By AIDOGHIE PAULINUS
Miss Hafsatu Shinkafi, the Executive Director, I Am Change, a non governmental organization, is a very humane and self-effacing humanitarian crusader who goes about her daily duties quietly. But beneath her quiet and unassuming posture is a young lady changing the course of children, youths, women and the vulnerable in our society.
The Zamfara State-born Shinkafi achieves her objectives through empowerment in various ways. Though young, Shinkafi said I Am change humanitarian organization is solely hers, with guidance only from a wide scope of professionals.
Registered solely, Shinkafi singlehandedly set up the organization’s focus, aims and objectives, including her office situated around the Federal Secretariat axis in Abuja, and recruited the staff and volunteers all from her personal savings.
In a chat with Abuja Metro, Shinkafi said the need for the establishment of I Am Change stems from the fact that as a youth, she recognized the enormous and different challenges the youths in Nigeria are facing. “And I really wanted to address and help with solving those issues through the strong message of change. The name signifies the message of looking within as a person to achieve your best potential and live a worthy and meaningful life with our assistance,” Shinkafi said.
Giving an insight on how she goes about achieving her goal which is primarily the empowerment of youths and vulnerable persons, Shinkafi said his organization looks at the society and choose critical causes that are in need of intervention. “We have a long list of causes we would like to aid and support that concern youths, women, children, and we will start step by step till we achieve our goals,” Shinkafi added.
Funding has been one of the major challenges militating against the achievement of many set out objectives in most organizations. The case of I Am Change is not different. For Shinkafi, “I Am change is a new organization; therefore, seeking for grants and financial aid is not an easy task.” Shinkafi was quick to add that “So far, we’ve been working on forging partnerships and introducing the organization in the sector. We carried out successful computer training courses this year and the cost of that was by my personal funds. We have sent out a few proposals for grants for our projects next year and some of the proposals have already been accepted.”
Speaking on partnerships with other local and international organizations, Shinkafi said she had already begun to forge partnerships and that I Am Change is in the process of officially forging partnerships with formidable organizations at home and abroad. “We are currently in the United Nations database for nonprofit organizations. We wish to connect with regional African bodies and national private and public sector organizations,” She added.
Though the focus of I Am Change is not limited to any particular geopolitical zone, it is presently focusing on far north where its impact is urgently needed. “Our focus will start off on the far north in states such as Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara where there is more urgency on the matters we plan to work on. The organization has a national outlook and by no means, has a narrow regional aim or outlook,” Shinkafi asserted.
Asked if she had succeeded in establishing a relationship with her target group – the vulnerable such as youths, women and children, Shinkafi said I Am Change engaged the youths during its computer training courses and have had a wide audience with the youths when it carried out an aired and published interview with President Muhammadu Buhari on the most critical issues facing the Nigerian youths.
According to Shinkafi, “We discussed socio economic factors that negatively affect the youths and how he intends to tackle the crisis of youths in this country. Furthermore, we have plans and strategies of engaging our targets in the community and offering awareness skills and enlightenment programs.”
I Am Change, according to Shinkafi, is currently in the process of having partnerships with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to collaborate on the Change Begins with Me campaign of the government which she said, is strikingly similar to the aims of I Am Change.
“We have also been in touch with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology. We have also introduced our organization to the diplomatic community in Abuja,” she stated.
On her mode of engaging her target audience, Shinkafi said she intends to engage her target audience by effective and wholesome public relations techniques and by reaching out to them directly on a bilateral basis. “As a modern organization, we also leverage on the use of social media to connect and advertise our organization online. And in the near future, as we grow as an organization, we wish to involve traditional media in our awareness campaigns,” Shinkafi concluded.