A Little Girl with a Big Voice--Zuriel Oduwole

My name is Zuriel Oduwole. I am 11 years old and I was born in Los Angeles. My dad is from Nigeria and my mom is from Mauritius. So, you could call me an African child – a Pan-African child. I have taken my Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up program to 4 African countries – Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania and Mauritius, and have spoken to more than 3000 girls about Dreaming up, Speaking Up, and Standing Up for what they believe. I talked with my family about this many times and in March 2013, I launched my project called “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” at the Lagos Business School. My hope is to encourage young children but especially young girls to dream big, and never believe it if anyone says there is something they can’t do. I also wanted to show myself as an example to the parents back in the village. I wanted to show them what a girl can do if she is educated. So I began to talk with African Presidents and Prime Ministers on girl’s education, and ask for their help and commitment. Today, I have interviewed and met more than 9 African Presidents and Prime Ministers since September 2012. Some of these are now my friends and we stay in touch for me to see how much their countries are doing about the issue. (They are President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, President Rajkeswur Purryag of Mauritius, President Jose Fonseca of Cape Verde and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. The others are President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Prime Minister Thomas Thabane of Lesotho Kingdom.) Learn more: www.dreamupspeakupstandup.com Chime for Change