Amy Oyekunle
Name: Amy Oyekunle
Where: Nigeria
What she does: Supports women’s and girls’ leadership in Nigeria at Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND)
Nominated by: Eniola Mafe, Vital Voices Global Partnership
Website: www.kind.org
Growing up in Nigeria on the same street as a girls’ orphanage made an impression on Amy Oyekunle at a young age. She remembers how the girls struggled, and how she vowed to make life better for them and for all Nigerian women and girls. Today, Amy Oyekunle stands at the heart of the women’s movement in Nigeria. As Executive Director of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), an NGO that advances democracy and development inAfricaby supporting women’s and girls’ leadership, she has overseen the training of 2,900 young women in economic empowerment and prevention of gender-based violence.
Most recently Amy has been at the forefront of electoral participation efforts leading up to the 2008 and 2011 elections in Nigeria. Amy works tirelessly to build the capacity of young women and female political aspirants in Nigeria to ensure they are included in the process of politics and decision-making.
