Rebecca Ejifoma
Even the prisoners are humans, too; hence, deserve some love, support and dignity to help break the cycle of more crimes and slash prison rates. This was the drive that propelled the Global Trailblazers Network (GTN), a non-profit organisation empowering girls and women, to show some love to female inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Service Warri Prisons in Delta State for this year’s International Women’s Day.
With the theme for the year, “Accelerating Equality & Empowerment: How Women’s Leadership & Collective Action Can Make a Difference”, the organisation established a conversation with the inmates on the power of dreaming.
The founder, Chinyere Kasakwe, expressed, “It was an inspiring meeting filled with so much hope. We reminded the inmates that the prison bars are not their end and do not define them.
“They matter! They can still dream; they can still become. It was obvious we left them better than we met them.”
While trying to turn their dreams into reality once again, Global Trailblazers Network alleviated their sufferings with donations of toiletries/self-care kits like panties, bathing soap, sponges, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorants to all the female inmates and donated over 50 bags of water to them as well.
Global Trailblazers Network, a platform that has been inspiring women since 2017, is resolute in its quest to help them discover their purpose and live their best life.
Kasakwe highlighted how every year, her foundation reaches out to women through virtual/on-site events.
Her words, “Rather than reach out to women who have the freedom they desire, we decided to go for the incarcerated women.
“Though we have had several events in commemoration of IWD, we organise business-related events for female entrepreneurs called Business Brunch.”
At GTN, the goal is to leave no woman or girl behind. The foundation yearns to create a world where all women and girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
While the foundation continues to create a world where women will have equal and healthy opportunities in life, GTN says it is committed to giving women a lease of hope.
According to research, there is a need to encourage female equality in the workplace and make access to resources equal for women to thrive side-by-side with their male counterparts.
The ultimate aim has been the fact that giving opportunities to women results in a positive impact on society, the nation, and the globe. According to Kasakwe, “We will continue to impact the women every year with our various programmes.”
