My name is Precious Gaza, I’m 22 years Old. I’m from FCT Abuja, Nigeria. I am a Girl Child and Youth Advocate

 

WHAT FUELS ME?

Hope: I have been living with sickle-cell which has been a major struggle in my life. But I’ve been able to go to school despite all the challenges and now I am a voice for what I believe strongly in. Hope that I will live long is what has been my drive

Awareness: I am a sickle cell, youth and girl-child advocate: All I want to keep doing it to provide awareness wherever I find myself. Awareness about sickle-cell (a lot of people still do not know what it is all about)… my friends can testify to how I always disturb them to make sure they check their genotypes lol. As a girl child advocate, I join in campaigns to stop marginalizing girls, especially in education. I’m a part of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign and I also recently organized a seminar on the Influence of terrorism on girl-child education to mark the International Girl-Child day.

Audacity: Being a young woman that is a voice especially in Africa is a challenge, a lot of people will call you names… people will say you are always angry, people will say you are wasting your time because things have always been this way and trying to make a change is simply impossible. Well, I dare to say they are all wrong and I have the Audacity to make a change in my society.

MY GREATEST INFLUENCE:

My Father has the greatest Influence on me. He pushes me to be the best I can be and he is the most supportive man I know. Also, my 3 elder sisters are my Inspiration, they are brave and strong women. Watch out for us

 

MY TOP THREE ROLE MODELS:

  • Mo Abudu: Her poise, her success, and her hard work. She inspires me every day to keep working hard. It is my dream to be on her show.
  • TY Bello: Whenever I think of her, I have hope that I can achieve all my dreams. She sings, she is a very successful photographer and a mother. I also sing and I have plans of going into that later. She just shows me that there is a way to strike a balance and make everything work.
  • Michelle Obama: I simply just love everything about her. Her boldness, her education, her speeches, her fashion…every single thing. I always get fired up whenever I watch her speeches. She is a powerful black woman I love so much.

IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS…..

I have plans to start an Initiative for women. The aim will be to organize training and workshops to educate and empower young women in different spheres of life. I organise workshops on hate speech, girl-child education, gender inequality, women empowerment and business, music and art and many other fields.

THE AFRICAN WOMAN’S CHALLENGE:

We have challenges in different aspects. I’ll just pick one which is Education. There is still a very wide gender disparity in Education especially in the North Eastern Part of Nigeria. 60 percent of out of school children in the country are girls.

We have girls from Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond that risk their lives daily to go to school.

Malala was shot in the head on her way to school. 276 girls were abducted from school during their final examinations. Countless attacks on schools and students by terrorists. The list goes on and on.

I have become a voice. A voice to demand the bridge of these wide gaps in education. The seminar I convened to discuss how we can solve the issue of out of school girls caused by terrorism is a start. Subsequently, they will be campaigns and rallies.

 

WHAT I DO TO RELAX:

I listen to music, I pray and I eat. I’m such a foodie

 

MY   –   I.C.E. [INSPIRE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER] VISION

The contribution of women and girls is essential in a nation. Women spend on their children and families. The bulk of Small and Medium Enterprises is owned by women. Statistics show that women worldwide form the 3rd emerging market with the power of 18 billion dollars. As much as we are advocating for social justice and equality, we also have to pay attention to how important women are economical

 

MY AFRICAN UNION PLANS:

I would want to work in the education department. My reason is simple. Educate a woman, educate a nation.

 

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE:

Women should stop tearing themselves down. Though in different spheres, we have a common goal. Let’s help build each other up and empower ourselves. If we love and respect each other, the rest of the world will do the same. Let us come together and conquer the world