Change Magazine July 2017 issue | Page 30

NIGERIA Photo from: Glow Initiative for Economic Em Creating Sustainable Jobs for Rural Women and Youth in Nigeria By: Babajide Oluwase Back in 2014, as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Kwara State, Nigeria, Glory Chinenye Oguegbu had wondered why many people in her host com- munity were languishing in 27 hunger and abject poverty in the midst of plenty cassava which is a staple food. Then the quest for a new narrative changed everything after- wards. “It all started during the man- datory National Youth Service Corps at age 23, I conducted a successful economic growth and empowerment program for 200 widows and 24 orphans in a small community that had