By Bello-Momodu Monique, Founder of NOTAFRAIDTOSPEAK

I always knew I wanted to give back to the society one way or the other. I also knew I wanted to participate in pageantry and become a beauty queen. In 2019, I finally did. I did it all, participated in a pageant and won. That was an unforgettable experience of growth, that experience pushed me to be a better version of myself, and beyond the limits I thought I had. After that experience I knew that the saying ‘there’s no limit to what you can achieve’ was true. This new chapter also gave me the platform to give back to the society and touch lives.

I was able to carry out my pet project on mental health awareness. I also worked with the Girl Child Drive Organization. We visited schools and I had the honor of educating and encouraging little girls and boys on mental health, importance of education, leadership and abuse. My greatest joy was seeing the faces of beautiful children light up and the hope in their eyes whenever they heard me speak. That was and still is my greatest achievement, knowing that I was and is making impact. For several years after I kept on volunteering to charity, researching, learning and pushing about mental health awareness in the best ways i could.

But in November 2021, my community (as I love to call it) Notafraidtospeak was birthed. This beautiful life changing journey was born in one of my darkest moments. I was fighting some mental health illness, and at that point they were already winning. At the time i was working with an NGO, going for outreaches and public speaking to children, but deep down I was a wreck.

I remember, balling my eyes out in the car right before stepping out to give a speech, I wiped my tears and put myself together because I knew they needed me. One day I said to myself ‘why don’t you start practicing what you preach’? And that changed the trajectory! I spoke up! I talked about it and I sought help. I knew so much about mental health, I advocated it, I preached it, I fought for it, I helped people fighting it but i couldn’t help myself. I later realized I was afraid to speak, I was ashamed even with all that I knew. And in that moment I decided it was time to have my own foundation, a platform for change and the name NOTAFRAIDTOSPEAK stuck!

Even though this community was founded for mental health awareness, it’s not limited. Notafraidtospeak is a community creating awareness on various medical, mental health , sexual and societal issues affecting females especially. This community now aims to promote women and girls advocacy, women and girls in politics and leadership positions, STEM, well being of children, equality and mental wellness. Over the years, my team and I have visited schools and orphanages with hopes of causing a positive change in the lives of growing children, women and the society at large. We believe that even the tiniest voice can be heard and cause a positive change. In 2024, we had our biggest outreach on 11th October , we reached out to beautiful girls in a community government school. They learnt about breast cancer, grooming, mental health and the importance of taking leadership roles. It was a dream come true for me. I’m grateful for the days of little beginnings and I’m excited for what the future holds, the lives that’ll take a new turn and a good course because of my impact and the growth of my community.