We are proud of a member of Kids & Teens Resource Centre’s Board of Directors, Omowumi Ogunrotimi who is the only Nigerian selected as finalist in the Commonwealth Youth Awards.

Wumi Ogunrotimi is a legal practitioner and youth advocate. She started her advocacy journey for the cause of young people, women and girls at age fifteen. She was a young volunteer at Kids & Teens Resource Centre where she contributed to efforts in raising funds for the organization’s Health Education Referral Booth Project. This initiative impacted over 12,000 young people.

In contribution to issues around gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of young people, Omowumi developed and produced several episodes of TV and Radio programmes. She was awarded by UNICEF for making enormous impact on young people. She started a program called Knowing Series, which was a platform where out-of-school adolescent girls who were survivors or potential victims of social injustice learned to speak out and share their experiences while getting trained on life building and vocational skills.

Omowumi has been shortlisted for the 2018 Commonwealth Youth Awards in recognition of her contribution towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 5 in Nigeria. #SDG5 on Gender Equality.

Omowmi is the Initiator of Gender Mobile @GenderMobileNG. A creative and sustainable use of technology to reduce the incidence of gender-based violence #GBV in Nigeria through an helpline for reporting such cases and linkage to quality service.

Gender Mobile is a technology that makes instant help, information and referrals to service centres available to victims and survivors of #GBV

Commonwealth awards recognises young people aged 15 to 29 that are outstanding in creating innovative solutions to social issues that have impact on their local communities.

The focus for this year is on celebrating young people’s contribution towards a fairer, more sustainable, more secured and more prosperous future for the Commonwealth.

The 20 finalists selected – from over 400 applications across the globe – cover every region of the Commonwealth, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, and the Pacific.

The Regional Young Persons of the Year would be selected from the 20 finalist  with one exceptional entrant being recognised as the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year during the Commonwealth Youth Forum, in London in April.

In addition to a grant of GBP £1,000 to continue their development work, finalists will each be awarded a trophy and certificate. The Regional Young Persons of the Year will receive £3,000, and the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year will go home with £5,000.

Congratulations to Omowumi for making us proud!