By  Angelina Anita Ama Annobil

My life growing up was a blend of hope and challenges. Growing up in a rural town back then with limited opportunities for development was hard for an ambitious girl child like I was. But, that was a twisted fate as this experience rather kept me on a journey that did not only shape me for life but prepared me to touch lives.

My deep passion for human and community development was sparked when I excelled in a national exam where I was the only candidate from a less resourced school and even community. That experience shifted my perspective to not only pursue my dreams irrespective of the challenges, but be a contact through which more young people like me could ignite their dreams. During my time in secondary school, I received a life-changing opportunity through the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship at CAMFED Ghana, which enabled me to pursue quality education. Just when my breakthrough came, my hearing impairment became worse where I faced countless barriers and society seemed ready to reduce me to a limitation. I was determined and thirsty to develop myself and create change that, I began to discover who I could become beyond the boundaries set by my impairment and rather, lived through the struggle. My story has become a message that shows the hidden power amidst struggles. I got transformed through my access to quality education from secondary through to the University and with my commitment to personal development, I saw myself as a carrier of creating a revolution in rural communities and towns. From that moment on, my life’s mission has been to ensure that other rural youths do not feel marginalized or be rendered unsupported due to where they come from or their background.

Fueled by my new-found purpose, I founded an organization at age 19 dedicated to empowering rural youths by helping them access information and opportunities that could contribute to their personal and professional development. We started off through workshops where we inspired hundreds of rural students to challenge them to want better for themselves and do good in their communities too. We moved on to design a mentorship program which has provided guidance to promising young people who have pushed, and some still pushing through boundaries to achieve their dreams. We have as well offered out-of-school young people with skill trainings helping them learn a trade to translate into income-earning ventures to support themselves and their families.

Regardless of how challenging this journey has been, it however has been a source of fulfillment through the impact of reaching over 5000 rural youths and communities who have been inspired by accessing our programs, and each session or interaction has left me deeper into fulfilling my dream of empowering a generation of rural youths who are not just empowered with skills but those who also believe in their own potential.

I have gone ahead to build a mentorship program (Mbasiafo Tribe – translates as Girls Tribe) which started with 5 girls from my community in 2019, and have grown into a Girls empowerment community of over 100 girls from rural and suburban communities across Ghana.

For every young person I have mentored or any program my organization has facilitated, the goal has always been to redefine rural Africa and challenge rural youths to dream beyond their environments. Because when I look at myself, I do not see my obstacles and that reflects into how I see them; I envision changemakers and leaders who like myself, believe in our capabilities and the impact we can leave in the world. My motivation is deeply rooted into the hope that, for every one young person I inspire for transformation, a whole family and by extension, community will be uplifted.

From a young girl who was so ambitious that not even her background could stop her, neither did a health impairment. To a woman whose strength has afforded several young people the chance to dream wild! Every rural youth deserves a chance at success and I am committed to making that happen!