by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Jul 20, 2021 | Articles, Empowerement, Events |
In commemorating the 2021 edition of the World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), the Yes, We Are Winning Foundation recognised and awarded certificates of Achievements to some outstanding entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in business, through their vocational and technical skills.
The them of this year’s celebration is: “Reimagining Youth Skills Post pandemic.” In post-COVID-19 societies, young people are called upon to contribute to the recovery effort, by being equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disruptions.
As part of her mandate, the YWAW foundation continues to promote acquisition of relevant technical and vocational skills, especially among Youths as a way of mitigating the effect of unemployment. Furthermore, we provide sponsorship opportunities to youths to learn and acquire relevant entrepreneural skills in their areas of interest.
In no particular order, here are our top eight young entrepreneurs:
JIMOH QUDUS OLAWALE
Jimoh Qudus CEO QDJ Graphics
Jimoh Qudus Olawale is the CEO and Creative Director at QDJ Graphics Studios. Jimoh is a professional graphics designer and digital artist with a passion for excellence. His passion for drawing and creative designs spurred him to establish QDJ Graphics studio where though hard work, sponteinity and devotion, he provides services to his numerous clients as well as offers training for young entrepreneurs.
Jimoh is a muslim, and a talented artist whose creative works have endeared him to many celebrities like Omawunmi to mention a few. You can contact QDJ Graphics on the following handles: Facebook: Qudus Jimoh, Instagram: @qdjgraphics. Here are some of his works:
Mina Musa
Mina Musa CEO Mina Leather works
Mina Musa is the CEO Mina leather craft, located at Mowe Ogun State. In addition to manufacturing leather products, she also runs a leather work vocational centre where she train leather artisan aspirants in the craft. Training include all leatherware goods as well as training teachers who can teach leather work in High Schools and tertiary institutions, since the subject is among the compulsory trade courses.
Mina has been running this business for six years. Her challenges includes lack of funding, lack of motivation, and harassment, especially being a lady. In spite of the challenges in the business, Mina is inspired by her goal to be among the top most influential women in Africa. She sees her challenges as stepping stones to greatness.
On the relevance of skills acquisition for youths, she believes that skill acquisition is important because it helps individuals to develop new ways of thinking and generate problem-solving attitudes. Furthermore, skill acquisition also helps to be effective, reduces crime, reduces unemployment, and also boosts individuals’ self-esteem to cope and thrive in our dynamic world.
Her advise to the Youth is to divert the amount of energy and investment in fraud to acquire relevant skill that would empower them and place them in the position of impacting the society positively.
You can contact Mina on https://www.facebook.com/musa.motunrayoaminat
Victoria Eke
Victoria Eke, CEO veequiexquisitecraft
Miss Victoria Eke, is the owner of veequiexquisitecraft. Her journey started 7 years ago with bead making and other craft work such as Adire (Tye-die), Ankara bag and Accessories, hat making, macra bag making etc. After acquiring relevant skills at the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Center for 6 months, she decided to also acquire fashion skills.
Being motivated by her love to see things decorated, and come together beautifully, she learnt fashion designing for 3 weeks, where she learnt basic sewing for skirts, gowns and padded blouses. Her versatility helped her to diversify into fashion designing when the bead-making business was no longer profitable.
Despite learning fashion designing for just 3 weeks, Victoria mastered her sewing skill by watching and practicing videos on YouTube. Even though she never intended being a fashion designer, she is glad she ceased the opportunity she had to acquire the skills that now pays her bills. Though, her challenge includes access to funds, and relevant sewing equipments, yet she is determined to keep pushing her way to the top.
Her advice to the youth is find what they love, put in the best of their time, learn and keep learning. She further enthused, “Today’s reality has proven that the cooperate world isn’t doing much for us, and acquiring relevant skill has been a surviving ground for young people. With the rate of unemployment, dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the land, the only way to escape not being a con artist is by being skilful and virtuous.
Here are few her works:
You can contact her on her handles: Instagram and Facebook @Veequiexquisitecraft
Edem Nelson Ikechukwu
Edem Nelson Ikechukwu, CEO FOS Creation
Edem Nelson Ikechukwu is a creative graphic designer and social media manager. A graduate of Computer Scientist from the Lagos State Polytechnic, Edem is a lover of Christ and music, and also enjoys cooking and adventures.
FOS Creation was founded in 2018, as an online brand that is created to help SME’s, Personal brand, Big brands and Businesses create designs, bringing their imagination to reality and promotion. FOS is a greek word meaning light. And the first creation of God was light, as such at FOS creation seeks to light up businesses through design and social media management.
Nelson has worked as graphic designer with several organisations that has fuelled and sharpened his passion towards designing and online management. As a start-up he has faced lots of challenges such as- lack of resources and equipment, Low turnout of clients, trust issues, lack of funds and the country’s challenges too such as electricity. In spite of these, Nelson is determined to get better at what he does.
His word of encouragement to young entrepreneurs and the youth is to patiently learn the process and pursue excellence in their life’s endeavours. He advised young entrepreneurs never give up in spite of the challenges.
Check Nelson on his instagram handles @foscreate
Adigun Victor Fiyinfoluwa
Adigun Fiyinfoluwa CEO Fagskills photographie
Adigun Victor Fiyinfoluwa is a documentary photographer and a storyteller who began photography 3 years ago. He was the documentary photographer and a storyteller to black diamond support foundation a non governmental organization founded to cater for children in the slum of Lagos. He also currently works as documentary photographer and storyteller for the office of the SSA to the governor on persons living with disabilities in Lagos state.
Fagskill, as he’s popularly called has been passionate about photography since the age of 7. He choose documentary and story telling as his specialty, because it helps him to know the people closely, and he gets to understand their happiness, their joy, their pain, their suffering and he’s able thus tell their stories better.
Victor, who has recently volunteered to work with The YWAW as a documentary photographer, has faced severe challenges from Lagos boys who tries to task him or even struggle for his camera when taking pictures in the public. In spite of the economic hardship and its impact on business, Victor’s passion and love for photography keeps him going.
You can connect with Victor on the following social media:
Facebook – adigun Pheyinfoluwar Fagskill, Instagram @fagskills, LinkedIn @adigun Victor
Abiola James
Abiola James, CEO JACKSandXLRS
Abiola James is a mix engineer for Jacksandxlrs Maryland, Lagos. James have been into sounds design and Audio engineering for 8 years professionally. For him, it has been a roller coaster story since day one with lots of challenges ranging from access to funding and the economic situation of the country.
James has had to source for Funds from family and friends to buy some gadgets and workstations that he needed to start his business. In spite of this, the talented mix engineer is thankful to God for helping him secure a job to jointly work on a project for “Mr Music”, a private owned studio in Lagos.
You can reach Abiola James on: Twitter @5MFR2020, IG: emix_the_deal
Sharon Salami-Abiola
Sharon Salami-Abiola, CEO Glitteringstars12 have been in the fashion business for ten years now.
Her journey into the fashion industry was spurred by her dissatisfaction she got from fashion designers who could not deliver to her expectation. This made her to venture into acquiring skills in fashion designing whilst in the university.
About her challenges, she’s battled with getting a perfect location for her business, as well as the problem of funding for acquisition of fashion equipments, as well as getting apprentists.
Sharon’s advice to youth is that it pays to be skilful, because it is the future for us to be independent since our country is not equipped to provide jobs for us all.
Sharon who is also skilled in hat making can be contacted on:IG: Glitteringstars12
FB:Glitteringstars12
Areo Oluwaseun Evelyn
Areo Oluwaseun Evelyn is the CEO Farm Fill NG, an Agribusiness established with the aim of providing neatly processed farm products to satisfy the rising demand for food in the country. The major product is catfish and they desire to own the largest catfish processing plant in West Africa. The Farm Fill NG is determined to achieve this feat through endless practice of excellence, wholesomeness and unrivalled customer satisfaction through the sterling quality of their products which is never breached..
Other products from Farm Fill NG include: Smoked catfish, Smoked chicken, Catfish pepper soup, Catfish barbecue, Tilapia pepper soup, Croacker pepper soup, Tilapia barbecue, Goat meat pepper soup, Chicken pepper soup. Evelyn whose vision is to make farm produce available to consumers (in urban areas) hope to include processed chicken, snail, beef, pork, rabbit etc in the future.
You can reach out to Oluwaseun on Instagram @velyn_kitchen, Facebook Areo Evelyn, LinkedIn Oluwaseun Areo
The Yes, We Are Winning Foundation is partnering with these entrepreneurs to empower interested youth in any area of interest. Should you want to benefit from our scholarship, Kindly send your application to info@yeswearewinning.com.
YWAW…WeCEEEyou!
#wysd #wysd2021, #skills #empowerment #SDG4 #entrepreneur
YWAW FOUNDATION COMMEMORATES WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY 2019 (PHOTOS)
https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-youth-skills-day
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | May 17, 2021 | Awards, Empowerement, Uncategorized |
The YWAW foundation embarked on the second edition of the project 555 Educational scholarship program in which indigent students of primary, Junior and Senior secondary students are provided with relevant school kits like textbooks, notebooks, uniform, sandals, writing materials and bags.
With the aim to make Education accessible to all, The Yes We Are Winning Foundation through the 555 Educational Project provided students with books and textbooks for a new term in the academic session. Principals, teachers, beneficiaries and the parents were excited and thankful for this great support we have given this students because many of them find it difficult to cope with their studies.
There are so much more grounds to cover, so much lives to impact. Tbe YWAW foundation believes that we the supports of partners and volunteers, we would be able to reach out to more indigent students.
You can join us to make Education Accessible to All by sending your donations to Account name: Yes, We Are Winning Foundation. Account number:1016026769. Bank name: Zenith Bank
Project Kit Up A Child
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 9, 2021 | Articles, Empowerement |
“The hope of becoming a University undergraduate would have been dashed had it been The Yes, We Are Winning Foundation didn’t offer me scholarship.
As we commemorate the international Women’s day I wish to offer My sincere Appreciation to the foundation for paying my tuition fee and other logistic fees without which I would have dropped out of school. I pray the LORD will continue to make ways for the foundation and her sponsors and donors.
Nigeria has the highest number of dropouts in the world
I got to discover this great foundation through a friend. She told me about the foundation because she follows them on Instagram. She told me how they advocate and support the education of many students, orphans, and also provide skills acquisition etc.
So, I went to their page on Instagram, made a contact, and to my surprise I got a reply from them that same day after telling them my story. I really want to use this medium to appreciate the foundation for putting smile on my face, and their great work in the life of indigent students and needy. GOD will never put them to shame.
” I am a woman, I #chosetochallenge.
Abigail Musa is a university student, and a beneficiary of The Yes, We Are Winning Scholarship.
#SDG4.#education #internationalwomensday -Abigail Musa
Also read:
https://yeswearewinning.com/story/project-555/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalcitizen.org%2Fde%2Fcontent%2Fnigeria-has-largest-number-of-children-out-of-scho%2F&psig=AOvVaw0MqlFeKsBfWPZ3zqZi3fhS&ust=1621341859532000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKCRha3f0PACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 9, 2019 | Articles, Empowerement, Lifestyles |
It was a feeling of overwhelming happiness and joyful excitement for the SS3 students of the Falomo Senior Secondary, Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria during a symposium jointly organized by Welti Foundation and The Yes, We Are Winning Foundation to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2019.
The theme for this symposium is: Sexual Abuse, The Role of the Male Folks, with a hashtag Balance for better (#balanceforbetter). Our guest, Miss. Adebara Adekunbi (Founder, Piece of My Heart Foundation), spoke extensively on the definition of Sexual Assault, Sex, rape and gender equality. She emphaized on the need for the male folk to be discipline and avoid taking advantage of their female counterpart.
She lamented how terribly our society have being badly affected by the rising Sexual molestation and assaults that occurs on a daily basis, especially among young adolescents. She further advised that your “YES” or “NO” must be balanced with your physical action. As a lady, you shouldn’t be saying NO to Sexual approach or harassment and still let your guards down, as this may be seen as affirmative for the opposite sex.
Furthermore, she said that even though some ladies may dress indecently, yet this doesn’t justified that such a person should be forced to have sex (rape). She also mentioned that an average of 2 among every 10 boys have also experienced molestation, which means both genders are capable of being a victim.
For more images of the event, view slides below:
International Women’s Day Symposium
Finally, she encouraged the students to speak out and seek for help in case of any sexual molestation or abuse. She warned that perpetrators must not be left unpunished. She also reminded the students that often times, those who perpetrate such evil actions are those so close to us. Therefore, she challenged everyone to be vigilant and learn self defense at all times.
The theme for the 2019 International Women’s Day (#Balancingforbetter) also emphasizes on gender equality. Women are challenged to rise up to leadership positions in every sector just as their male counterpart. The day advocates for a society where both man and women can compete favourably in career, science, and leadership positions.
The need for girls and women to pursue their life aspirations in whatever choice of career, and never to be intimidated by the male folks was also discussed. students were happy to have learnt something new, they all solemnly committed to leading moral lives and promised to become responsible citizens.
The Executive Director of Women Economic And Leadership Transformation Initiative (Welti foundation), Ifeoma Okonji, emphasized the need to continue to speak against sexual abuse, and the need for the male counterpart to protect the girls and women, thereby balancing for better.
The YWAW team present were Afonrinwo Babs ‘Deji, Olaniyan Olubunmi and Olatunde Kikelomo.
On behalf of all of us, we wish all women happy International Women’s Day.
Yes, We Are Winning.
#balancingforbetter
#yeswearewinning
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Mar 9, 2019 | Empowerement, Lifestyles |
Who is Babs?
Afonrinwo Babatunde Deji is a young dynamic, enthusiastic and passionate community social innovator. He is the Founder of The Inverters Foundation, a foundation with keen focus on Human Capital Development and Leadership.
Babs, as he is fondly called is the Convener, Take A Step Summit (A Skill Acquisition Training project that discovers and uncovers hand skills talent in youth), he is also the Founder of the Popular online Leadership Academy (Follow To Lead and Young Leaders Forum for Ages 17-22years with Participants across the continent of Africa). Also, he is the founder of the popular HolidayHub – A Leadership Training discovery and uncovering program For Primary and secondary schools teenagers in Nigeria.
Babs founded the team which is made up of 13 young and vibrant individuals in 2016, and over 5,000 people have benefitted from his works across Africa.
PROGRAMS
Take A Step Summit – A Business, Leadership and Skill Acquisition Program which is targeted especially at unemployed youth.
Notebooks For Schools – Donation of Academic Materials to less privileged children especially those in slums.
HolidayHub – Leadership Training for Primary and Secondary School Students.
Online Academy – Follow to Lead & Young Leaders Academy (Online Leadership Academy for young and old people).
VISION
He is a silent laborer whose works speaks as a great Influencer than a mere popular social innovator, a writer, speaker and content creator. He is also a creative writer, a deep thinker, solution finder and a great encourager. He is very passionate about educating young individuals on leadership, entrepreneurship and skill acquisition in their environment.
His dream and goal for life is to become a leadership expert and a skill acquisition consultant, been a resourceful individual who uses his skills, knowledge and wisdom to meet human needs and with core areas of interest as; Capacity Building, Entrepreneurship Advocacy and Skill Training, Risk Management, Social Services Administration, Community Development and Organization, Community Integration and Social Integration.
AS A VOLUNTEER
Without doubt, Babs is a man of many parts. He volunteers and work with several other initiatives such as:
Boundless Hands Africa Initiative (As a member)
Yes We Are Winning Foundation (As a Project Member)
African ChangeMakers Fellowship (Fellow, Cohort 2)
YaliNetworkFace2Face (Lagos)
He has also been part of several advocacy moves and initiatives.
AWARDS & NOMINATION
2018 Heroes of the world top 10 social innovators (7th Position)
2017 Top 10 Social Innovators in Nigeria – Online Poll (2nd Position)
Nigeria Volunteers Award, Class of 2017.
You can contact Babs on +2347081075823, +2347030619518
by Mark Ibigbami GreatMark | Sep 11, 2018 | Articles, Empowerement, Lifestyles |
Yes, “why this waste?” You often hear that in your life, huh? I do too. I do hear it from the old man within. I hear it from friends and colleagues that tells me that am missing out on a lot of canal pleasures that my youthfulness or position should enjoy. I hear it from our culture that tells me that if I don’t accomplish certain things, or act is certain ways, my worth and relevance is in question.
I hear it from the pit of hell, that if all I do is to follow God, and give much of my time to serving God and humanity, I’m only just wasting my time. I hear that there are a lot things worth spending my life on today, and God is not in that list. So, why the waste?
My social environment constantly alerts me that it is all about me, and that in this one life that I’ve come, I must move with the flow, run town and have fun, and careless about who it hurts, as long as I am happy.
It’s a subtle and tricky voice. It can easily convince me that my business and career is is good and worth all of my time. I’m constantly prodded by the voice of reasoning that like the Biblical Martha, I must ensure that all of the “more important things” that need to be done are done before I give God my “precious time. “God understands”, they say!
Sadly but truly, some of the things we consider “more important” and worthy of our time are actually not as important, in fact, not important at all. Some activities we consider more important are just like marking time, they don’t move us forward in life. Many things we call “fun” only appeals to our emotions and sensuality, they don’t amount to profitability, and many of them have no value for eternity. So, why the waste?
When Mary argued that her sister, Martha was giving her precious time to something less important, than preparing a meal for the special guest, Christ rebuffed her saying, Mary has chosen the “one thing that is necessary “—sitting at his feet and listening to him.
Many would argue that spending time with God in worship is a waste of time; other say its boring and uneasy, while many others just simply say, there’s no enough time. Meanwhile, it is much easier to spend time surfing the Internet or browsing pictures of other people’s vacations, event or activities on Facebook. This you consider “worth wasting your life on?” Yet, it leaves you downcast and desperate after all.
I recall the words of John Piper in talking about time, he said, “one of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” Yes, indeed! We often blame prayerlessness on lack of time, whereas we have so much time to devote to those things that are less important.
The way it applies to sacred devotion is the same way it applies to our daily lifestyle. You claim you have a vision and yet you are not disciplined enough with your time to achieve your life goals. If you’re going to be great in life, you have to devote your time to those things that matter.
As believers, we will never enjoy our friendship with God if we don’t spend quality time with Him. Time is the most precious thing we have, and without daily doing that “one necessary thing,” everything else in our lives creeps up as way more necessary than it should ever be. What would you pick as the most important things in your life?
Everything you do for God’s pleasure has eternal value; anything you do for the flesh perishes with it. Give your life to God; give your time to pursuing what is necessary and beneficial to all!
You’re winning! Yes we are winning!
Also read:THE CLIMATE OF THE TIMES: We are lords of our world
Greatmark
