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Blessing


Gender and Age:		Female, 30
Location:		Awka, Anambra
Country of Residence:		Nigeria
Country of Birth:		Nigeria
Languages:		English , Igbo



Website:		http://www.gcafy.org
Instant Messaging:		To protect the privacy of members, Instant Messaging information is only available to logged in members of TakingITGlobal. Login or Sign up now, it's free!

About Me

Onyejike Adaobi Blessing C. is the National Coordinator of Girl Child Art Foundation (GCAF), Nigeria. Being at this position in GCAF a non-governmental/non profit organization with a vision and philosophy which is to develop a culture that delivers professional excellence, independence and social empowerment to Nigerian youth but most especially the girl child; Using Arts as medium of educating young people on their rights, health and hygiene, education and art therapy for psychological balance (e.g. performing, visual, sonic arts.-media).

Her responsibility in GCAF as the national coordinator is to coordinate activities, supervise projects, approvals of upcoming projects, coordinator “GCI” which is the GCAF Campus Initiative that runs in higher institutions in Nigerian. (A summary of her major projects are included in her CV).

She also directs advocacy programs on youth development and youth participation and decision making in Nigeria. Her role as a young female activist in Nigeria encourages other up-coming females in their careers as future social activists at their different levels in the society.

In GCAF, she ensures an active representation of the organization’s activities in the different network and coalitions of organization on which GCAF belongs.

She also participates in the leadership peer education, counseling programs for youth in the organization and other programs on the development of the girl child. She has won several National leadership awards for execellent youth based projects.

2. Major Professional Achievements

Please describe in the space below (in no more than 300 words) any professional or academic achievements as well as any community activity and public life accomplishments.
Onyejike Ada .B.C is a female artist/ activist using all forms of Arts (Art Therapy) as a medium of effecting a positive change in the society.
She is the Executive Director and co-founder of Girl Child Art Foundation. It is the first youth development Art Foundation in Nigeria, but basically working on girl-child-related developmental issues through all forms of Arts e.g. Performing, Visual, and literary Arts.
Ada Onyejike had her first degree in Fine and Applied Arts, but specialized in painting. She has acquired other certificates through trainings and courses both within and outside Nigeria on different issues related to youth development and women. She is the South East coordinator of Nigerian Association of Female Artists, has coordinated/ initiated several youth-oriented HIV/AIDS projects among youth especially in the south Eastern states of Nigeria and other gender-sensitive organizations within and outside Nigeria.
Ada Onyejike has coordinated and contributed actively in youth-related MDGs even as an undergraduate till date. She has endeared herself to many people through her positive independent professional competence. Overtime, she has served as a workshop/ seminars/conference resource person, transferring basic skills on capacity building programs, health and hygiene of the girl child as future women, HIV/AIDS programs, Girl /women’s rights, knowledge of self development through Arts to young girls.
She has influenced and empowered budding female activists and the youth in the country through their personal talents. She has succeeded in this respect using the media, exhibitions, Art competitions, the dance, drama, art festivals and other forms of entertainment as campaign strategies for their social rights and heighten their level of independence.
Some of her projects are – Voice of a Nigerian girl (VONG Project) using Art works by girls as a mode of transferring information to other youth and several schools in different states in Nigeria; Dance Fest –inculcating positive values and issues on our practices on HIV/AIDS ranging from its prevention and care of PLWHA through dance in 198 schools (2,349 students in active participation) in Nigeria, HIV/AIDS awareness cartoon competition for girls of 8-24 yrs –Cartoon for Life, Just concluded- (PEPFAR media fund under the U.S mission in Nigeria) an awareness prevention project for the youth especially the undergraduates in Anambra State of Nigeria using the media and GCAF regular practical training and essays, poems, Crafts-bead making, ceramic collections which will be published in 2006 and our regular training classes for girls of 8-24 yrs.
So far, Ada Onyejike as the national coordinator of GCAF, has recorded many successes in GCAF’s past projects and more to come. She hopes to make GCAF the biggest Art foundation.

The GCAF Campus Initiative
Today, millions of Nigerian youth are affected by the high poverty levels, unemployment, environmental hazards, health, educational challenges, and violence.

The GCAF Campus Initiative, initiated in June 2005, is a growing grassroots movement that is rooted in the belief that students can take simple, effective steps to help achieve the MDGS, which will have an impact and effect on the youth in Nigerian higher institutions.

The campus initiative supports GCAF’s ability to operate in over 100 higher institutions in Nigeria by encouraging the youth in the country to work on issues related to human and environmental health, in youth development, capacity building, access to information on global issues and participation in meaningful recreational activities.

Students in higher institutions in Nigeria have a unique opportunity to gain access to widespread resources in order to increase public awareness about GCAF projects. The formation of student activist groups, forums and other international programs provide a medium for campus-wide education, advocacy and fundraising.

The GCAF campus initiative creates a culture of advocacy for the programs and activities that relate to youth development, particularly through all forms of arts (literary, theatre, fine, and sonic) as basic strategies and vehicles for education, communication, behavior change, and activism.

While youth and students are benefiting from this effort by GCAF, we hope this initiative will also have a positive impact on the faculty and staff of the different higher institutions, and that youth will be encouraged by this to see themselves as future leaders. Through educating their peers, students are contributing to general youth development.

This also ensures that the younger generation will produce a great number of people who support issues related to youth, and to young women specifically.

GCAF campus initiatives will set up concerts, festivals, arts exhibition, seminars, conferences, media programs; produce publications on important issues related to youth development; fundraise, advocate, and participate in the GCAF parent projects locally and internationally.

All projects done by the Campus Initiative are strictly youth-led, but supervised by the parent organization GCAF.

GCAF campus groups affirm the power of youth and students in terms of addressing the MDGS and sustainable development, with the belief that youth can make a difference in the society .Youth achieving their dreams will in turn help the GCAF to carry out its own activities on behalf of Nigerian youth. Youth are exposed to friendly and professional trainings, activities, courses, and experiences, which they can utilize in future activities towards achieving the MDGs in Nigeria and in the world.

Join GCI
Description of target groups: Youths of 14-30yrs on Nigerian campuses targeting, 140 schools.

If you would like to start a campus chapter in your school, contact us on :- gcampusinitiative@yahoo.com
We are currently working with 36 schools, and hope to reach more in the next few months.

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