Empowered to Lead: Rewriting the Story of Female Leadership in Africa

Group Photograph of the Speakers at the Women Community in Africa (WCA) Town Hall Meeting which held in Abuja

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

On July 31, 2025, I had the privilege of speaking at the Women Community in Africa (WCA) Town Hall Meeting, held under the theme: “Empowered to Lead – Changing Attitudes Towards Female Leadership.” This was hosted as a prelude to the 2025 Women’s Summit in Rwanda as a bold gathering and necessary conversation confronting how we perceive, portray, and position women in leadership across the continent.

Why Moving Across Africa Still Feels Like Climbing a Mountain

By Cynthia Umeh

“Can you imagine needing a visa just to visit your cousin in Ghana?”
“Or paying endless fees just to drive through countries where the people look exactly like you?”

Shades of Us at the 2025 Gender and Inclusion Summit

Ramatu Ada Ochekliye, Founder, Shades of Us, at the 2025 Gender and Inclusion Summit

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

On September 4, 2025, I walked into the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja for what has become an annual pilgrimage—the Gender and Inclusion Summit hosted by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC). This year marked my third time attending since 2023, and just like the previous years, I was eager to immerse myself in conversations that matter deeply to me.

Through the Eyes of the Daughters of Africa

Photo by Eyo Archibong on Unsplash

By Ojonugwa Yahaya

To see through the eyes of the daughters of Africa is to witness a vision shaped by history, resilience, and an unwavering sense of hope. These eyes carry the memory of women who endured hardship with quiet strength, who tilled the soil under relentless sun, who held families together through scarcity and uncertainty, and who passed down to their daughters not only survival but also the courage to imagine more.

Inflation and Job Losses in Nigeria

Photo by sheyi owolabi on Unsplash

by Yecenu Sasetu

Have you been out of a job before? I have. 

Shades of Us Visits Amazing Grace Foundation for the Old

Shades of Us Visits the Amazing Grace Foundation in Commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day

By Cynthia Umeh

On July 25, 2025, Shades of Us marked Nelson Mandela Day with a visit to Amazing Grace Foundation, an elderly care home in Abuja. The foundation provides shelter, medical care, and compassion to older people and those living with terminal illness. It also rehabilitates traumatized widows and victims of family violence, offers counseling, and works to ensure that no elderly person spends their final years in loneliness.

Blood Beneath the Soil: How Mining Fuels Africa’s Wars

Photo by Lucio Patone on Unsplash

By Atinuke Adeosun 

For many, life feels like a card game. I have always liked the saying, “You have to live life with the cards you have been dealt.” Some dismiss it as fatalistic, a way of trapping people in the circumstances they were born into. But I see it differently: it is a call to clarity. If you know your hand, you can choose — fight to improve it, or fold and stay where you are. That feels fair enough.

Stories of Strength: African Solidarity and the Refugee Experience

By Chiamaka Mbah

Shades of Us hosted its July Forum on Friday, July 25, 2025, to commemorate World Refugee Day, traditionally observed on June 20. We explored “Stories of Strength: African Solidarity and the Refugee Experience.” It was a conversation that reminded us that solidarity is not just about standing with refugees on designated international days, but about how we live every day.

Lessons, Laughter, and Fundraising: My Little Big Fund Story

The Little Big Fund Facilitators and Fellows’ Power Pose. From Left to Right: Andrea, Vanessa, Kuol, Abhinav, Aisha, Erioluwa, Andrea, Christine, Ramatu, Monal

It has been a little over a year since I first learned about the Little Big Fund Fellowship for non-profit and social impact founders. Since then, I became a fellow, had incredible learning sessions, visited Kenya for the first time, and received a microgrant for the Shades of Us Mobile Cinema project. Phewww! What a year it has been!

You know I am a long-winded writer. So… let us get into it!

Empowering Young Lives Through Hygiene: A Day at Destined Children’s Orphanage

Shades of Us and Adeyemi Orphanage Relief (ADORE) Celebrate the Visit to Destined Children Orphanage Home with the Children and Staff 

By Cynthia Umeh and Simbiat Amzat 

There is a simple truth often overlooked: good hygiene is one of the most powerful tools we can give a child. It is not just about cleanliness; it is about dignity, confidence, and the foundation for a healthy future. From learning how to properly wash their hands to understanding the significance of menstrual hygiene, these habits become building blocks for self-esteem and independence.

Lights, Camera, Disparity

From Left to Right: Beverly Naya, Lupita Nyong'o, Taraji P. Henson, and Mo'Nique.
Image Credit: Daily Post Nigeria, Essence, US Weekly, and BellaNaija

Black Women, the Film Industry, and the Art of Being Overlooked

By Atinuke Adeosun

Let us be real: everyone loves a good underdog story. But Hollywood? Hollywood practically built its brand on it. That whole “started from the bottom, now we are here” vibe is the industry’s favorite genre. Struggle, rise, triumph, and repeat.

Increased Flooding and the Danger of Cholera

Photo by jannet eldhose on Unsplash

By Cynthia Umeh

In many parts of Africa, heavy rainfall is no longer seen as a blessing. Instead, it brings destruction, disease, and death. As climate change continues to affect weather patterns, flooding has become more frequent and more dangerous. One of the most serious results of this flooding is the spread of cholera.

Empty Plates: The Crisis of Malnutrition in Africa

Photo by Madalena Veloso on Unsplash

By Chiamaka Mbah

Zainab sat quietly under the neem tree near her family’s hut. Her arms were thin, her belly slightly swollen, and her eyes carried a tired glow no child should bear. At three years old, she weighed what an average one-year-old should. Her mother, Mariam, tried to feed her from the bowl of watery porridge they shared, but she knew it was not enough. It never was.

Tomorrow Never Came

Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash

By Chiamaka Mbah

Tomorrow, we will go home.

Ginger

Photo by Emma Ou on Unsplash

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

Shiana stirred her pot of stew as it simmered on the cooker. The stew wasn't as red as she loved it, but this would have to do. Her spoon flitted around the chunks of meat, noting the spaces where she used to have more. She took the spoon out, hit it on the edge of the pot to get most of the stew back in, then she carefully placed what was left in the middle of her palm. She raised her palm to her mouth and licked the stew off.

Double Minority: The Worth of Women in Politics

Panel Session at the Double Minority Documentary Premiere in Abuja on July 14, 2025

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

A few days ago, I posted a new video about the worth of women, particularly in politics, leadership, and governance. It was the first vlog I had posted in a long while. I remember waking up one morning, more enraged than usual by the state of politics and governance in Nigeria, especially the way it continues to affect women.

Shades of Us at the 2025 Charity Half Marathon

Shades of Us at the 2025 Charity Half Marathon Hosted by Run Club Abuja (with Support from Norrenberger) on July 12, 2025

By Cynthia Umeh

Guess what I did on July 12, 2025? I ran a Marathon!

A Storytelling Workshop That Gave Us More Than a Script

Participants at the Shades of Us Script Development and Storytelling Workshop in Abuja

By Cynthia Umeh

“So… why storytelling?”

I asked one of the participants during a short break while the projector warmed up. She gave a small laugh, looked down at her notebook, and said, “Because stories make people feel. And when people feel, they begin to care. That is where change starts.”

Advancing Youth-Friendly SRHR Service Delivery in Nigeria

Panel discussion on ‘Advancing Youth-Friendly SRHR Service Delivery in Nigeria,’ at the SRHR Policy Dialogue Hosted by Nigeria Health Watch

By Cynthia Umeh

Shades of Us participated in the SRHR Policy Dialogue organized by Nigeria Health Watch and supported by Organon. The event, titled “Closing Reproductive Health Impact Gaps – Strategic Approaches for Equity and Access,” brought together key voices in the health and development space to examine the growing challenges in delivering sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services. With global funding on the decline, the conversation highlighted the pressing need for creative, homegrown strategies to ensure equitable and sustainable access to SRHR for all.

Advocate for Efficient Policy Implementation for SRHR in Nigeria

Panel discussion on ‘Addressing Policy Implementation and Funding Gaps for SRHR Impact’ at the SRHR Policy Dialogue Hosted by Nigeria Health Watch

By Yecenu Sasetu

Imagine this. There is a girl. We will call her Anna.

Closing Reproductive Health Gaps: An SRHR Policy Dialogue

Speakers of Panel I, who Discussed Advancing Youth-Friendly SRHR Service Delivery in Nigeria

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

Shades of Us attended the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Policy Dialogue hosted by Nigeria Health Watch with support from Organon on July 3, 2025. The theme, Closing Reproductive Health Impact Gaps – Strategic Approaches for Equity and Access, was an important conversation focused on the gaps in SRHR information and service delivery with global funding cuts and the need for more innovative approaches for sustainability. 

Rethinking SRHR for Nigerian Youth

Ramatu (Shades of Us) and Bernard (EVA Nigeria) Discussing “Rethinking Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for the Young Nigerian.” on Montage Radio

By Ramatu Ada Ochekliye

On July 5, 2025, Shades of Us and Education as a Vaccine (EVA Nigeria) joined the Health 360 program on Montage Radio, 99.7 FM, Abuja to discuss “Rethinking Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for the Young Nigerian.” This conversation was inspired by the ongoing SRHR Policy Dialogue hosted by Nigeria Health Watch (with support from Organon) on July 3, 2025.

Shades of Us Recap: The “Picture This – Captions for Change” Challenge

As part of our continued commitment to ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and advancing human rights, Shades of Us marked the 2024 16 Days of Activism with a powerful storytelling initiative titled: “Picture This: Captions for Change.”

Two Women

Image by Shades of Us

By Yecenu Sasetu

Poverty became a harsh reality for me about ten years ago when I met a pregnant woman who had never attended antenatal care because she couldn’t afford the N100 registration fee. She was eight months pregnant but had never been examined by a doctor or nurse, simply because she couldn’t pay to register at the Primary Health Center.

Gambling: The Loss Beyond Money

Photo by Sunday Abegunde on Unsplash

By Yecenu Sasetu

I tried my hand at gambling once, even though I grew up with the words “gambling is a sin” ringing in my ears. If you are a Christian, you don’t go near gambling, but I did. My friend convinced me to, and like many young Nigerians today, I wanted to hit and hit fast.

Shades of Us at the 2025 Festival of Change

Festival of Change Attendee at the Shades of Us Booth Learning about our Mobile Cinema Project

On June 12, 2025, Shades of Us participated in the Festival of Change 2025, held at the Tayo Aderinokun Auditorium, University of Lagos. This year's festival, themed "CONNECT: Bridging Education and Technology at All Levels," brought together educators, technologists, policymakers, and innovators to explore the intersection of education and technology.

25 Years of BET Awards Brilliance

Kirk Franklin at the 2025 BET Awards.
Image Credit: People

By Cynthia Umeh

The 2025 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, which happened on June 9, wasn’t just another awards night. It was a statement. It was a moment. It was Black excellence on full display. The 25th BET Awards took over the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles with a celebration of music, film, sports, and culture, unapologetically Black, deeply inspiring, and wildly entertaining.

Unpacking the Challenges Faced by Female Musicians in Africa

Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash

By Simbiat Amzat

The African music industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. With the rise of digital platforms, African artists are now more accessible than ever, and their music is being appreciated by fans globally. This newfound exposure has catapulted African artists to international fame and opened up new revenue streams and opportunities for growth. 

More Than a Classroom: My Journey with N-Power in Sheda, Kwali

Ojonugwa Yahaya and Other Teachers at the Junior Secondary School Sheda, Kwali. Image Credit: Ojonugwa Yahaya

by Ojonugwa Yahaya

When I look back at my time serving as a class teacher in Junior Secondary School Sheda, Kwali — under the N-Teach category of the N-Power scheme — I do so with deep gratitude. That chapter wasn’t just about employment; it was a season of growth, bonding, and purposeful impact.

Planting Seeds of Change: Why Our Actions Today Must Speak for Tomorrow

Students in a Junior Secondary School in Abuja, Nigeria. Image Credit: Ojonugwa Yahaya

By Ojonugwa Yahaya

Within school walls and beyond, we must rise to the responsibility of shaping a future we won’t have to apologize for.