Ngodoo Tough, Founder Of She & More – Part Two
About She & More
She & More Women Development Initiative is a registered NGO in Nigeria that is aimed at helping girls and women achieve their dreams and become the best they can be regardless of their background. We believe every woman is a valuable asset. We also believe that when women are given the right opportunities, they can become the best in anything they do.
We are burdened by the high number of women and girls that are trapped by situations and unpleasant experiences in the form of abuse, oppression, denial and a general lack of opportunity. Many have resorted to mediocrity and have given up on their dreams. Our vision is to create a world of limitless possibilities where women can live and achieve their full potential. These can be achieved when the following factors are in place; education and empowerment, good health, fighting against global poverty, fighting against high environmental population and abuse. We believe that by empowering women mentally and economically through knowledge and skills, we will be able to expose them to opportunities, help them to break barriers and become the best in their endeavours.
Due to the incessant insecurity in Nigeria, especially around the North East and middle belt area, a million women and children are displaced, losing their homes, farms, businesses, hygiene and education. We are burdened by the high number of females that have died as a result of poor sanitation, unnecessary health issues, poverty and constant abuse. For some, a small part of them dies each day as they watch their dreams being shattered. The search for a better life filled with economic security has left women and girls who live in the IDP camps vulnerable, and this over time has attracted traffickers who deceive them by promising to take them away all in the name of education and a better life. In contrast, many end up as sex slaves, house maids doing extremely hard labour, while some of our girls are forced into child marriage….
There is a popular saying “Don‘t give me fish instead teach me how to fish.” So we believe that empowering women and girls mentally and economically is essential to the health and social economic development of families, communities and the world at large. We hope to scale up our operation this year as the humanitarian burden is increasing by the day, especially in the North Central and North East of Nigeria where there is protracted armed conflict that has lasted over a decade.
A personal message from Ngodoo
This idea was birthed from a place of pain and struggle. I am a woman of many struggles, pain, failure, mistakes, and disappointments, but I never allowed the pain to take the best part of me as I didn’t let it overshadow my strength. I saw pain as a launch pad to my greatness and that is why She & More Women Development Initiative has come to place. I want myself and other women to achieve greatness through mentorship, motivation and empowerment using true life situations and circumstances that will encourage women and girls to become their best-self regardless of what life throws at them. Who’s better for this if not me? I have been there, I have felt pain, and I know how it feels to be broken, but I fought pain and frustration, and I am still fighting for myself and for the betterment of women in all communities.
I am calling on my brothers and sisters in the diaspora, international bodies, the federal government, the state government, the Ministry of women affairs, organizations, our great sons and daughters of Tiv nation, and individuals, please come out! Let’s join hands together and help the girl child in the IDP camps, let’s help the widows, and the downtrodden lady today for a better woman’s community that will bring about social economic development and growth to our society.
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