I choose to challenge the decision-making process in my community | Alimatu Sulemana

Story By:  Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang


All over the world, young people are pledging to support and campaign against the marginalization of women and empower them to speak up and challenge for leadership positions in their communities.

One of such young persons is the vice president for Young Rural Women movement in Dalun, Alimatu Sulemana. In her capacity as a youth leader in her community, Alimatu wants to choose to challenge the decision-making process.

During a Facebook Live session in the studios of Sanatu Zambang ahead of the International Women’s Day celebration on the 8th of March, 2021 on the theme I choose to Challenge, she explained why she chooses to challenge the decision-making process in her community. According to her, women’s voices are not considered when making decisions in the family or community.

What triggered her to choose to challenge the decision-making process in her community is because a father took the decision to stop his daughter from schooling after the president reopened schools in January.

Narrating the sad event, Alimatu said the mother of the young girl was against the decision of the father but was not empowered enough to speak up or challenge the harm that her husband is doing to their daughter.

This she said is just one of the cases that she has heard and believes that there are several cases. The only way to go is to let women know that, they are an integral part of the decision-making process in the family and the community.

Alimatu Sulemana became a member of YOPP in 2015 after attending a programme organized by the foundation. During this event, Alimatu saw young girls of her age speak and make impactful submissions.

What even inspired her more was when some of the young females put themselves up for leadership positions in the group.

This led her to question her teacher why they did not have such a group in their community. When they came back home, they had to revamp the group again in her community, Dalun, to make it a vibrant one that seeks to empower and challenge certain social norms in the community which are not favorable to women and girls.

Youth Opportunity Partnership for Programme is a Non-Governmental Organisation that operates in ten communities in the northern region.

The organization as part of its mandate seeks to use games and creative arts to build the capacity of young persons, break certain gender norms and empower the youth.

Some of these games and creative arts modules they use include football games among implementing communities, drama club, poetry, girls coaching, etc.

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