she's always at the receiving end of all negative vices. There are some communities with absurd traditions and cultures which prevents them from sending their female children to school for education, they see it as a waste of time when eventually she will end up in a man's kitchen. We read and hear stories of different degrees of violence metted out on young girls, emotional violence, physical violence, verbal violence, rape and the likes and it's saddening to hear stories of how even innocent babies between a month old to 1 , 2 ,3 years are being raped, not to talk of helpless young adults who are also at the receiving end of all these negative vices.

But thankfully, we now have change agents who are committed to making the world a better place for the girl child, now lots of young girls are being trained, educated and sensitized to become successful. We have lots of organizations and individuals working assiduously to create safe spaces for our young girls  to live without fear, though we still have a long way to go but I believe it's a step in the right direction, it's a step at a time and we will get there soon,  I look forward to a country devoid of violations of the girl child rights or restrictions on their fudamental human rights in any way, a society where they can live freely and attain success their families will be proud of.

* How do you source for founds to carry out your programs?

We all know that funding is an important part of any organization's operations. Students makes up a larger percentage of our volunteers at g2win, when we have projects to work on, we sometimes levy ourselves to make contributions and we also get donations from friends and interested individuals who sees the good in what we do. Last year, we got a grant from The Pollination project through which we are able to train more girls on making the reusable pads, set up a mini production space for the trainees and we are also able to give more girls the reusable pads to use. This year, we look forward to getting more grants so we can make more impacts.

* What challenges do you face in reaching your objectives?

Since inception, I have faced lots of challenges, emotional, physical, financial and what have you. I have had to cancel a program we spent so much on for young girls in a particular community at the last minute because some people wanted us to settle them first before the event can hold, different experiences where we have been harassed by men in the community accusing us of trying to turn their girls and women against them using western education, or sometimes saying we are making the girls useless for the fathers who prefers taking them to the farm and getting them married at a particular age, even challenges from some of the girls who finds it hard to keep up with civilization and are already used to living in their own world, so sometimes it's practically hard to get through to them and get them to believe in us for change. But then, despite the challenges, we strive to get through, get back to the drawing board, restrategize and make things work as projected.

* When you are not working, how do you spend your time?

Besides Girls2women, I am also an entrepreneur, I have a business I run by the side, BEEMBZ CREATIONZ AND EVENTS, it's an events planning and management outfit that engages in all vocations, we train young girls and women, so it's makes it easy for me to navigate both as they go hand in hand. I have some of the girls who work with me whenever I have an event. So when I'm not on any project for g2win, I am working as either a beadmaker, baker, caterer, bridal accessory maker, event planner and manager, events decorator or a trainer because those are all the things I do effortlessly and passionately. I also love spending time with my friends and families. I watch films (Korean and american action films mostly) and I also write a lot.

* What project are you currently working on?

Presently I have lots of projects I am working on. I have an online magazine platform that will be made accessible soon, it's called "BeHers", an acronym for Be Healthy, Empowered, Resourceful and Social. This platform will be available for the female folk to access different informations that could enhance their lives, educate and empower them to be a better version of themselves. This platform will address anything and everything that has to do with the girl child, from health to education, fashion and lifestyle, musicals, business and entrepreneurship, leadership, DIYs, Girls code, celebrating girls breaking grounds, doing wonderful things in their own corners, interviews, school showcase and many more. We also have a calendar of activities focused on commemorating relevant United Nations events and also I have a book I'm working on..almost done, "BLOOMING AMIDST THORNS " it's a collection of my experiences during the journey of advocacy, my experiences with some of the girls, the communities , the challenges and the visions I have.

* How can passionate young ladies start an NGO.

Well, I've had lots of people asking me this question  but personally, I don't think it's all about starting an NGO, but rather, it should be about finding your reason. Knowing what you are passionate about and what you want to do. It's about discovering a problem and what you want to do differently. We've had lots of organizations springing up everyday yet the problems are still there like no one is attending to them, so while thinking of starting an NGO, you should know what you are really after. And also many people do belive NGOs  are about money, like if I can just float an NGO, I can make cool money, get grants and flex and all, most times, you have to execute projects using your own money,  sometimes you have to ask for donations from friends and families and even strangers, sometimes it gets so frustrating that you wanna give up but then once you have a vision,  you have identified a particular problem you are passionate about and you believe you have a workable solution that will not only make thing better but also make lasting impacts in our societies.

* What is your advice for youths many who still have no job?

Well, we are not born equal and we all have our own stories to tell. Some of us were forced to grow up quicker than our age due to lots of pressures and issues here and there. But looking at this, these days, things are getting better. There's always something we can do to engage ourselves. We can't all be corporate employees likewise we can't all be entrepreneurs,  but once each of us can find what drives us, it will make things easier. Some people are naturally not good at working for others, while some are professional like when it comes to handling businesses and vice-versa. So my advice is find what drives or motivate you. Know what you are good at, make research and NEVER EVER GIVE UP, GIVING UP is never an option. These days we see pictures of young men and women engaging in different businesses for survival, like the corporate pure water seller on Instagram, the corporate agbero guy and many more like that, yorubas do say 'Atelewo Eni kii tan'nije'  which means, your handiwork can never make you go wrong or your palms can never deceive you. So never look down on yourself because you are yet to have a job, or believe you are hopeless because your friends are doing great and you are still struggling, when you see yourself as hopeless, always remember the HOPE comes first.

* Who are your Mentors?

Being a YALI Fellow really helped me in this journey of working with young girls and women, it gave me the opportunity to meet wonderful men and women who became an immeasurable part of my success story, I have them scattered all over the place, I have mentors right here in Nigeria like Miss Atinuke Lebile, Mr Dayo Nigeria, Mr Lawrence Sadare, Ugochi Obidiegwu (the safety chic),uncle Lekan,doctor Adekola, Mr Kunle Ajayi, Mr Shamshudeen and many more, in Ghana-Mr John Appiah, Sierra Leone-Mr Sheriff  Baimba,the United states of America - mr Abdulraheem Abayomi Abdullahi, Doctor Lanre and many more that i could not mention. I draw strenght and inspirations from these people which has really helped me in the journey of Advocacy. These people are an integral part of my decisions and success. I look up to them a lot and thankfully they are never tired of my questions and enquiries everytime. They are my cherished mentors. 

How can prospective donors reach you?

We have strong social media presence and we can be reached via any of these mediums:
Email: g2win.hub@gmail.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/G2win official
Twitter: www.twitter.com/g2win.hub
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Behersgirlshub
Contact details: Omolara Alabi -08100001031, Oreoluwa Adepoju 08135555408,                                          Alanamu  Habeebah- 08030402255.