Aisha Waziri

2017 Winner

Position: Volunteer and Youth Advocate
Organization: Centre For Girls Education
Current Location: Kaduna State

BSC INTERNATIONAL STUDIES from AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA

Additional Degrees and Certifications:
1. CERTIFICATE OF SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF U.S DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S KENNEDY LUGAR YOUTH EXCHANGE AND STUDY PROGRAM 2011-2012
2. CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION FROM ROY C KETCHAM HIGH SCHOOL, NEW YORK
3. SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE FROM ADEYEMO COLLEGE, KADUNA
4. CERTIFICATE OF SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF KENNEDY LUGAR YES PROGRAM ALUMNI SOCIAL ENREPRENEUR WORKSHOP, WASHINGTON D.C, AUGUST 2014 BY ASHOKA ‘S YOUTH VENTURE
5. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF ALTERNATIVE TO VIOLENCE PROJECT, Kaduna Nigeria, JULY, 2013
6. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE AFRICA REGIONAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING WORKSHOP HELD IN GHANA, 22ND -26TH MAY, 2013
7. CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT BY CIVILIZATIONS EXCHANGE AND COOPERATION FOUNDATION IN RECOGNITION OF DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPATION DURIN THE “2012 BETTER UNDERSTANDING FOR A BETTER WORLD CONFERENCE” BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, APRIL, 2012
8. CERTIFICATE OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR SERVING AS AN OUTSTANDING ALUMNI INSTRUCTOR AT THE 2014-2015 YES ORIENTATIONS AND WORKING TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM COMPLETION OF THE 2014-2015 YES PROGRAM FINALISTS.
9. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF USAID MANAGING FOR RESULTS MONITORING AND EVALUATION TRAINING, INTERFAITH MEDIATION CENTER KADUNA, NIGERIA , NOVEMBER, 2016
Awards Received:
Award:
KENNEDY LUGAR YOUTH EXCHANGE AND STUDY PROGRAM, FINALIST
Awarding Organization:
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Date Awarded:
August 26, 2011
Award:
Student Ambassador Award
Awarding Organization:
YOUTH FOR UNDERSTANDING USA
Date Awarded:
June 12, 2012
Award:
AWARD OF OUSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE
Awarding Organization:
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Date Awarded:
July 31, 2012

Aisha Salihu Waziri is studying International Relations at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She is a member of the United Nations Population Fund Youth Advisory Group, where she serves as an interface between UNFPA and young people and works to ensure the priorities of young people are reflected in the UNFPA programmes. Through her involvement with many civil society organizations, she is able to work with parents, religious and community leaders to develop community interventions to support adolescents’ and women’s reproductive health needs; she has used both traditional and social media to create awareness on the importance of family planning and child spacing. She is very passionate about girl-child education and its power to help girls make informed decisions, and since 2012 has mentored more than 1,000 girls to become self-reliant and relevant in their communities. She is also a member of the United States Exchange Alumni, through which she has received small grants to carry out most of her activities and has been selected to represent the alumni community both nationally and internationally. Aisha is currently a volunteer program assistant for Active Voices on its project “Community Led Advocacy to End Child Marriage,” where she has trained adolescents on SRHR, self-esteem, leadership, life skills, advocacy, etc. She is also a full-time volunteer at Interfaith Mediation Center, where she serves as an assistant in the Community Peace Action Network.

“Aisha is a young and dynamic advocate in Nigeria. She provides secondary school students with SRHR and Family planning information and advocates for young people’s meaningful engagement in FP.

– Margaret Bolaji, Program officer at Population and Reproductive Health Initiative

Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

My involvement with family planning started with educating secondary school girls about their sexual and reproductive health rights which gave my team the opportunity to establish 5 health clubs to 5 girls’ secondary schools in my community. Since, family planning is a very sensitive issue in my own predominant Muslim community we used advocacy to religious and community leaders as a strategy to achieve our goals which led to a project my team pioneered called “Leaders for Her Health. ” Through, Leaders for Her Health, we were able to sensitize more than 1800 people in more than 10 communities about SRHR and Family planning in the first quarter of the project. As member of UNFPA Youth Advisory Group and YPP I ensure that the priorities of young people are reflected in their programs.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

The lost of my teenage northern Nigerian friend Hauwa’u at the age of 15 when she was given birth was one of the major thing that sparked my passion to ensure I reach as many young girls and their parents as possible with information on SRHR ,effect of early marriage and importance of girls child education because I feel If Hauwa’u and her parents were educated they would have been able to make informed decisions about her life & the fact that I have seen many teenage girls become mother

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

I have been advocating to influential figures particularly religious and community leaders to support SRHR for women and family planning access to all and I have pushed for the establishment of effective youth friendly services in many rural communities.
I have also led trainings for youth led organizations to enable them give SRHR information to young people.
I have mentored more than 500 girls in rural communities on basic literacy, numeracy, life skills, etc

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work?

I will;
Share ideas & learn what FP Champions are doing in their countries & adopt effective methods to implement in my community
Establish health club in high schools & continue the peer education program I initiated & continue Project Leaders4Her Health through advocacy 2 religious& community leaders
Collect data on how many girls need SRHR, FP counselling etc which will help in my advocacy intervention & will help my community achieve her demographic opportunity.

Video Introduction

Photos of the nominee in the field/at work