Message from Executive Director

The vision to give African Women and Youth the opportunity and platform to stand shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts from anywhere around the world was the burning passion that led to the establishment of AWYO. This started way back in the military era when I was a student activist and an active player in the civil rights movement in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees in Germany Mr. Adekunle (who with his tremendous support the vision was born) and my colleague, the Nigerian Country Director, Ms EwaJesu Asala, were able to identify the challenges facing Africans and we were convinced of the essence of AWYO on these reasons:

First, that Africa desperately needed a paradigm shift in the way things are being done. A strong attitudinal change and approach to development is necessary. Getting the current crop of leaders to empower the driving force of development in their communities became a cardinal point. The socio economic empowerment of young men and women remains the platform for the development of African race.

The need to build the social confidence of African immigrants was a driving force behind AWYO's establishment as African immigrants are faced with social and racial discrimination, lack of adequate knowledge to harness opportunities available to them in their communities and the loss of cultural identity makes it difficult for them to fit into their source communities and new settlement satisfactorily.

Over the years, we have not quite transformed Africa, or all African immigrants abroad. However, thanks to our growing army of committed change agents, we have lit a fire in the hearts and minds of decision makers, government establishments, young people, human rights activist and start-up entrepreneurs across two continents. Many have in turn commenced change efforts, starting with their own lives, furthering their education and then gradually serving as change agents to their families, companies and communities. Furthermore, AWYO has reassessed its activities in 2009 and decided to embark on a massive human capital development by partnering with existing structures in Africa to build a new crop of women and youth who are economically empowered and socially knowledgeable to take the driving seat in determining future of Africa. The success that AWYO has recorded since 2006 has been achieved through the support of its partners, funders and volunteers who share the same passion and drive to create the change we all so desire to see in Africans around the world. The expansion of AWYO into Nigeria in June 2010 has been made possible by a passionate team of EwaJesu Asala, Emenyi Abang and Temidire Asala who worked tirelessly to make the vision happen with support from Mr. Rasheed Olawale the Special Adviser to the Minister for Youth Development in Nigeria. We know Africa needs the world, we have taken it upon ourselves to let Africa know that the world needs her and the only way she can serve as the change agent, is when young men and women have an equal platform as their counterparts around the world in order to become active global development citizens.

Watch an Interview recently held with the Executive Director of African Women and Youth Organization (AWYO) e.V, Olayinka Elizabeth Adekunle in Berlin

Details Here