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Jennifer Amadi

Jennifer Amadi - 2017 Winner
Position: Advocacy Advisor
Organization: African Youth Initiative on Population Health and Development (AfrYPoD)
Current Location: Nigeria
BSc from Health Education
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
CERT. SRHR
Awards Received:
  • Award:
    Young Leader
    Awarding Organization:
    Women Deliver
    Date Awarded:
    May 4, 2015
75 Public Votes Reached!
Jennifer Amadi is a Nigeria-based Advocacy Advisor at African Youth Initiative on Population, Health and Development (AfrYPoD), and serves as Social Investment, Health & Gender manager at Accord For Community Development. She has an academic background in Health Education from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria, and holds certification in SRHR. Over the past four years, Jennifer has led initiatives on cutting-edge issues on sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health through advocacy and community engagement. Jennifer currently carries out advocacy activities that inspire government policies to enhance women’s reproductive health, and builds platforms for partnership, collaboration and networking among individuals and youth centered-organizations working to promote the SDGs in all African countries. Currently she is co-chair of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Youth Caucus and a Women Deliver Young Leader, class of 2016. Jennifer has just led Generational Advocacy by Youth to end FGM in Nigeria (GAYEF), resulting in the public ban of the practice of female genital mutilation by traditional ruling council in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Presently, she is supporting Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiative as the Advocacy and Resource Development Specialist. Jennifer worked for DKT international and Ipas in various programmatic portfolios in the area of family planning and women’s reproductive health and rights; she is incurably passionate about changing the narratives around women and girls in Africa. Jennifer blogs on https://nonydev.wordpress.com/ and tweets @AmadiJen.
Jennifer played a significant role in the development, execution, and follow-up to the youth pre-conference during Nigeria’s most recent national family planning conference. Now she is partnering with other young people to conduct FP advocacy. – Beth Schlachter, Executive Director at FP2020
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

In my line of work, I noticed that women and girls are faced with high burden of HIV/AIDs and unplanned pregnancies. I realized that these issues are as a result of lack of role models, poor self-esteem and lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information and supplies. So, I use the social media platform to disseminate accurate information on methods of contraceptives and proper use and how to access them
The online campaign reached 79% young women aged 15-35 years.
I successfully coordinated training of 1000 family planning providers, and improve up take of modern contraceptives.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

I feel concerned about children who are denied basic life provisions like shelter, food, healthcare and education—especially when they are born to an adolescent, who doesn’t know how to help them.
Family planning is a solution to many of the world’s challenges. It gives one the opportunity to improve, invest in oneself either through formal or informal education.

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

As the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition Youth Caucus co-chair, working to enhance access to reproductive products in LMICs. During the 4th Nigeria Family Planning conference, as a member of youth sub-planning committee, I worked to ensure the success of the youth pre-conference and still working to ensure implementation of the outcome of the conference for youth family planning advocacy in-country.

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work? :

I have already drafted a proposal to reach tertiary institution students with information on contraceptives through sporting activities.
This proposal is aimed to reduce unwanted pregnancies among young women and help to keep them focused to their studies.
Because of the restriction for safe abortion in Nigeria, the best intervention for this demography is accurate information on available methods, and access which is yet to be achieved.

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