Meet Dr Cassandra Akinde, a Social Entrepreneur with Real passion for Health Advocacy and Youth Capacity Development.

                   

In a recent interview with Attain, Dr Cassandra Bolanle Akinde, Team Lead, The Nigerian Child Initiative talked about her passion for Health advocacy and capacity development of young people in Nigeria.


Please tell us about yourself?

My name is Cassandra Bolanle Akinde. I am a young medical practioner and social enterpreneur with a real passion for health advocacy. I also teach and promote Sustainable Developmental Goals .

I am currently the Team Lead of The Nigerian Child Initiative, a non profit organisation which promotes Child Health and Sustainable Education. I love to read, meet new people,spend quality time with family and friends, scrapbooking and volunteering . On an average day when I am not working at the hospital or volunteering I love to chill at home engaging social media or watching movies.

 Tell us about your Non-profit Organization?

The Nigerian Child Initiative is a non profit driven by a group of vibrant young people passionate about Child Health and Development Education. The team promotes awareness of children about Sustainable Development Goals and provides healthcare within the reach of children in less privileged communities .

Through annual essay competition on SDGs for secondary school students ,winners are matched to mentor organisations.Since 2015 when the initiative was launched by Dr Shittu (the founder) healthcare has been brought within reach of at least 3,000 children in schools and communities .The organisation has educated at least 1000 children and teenagers directly on the Sustainable Developmental Goals and up to 2000 indirectly across various schools.There are 100 students under active mentorship as they each influence each other students in their peer group.

What brought about it?

The Nigerian Child Initiative was launched by Dr Yusuf Shittu when he had a simple vision of creating a platform which could create brighter and rewarding future for the children. It began with just 5 volunteers who wanted a make a difference  and now expanded to over 200 volunteer base  transforming the lives of Nigerian children by improving their access to healthcare and mentorship and building the  capacity of young people to be change makers and  leaders.


What were the main challenges you faced early on and how did you overcome them ?

One of the initial challenges I  had at the beginning was recruitment of volunteers who had similar vision, passion and character towards the social impact we do.
But with perseverance and positive attitude we were able to find enough talents and they are still counting.

What was the biggest challenge you ever faced since you started?

The major challenge was funding for our projects and its sustainability. It was not feasible  to always  solicit for funds from families, friends and acquaintances so we had to branch out into partnership with other NGOs and apply for grants.


What do you consider success in your Non-profit?

I believe that success is a continuous cycle and I like to measure it by level of impact made. With interests in Child Health promotion, Development education and mentorship, the team mentors children in schools and engages them with Sustainable Developmental Goals and bring essential healthcare services such as malaria screening, nutritional assessment, dental checks, vaccination, deworming, and essential drugs within the reach of children underserved and in low income communities.

The ability to do this everyday and the feedback I get through the bright smiles of the children and satisfaction of volunteers about the transformation of their lives is what I consider true success. 

At what point did you begin to achieve success and how did it happen?

I began to experience the feel of success when we started to expand and reach out to more children in different communities as compared to when we used to teach children healthy habits in staff  school. This also includes  our mentees who branch out to make impact in society via Sustainable Developmental Goals .
For instance, Miss Oluchi who has gone to found an NGO advocating for girls and women’s rights.The question remains ,if this is not success then what is?


What would you consider your greatest achievement ever since you started ? 

My greatest achievement is being able to inspire and mentor  the younger generation to be selfless, innately kind and invest their time and skills towards making a positive change in our current society .

Who has inspired you the most as a Non-Profit Team Lead? (Mentors/models e.t.c)

My main inspiration comes from God Almighty followed by my parents who are my biggest cheerleaders. Women all over the world but especially women in healthcare inspire me daily with their gallant successful stories of exploits.
I also get inspired greatly by selfless volunteers who give their time,effort and talent to TNCI.


 If you could go back in time, what are the changes you would have made for your Non-profit?

I wouldn't have changed anything as I believe everything happens for a reason and every day is a gift.

What else should we see you doing in the Future?

I am very passionate about children especially girls so I intend to keep advocating for them on causes ranging from child abuse to female genital mutilation and work tirelessly until they are all spoken for.

Apart from children I also advocate for women for causes ranging from rape to cervical cancer .

As for my long term plan, I hope to be able to work with Unicef or WHO on eradicating vaccine preventable diseases like Tetanus or Poliomyelitis  and gain enough expertise and skillset  in fighting epidemics and infectious diseases  in Nigeria.


Aside your Non-Profit, what are your other interests?

My other interests include volunteering for Medglobe Volunteer Network as a volunteer manager  and community health officer at Slum2School Africa.


What's the most important lesson you have learnt from your Non-profit ?

The greatest lesson I learnt from my organisation is that our vision, mission and goals are beyond one individual and that for us to succeed we must work together hand in hand.

Connect with Dr Cassandra Akinde and TNCI on Social media

Website:  www.thenigerianchildinitiative.org
Instangram : @thenigerianchildinitiative
@cassieakinde
Twitter;  @Nigerian_Child



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