2020
Akosua Agyepong
- Age: 27
- | She/her/hers
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The elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women is possible, but it will take the efforts and resources of everybody, young and old, to make this a reality. I am proud that I can be a part of this fight against violence, and I hope that you will join me too.
- Akosua Agyepong
Bio
Akosua Agyepong was born and raised in Ghana. She is working toward a Master of Laws in China Studies from Peking University. Akosua is Co-Founder and Project Manager at The Pearl Safe Haven.
What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?
I want a world where girls can live freely without having to work twice as hard, be extra cautious, or be twice as modest and humble just to survive. That is why I do what I do. Simply to make sure girls and women everywhere and anywhere are safe and free.
Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.
My biggest win would be winning a grant from the Australian High Commission to construct an emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence. I had that dream penned down at the age of 19, and kept on wondering why no such support existed for girls, women, or any survivor of sexual and gender-based violence. I had been advocating that governments and private organizations allocate funds for the purpose of such initiatives for quite some time. As such, when a grant proposal to the Australian High Commission in Ghana went through, I truly felt that it was a win for the abused and assaulted in my community. The Pearl Safe Haven will house 100 survivors annually after its completion in November 2020.
Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?
I love a playing Scrabble and other word games. I also love to sing, dance, and read novels, especially from the African Writers' Series.
Languages Spoken:
- English (Advanced/Native)
- Twi/Fante (Advanced/Native)
Publications:
Speaks On:
- meeting adolescent reproductive health needs in a digital world
- GBV in the midst of disease outbreaks
- leveraging South-South cooperation to achieve the demographic dividend in Africa
