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Project_Inspire With Iheanacho Chekwube Christabel

Christabel believes that something as natural as menstruation should not constitute a hindrance to the dreams and aspirations of young girls and through her Initiative,she is working to normalize period talk and encourage schools and communities to set up WASH facilities for girls. In this interview with Project-Inspire, Christabel tells her story.



PROJECT_INSPIRE: Can we meet you? Christabel : My name is Iheanacho Chekwube Christabel, a graduate of International Relations and History. A girl Advocate, very passionate about girl child development and Founder/Executive Director at Fearless Girls Initiative (F.G.I).


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:Tell us briefly your childhood experience. 
  Christabel : Christabel grew up like other girls of her age, with hopes of becoming successful in life. 


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What’s your educational background?
  Christabel : I hold a bachelor's degree in History and International Relations from Ebonyi State University. I completed my secondary school education at Queen's Secondary School Enugu. I have also received several leadership certifications.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What are your contributions towards making Nigeria a better place?
  Christabel : I am the founder of Fearless Girls Initiative,a vehicle I use in promoting the values of humanity, and working to improve the lives and prospects of my community. At Fearless Girls Initiative,our mandate is to educate girls on menstruation and menstrual hygiene management; free distribution of menstrual pads, & trainings on how to make reusable pads; advocate for WASH Facilities for young girls in public secondary schools and communities.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE: What have your achievements been? 
  Christabel : At the heart of what we do is to break the barriers around menstruation and normalize conversation around menstruation. We have directly reached over 5,000 girls , empowering them with accurate information around menstruation. We have also trained over 1,000 girls on how to make reusable pads. Our skill acquisition trainings have empowered over 300 girls and we hope to do more. Our radio programs have helped us reached thousands with our message.  We have also been able to distribute more than 1,000 pads and other hygiene products to girls.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What motivated you to do what you are doing? 
  Christabel :When I realised that something as natural as menstruation should not stop a young girl from living a happy and fulfilling lives,my journey began and I haven't looked back. 


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What has been your major challenge since you began your non-profit organization? 
  Christabel :Funding has been a major challenge. But we have been able to do so much with what is available.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:Many young people have great ideas, but lack of funds is always a stumbling block. What’s your advice in this regard? 
  Christabel :My advice is to start with whatever you have, be consistent, be slow but keep pushing; snail speed is better than no speed at all. 


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:How have you been able to raise money to implement your ideas? 
  Christabel :Through family and my personal savings.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:Could you please share with us one or two experience(s) you have had in the course of your campaign that has/have impacted on you? 
  Christabel : When I began advocating to end period poverty among girls, I was driven by a passion to see girls live up to their fullest potentials and had no other motive. Later on,my work came to limelight when I was accepted as Associate Fellow at Royal Commonwealth Society. This recognition reassured me that I was doing something worthwhile. It was a booster for my work.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What are your prospects in the next 5 or 10 years?
  Christabel : To empower more girls to rise to the challenge of creating sustainable solutions to everyday challenges especially through technology.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:What do you think is the major cause of unemployment among the youth today, and how can we get over this? 
  Christabel :To a large extent, many Nigerian youths are not employable because they don't have the right skill set. We need to upgrade our education system to meet the needs of the labour market.


  PROJECT_INSPIRE:How can you be reached on social media?

  PROJECT_INSPIRE: Thank you Christabel for sharing your story. 
  Christabel : My pleasure.

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