Meet Akosua…
This is me! I love the buzz and adrenaline from making a difference in lives and communities.
I show up! With Lessons on the Journey. I show up Real.
Incorporating entrepreneurial and business support with a message of unconditional self love and living a life in love and personal power are the tenets used to support communities to rebuild and retool.
I am love and I am here in service!
“Madam Akosua was awe inspiring. Excellent motivational skills. For me as a new retiree her words encourage me to “give back to the village” ”
— Anthea Doyle
“After hearing Ms. Akosua speak, I now know that I am everything and that I have everything to become who I want to be.”
— Jenna Marie Bharat, Student- San Juan South Secondary School
“Akosua, congratulations and thank you for that fabulous and thoughtful sharing from your book. I did NOTHING for the weekend but read your books. Madam, I found your story telling light and entertaining, true Trini style but DEEP. ”
— Sandra Ferguson, Agency for Rural Transformation, Grenada W.I
“Unveiling was exactly what I needed, thank you.”
— Participant at 2017's Unveiling- Looking into the Mirror of Self
“What an honour and priveledge it was for me and my wife to host you during your stay in Washington DC”
— Anthony WJ Phillips-Spencer, Ambassador Extraordinary Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
“I can’t stop telling people about your presentation. You changed my life forever!”
— Michele Celestine, Executive Director Heroes Foundation
“You are an inspiration to us all”
— Marlene Charles, YWCA President
“It was a pleasure hosting you. Your reading from Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here? - was both thought provoking and insightful, thank you.”
— Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - New York
“I must thank you for your presentation, many people were blown away by it.”
— Sharon Christopher, Dep CEO First Citizens Bank Limited
“The students who attended the function were so inspired by you they want all their friends to be exposed to your story.”
— Cherisse Rawlins - Teacher Moruga Secondary
“Your story is inspiring, your delivery is real”
— Barbara Ince, President - Maloney Women's Group
The NiNa Young Women’s Leadership Programme (Nina) provides skills and tools to build self-value in young women within the state care system and are transitioning out into the “real world” at the age of 18. For over ten years, the NiNa Young Women’s Leadership Programme has supported young ladies from various State Care Facilities
Leadership | Www.ninaleaders.com
NiNa seeks to Empower young women aging out of state/foster care to achieve emotional resilience, economic independence, and community belonging through healing-centered support and education.
Healing Centered Activities - Therapeutic Support; Nature and Wellness,
Pathways to Independence - Entrepreneurship Training; Education &Job Support
Housing and Stability
Our Signature Choices sessions - Money, Career, Confidence, Self-Love, Redefining Success, Mental Health, Sex & Our Bodies — because every choice matters.
Community and Joy - Sisterhood events, Sexual Health and Advocacy
NiNa School Program - Voices of Enterprise - Where participants meet the real stories behind Caribbean entrepreneurship
NiNa Consultancy -
Research and Programme Development on Empowering Young Women
Training and Facilitating of Programmes in community development areas that directly impact young women
Team Building within Governments around gender sensitization and the role of women in various sectors.
The Transition Programme aims to provide resource networks, safe physical and psychological spaces, personal healing, growth and development and will facilitate education for young women ageing out of state care. The likelihood of these women disappearing, becoming statistics or perpetuating the cycles of abuse and neglect that they were exposed too is high. The aim is to support the transition.
Working hand in hand ,The NiNa Programme, through its work with young ladies within care homes of the State, is determined to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago have a cadre of young women who can take up the mantle of leadership, and empowered citizens to continue on the legacy left by our past leaders to make our country a better one that we found it. We continue to expand by including other students from schools such as the Belmont Secondary and Bishop Anstey and Trinity East and include mentors from university and other tertiary institutions.
NiNa Features on the Spotlight Initiative. The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030.
It takes a village…The Transition Programme will provide resource networks, safe physical and psychological spaces, personal healing, growth and development and will facilitate education for young women aging out of state care. The likelihood of these women disappearing, becoming statistics or perpetuating the cycles of abuse and neglect that they were exposed too is high. The aim is to support the transition.
Bodacious Girls is hosted by the NiNa Young Woman's Leadership Programme, an educational programme that works to empower girls to learn how to create their own businesses.
For the past two years they’ve had a mentorship camp for 12 girls from St Jude’s Home. This is a seven-day residential programme followed by a monthly mentorship programme in which the girls and mentors meet for activities such as motivational discussions, farm visits, stilt-walking and lunch outings.
“Nina creates young women who are resilient, confident, holistic individuals with a strong sense of self, willing to lead, love and serve. We focus on entrepreneurship as an empowerment tool to build skills, courage, persistence, risk taking and an entrepreneurial mind-set. We empower young women who were in the care system to emerge with leadership qualities. We are a self-sustainable programme which can provide training and employment for young ladies in transition out of the care system,” Dardaine-Edwards said.
