Tangwa Livinus Acha , Cameroon
In Cameroon one in three girls are married before they turn 18. In December 2015, Tangwa and his team (Dynamic Youths for a Better Future) initiated the End Child Marriage “WHY ME” Advocacy Campaign. The aim was to reach out to at least 150 communities in Cameroon and educate the people on the rights of girls to an education and help girls stay in school as well as train women in creative and entrepreneurship skills. They also lobbied various stakeholders and the government of Cameroon is currently creating more women empowerment centres in the rural communities.
The project helped over 60 girls stay in school on full scholarships, and empowered over 1,200 rural women and girls with creative skills, entrepreneurship and their basic rights knowledge.
Tangwa has also written a book titled “Why Me”, educating the people on the consequences of child marriages and the need to end the practice before 2030.