3 young Nigerians get Queen Elizabeth awards
News & Trends •
the queen was joined at the award ceremony by the duke and duchess of sussex in recognising their success2 the awards were in honour of the work they are doing to transform lives in their communities2 kennedy received his award for the work he is doing to promote womens rights in nigeria founding the calabar youth council for womens rights cycwr which supports the rights of women in the areas of female genital mutilation fgm domestic abuse forced child marriage and access to education for girls1 the queens young leaders awards programme now in its fourth and final year celebrates the achievements of some of the most exciting young change-makers from across the commonwealth. this years cohort from 38 commonwealth countries are finding solutions to global issues such as climate change food scarcity gender-based violence mental health and access to education1 guests including david beckham obe sir lenny henry cbe nicola adams obe neelam gill caspar lee tina daheley ore oduba and chairman of the queen elizabeth diamond jubilee trust sir john major joined award winners at buckingham palace to congratulate them on their remarkable achievements1 the duke of sussex who was recently named a commonwealth youth ambassador said in this rapidly changing world it is heartening to meet so many inspiring young people gathered here today who have already stepped up as leaders and improved the lives of so many people across the commonwealth. you are the hope and optimism the world needs and we will all do whatever we can to support you in it1 david beckham obe said im so proud to be here with the queens young leaders tonight. its really inspiring to meet these hardworking young people who continue to dedicate their time and energy to helping other people live a better life. hearing their stories and the sacrifices theyve made is a real honour and i feel very privileged to celebrate with them today1 isaac received his award for the work he is doing to teach coding to teenagers in low-income areas founding teens can code which is currently training 200 teenagers how to build web and mobile applications using the same tools that are used by professionals in the tech industry1 hauwa received her award for the work she is doing to tackle the stigma around mental health running a womens support group called she writes women which focuses on mental health support and outreach among some of the most vulnerable people in the community1 queen elizabeth tuesday night presented three nigerians hauwa ojeifo isaac ezirim and kennedy ekezie-joseph from nigeria with a queens young leaders award at a special ceremony at buckingham palace london1 isaac ezirim 28 said i am extremely honoured and thankful to her majesty the queen for this prestigious award in recognition of the work i am doing in nigeria. these are moments of utmost happiness for me and the communities i serve. its been such an amazing experience being here in the uk and meeting all of the other award winners. being part of the queens young leaders family is exciting and i cant wait to take this to the next level1 hauwa ojeifo 26 said it is a rare privilege to receive an award from her majesty the queen for the work i am doing in mental health in nigeria. it has been a completely transformative experience being here in the uk getting mentored by world leaders trained and engaging in top level meetings with some of the most powerful and influential change makers of our time. perhaps the most humbling part is being part of a network of fellow young leaders across the commonwealth whose knowledge and resourc1 kennedy ekezie-joseph 20 said i am honoured to be a recipient of the final ever queens young leaders award from her majesty the queen. as a budding global leader this award is a huge responsibility for me moving forward to continue to live up to this award and leverage all the opportunities it presents to develop my society. i have been able to meet other award winners and learn about the incredible work they are doing across the commonwealth. i have learned so much from the residential programm1 as a queens young leader hauwa isaac and kennedy have gained access to bespoke mentoring and training through the university of cambridges institute of continuing education designed to develop their leadership skills further and ensure they are best placed to lead the way in the future to tackle some of the worlds most pressing issues1 sir john major chairman of the queen elizabeth diamond jubilee trust said1 i extend my warmest congratulations to all the 2018 queens young leaders. together with our award winners from the last three years they complete a unique 240-strong cohort of young leaders from all across the commonwealth. this is such an invaluable resource for the commonwealth that the queen elizabeth diamond jubilee trust will be launching a legacy fund to ensure that our support and encouragement to our young leaders will continue beyond the lifetime of the trust1 each and every one of our 240 young leaders is a remarkable and exceptional young person who i have no doubt will play an important role in shaping our future world. it has been an absolute privilege and delight to get to know them1 the now complete queens young leaders network forms a unique dedicated and powerful group of young people from 53 commonwealth countries who will connect collaborate and change lives together for years to come. to further support them in their future endeavours a 200000 legacy fund has been created. it will be open to all 240 queens young leaders and 282 highly commended runners-up to apply for grants that will help elevate their work and enable them to work together to tackle some of the most p1