On DFA Interview Series- Meet Omobola Olaribigbe, the founder of Yeye Modupe Alakija Foundation.
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Omobola Olaribigbe, a teacher, the Learning Leader, and Director at Ikija day school (IDS) Surulere Lagos. I am also a social impact advocate, an author, and the founder of Yeye Modupe Alakija Foundation.
Tell us about your organization, impacts, and achievements since establishment?
YEYE MODUPE ALAKIJA FOUNDATION was launched on March 7th 2021. The vision of YEYE MODUPE ALAKIJA FOUNDATION is creating new opportunities for African girls and their families.
We support girls in less privileged communities between the ages of 13-18 through an initiative called the PAD-I Project (preserving and Activating Destinies Initiative) our four core areas are alleviating period poverty and menstrual hygiene, mentoring, and handholding, volunteering, and Human Papilloma Virus awareness.
Our second initiative is the REX Initiative which supports and empower the family members of our beneficiaries in the PAD-I project.
What advice can you give to young people who want to build a career in the development sector?
I believe it is the best gift one can give to humanity. They must understand it is a selfless service therefore they must be passionate and compassionate about causes they want to support and build competence and capacity in their skills set to enable them to contribute their quota.
What is the biggest challenge facing the education sector and what are your interventions so far?
The biggest challenge facing the education sector is the lack of quality educators because of the low level of budgetary allocation on the National Level and lack of specialized training leading to professionalism.
My intervention is that I make it mandatory for all educators who work with me to have continuous professional development.
What do you believe the Government can do differently?
The government should lay more emphasis on funding and monitoring to ensure these funds provided are properly utilized in the education sector.
Tell us four shocking things you’ve experienced about being a nonprofit leader?
- It is beyond passion.
- It involves a lot of data collection and recording.
- The sustainability of funding is something to think about from the get-go.
- There is no hiding place for visibility. One must be intentional about visibility.
How has been your participation in the inner circle program or other programs prepared you for opportunities ahead?
I can’t put a price on the immense benefit I have gained from the inner circle program thus far, from the content shared, the training and network of changemakers I have met, Donors for Africa has lived up to their mission of building capacity for social impact drivers.
Are there any ongoing projects your organization is working on at the moment? Please share it with us.
Our ongoing program is the PAD-I Project which will be a pilot program, starting with a community in Surulere Lagos. We are at the stage of conducting an assessment of the identified community.
To know more about Omobola Olaribigbe and the amazing work she is doing, you can follow her organization on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeyemodupealakijafoundation/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=yeyemodupealakijafoundation