Naza Alakija
Naza Alakija is an Iranian-born model[1], humanitarian, philanthropist, human rights and education activist.[2][3]
She is a UNICEF Advisor[3][2] and Founder of the S.A.G.E (Social Accelerator for a Green Economy) Innovation Centre, a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing green economies in the nations most affected by climate change.[2]
Early life and education[edit]
Naza was born in Tehran, Iran and was raised in the U.K from the age of nine.[4]
She has a BSc in Biomedical Materials from the University of Manchester.[2]
Career[edit]
Naza is an Advisor for UNICEF[2], and has pledged to continue working with the agency to impact the lives of the Middle East and Africa’s most vulnerable children, and to advocate for their rights.[5] In March 2020 she visited women and children in Afghanistan[3], to hear their stories and learn first-hand of their resilience.[6]
Naza is committed to ending inequality in children's education[2] after her own education played such an important role in her early independence and sense of belonging.[3]
Naza is a climate change spokesperson and strategist, and has spoken about the threat it poses to the socio-economic developments made in the past decades.[2] She turned her focus to climate change after witnessing the effects the environmental disaster was having in Nigeria, amplifying inequality and issues such as gender discrimination.[7] She wrote that those living in poverty, in particular women and girls, will be disproportionately affected by the social, health and economic upheavals caused by the environmental disaster.[7] After a visit to Bangladesh with UNICEF, she shared her observation that western global consumerism has sacrificed the basic rights that children have to a safe and habitable environment.[8]
In 2018, she founded the S.A.G.E Innovation Centre, a foundation that aims to bring resilience to the communities on the frontline of climate change in the Middle East and Africa, and to aid the transition into a greener economy.[5] S.A.G.E has a particular focus on advocating for and empowering women and children.[4] S.A.G.E provides training, mentoring and access to funding for SMEs in order to develop homegrown, ingenious and scalable solutions for the regions’ climate challenges.[5] S.A.G.E’s aim is to encourage youth to engage in the shift to sustainable development practices.[5] In 2020 Naza developed S.A.G.E Emergencies, a branch of the foundation dedicated to providing support to vulnerable communities, such as refugees and IDPs, during humanitarian emergencies.[3]
Philanthropy[edit]
Naza is a philanthropist and member of the organization Women Moving Millions, a community of 340 individuals each dedicated to making a minimum $1 million commitment to global initiatives, benefitting women and girls.[4]
Naza spoke to Marie Claire Arabia about her commitment to investing in holistic, resilient solutions that can withstand the crises of today and tomorrow, so that girls can stay in school, enjoy their childhoods and grow into leaders.[3]
In 2020, Naza funded the completion of Setareh High School in the Gachsaran town of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in Iran, a development project that was required urgently, due to a lack of secondary schools for girls in this region.[9]
During the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Naza has raised funding for emergency care including food, medical supplies and psychosocial care.[2]
Naza looks to deploy multifaceted solutions that can work in a circular model, and meet a number of the sustainable development goals at once.[4] Through her foundation, the S.A.G.E Innovation Centre, she has invested in a number of initiatives which provide both emergency care and long-term development aid plans during humanitarian crises.[2] In 2020, Gaza partnered with UNICEF to implement solar paneled bore-holes in Borno State, N.E Nigeria. The water systems are managed by women in the community and provide clean drinking water to over 80,000 people within the refugee camps.[4]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Naza launched S.A.G.E Emergencies to partner with international organizations to donate food, soap and education to help refugees, internally displaced people and other vulnerable communities in the Middle East and Africa.[3]
After hearing about Afghanistan’s efforts to combat the virus, Naza donated soap and hygiene kits for distribution to more than 45,000 people within the four Western provinces of Herat, in partnership with the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) unit of UNICEF.[10]
Naza also worked with UNICEF to fund a school renovation at the Yerwa Government Girls Secondary School in Maiduguri, so the girls could safely return to school after the lockdown.[11]
In June and July 2020, S.A.G.E Emergencies supported the Safe Return programs in Northern Nigeria and Gaza, designed to mitigate the threat the pandemic poses to learning for 5,600 girls in Borno State, and for children across the Gaza Strip.[12]
Once the pandemic passes its peak, SAGE Emergencies has pledged to shift its focus to providing protection and financial interventions for people in vulnerable communities who have been displaced by climate-related issues.[5]
In March 2021 Alakija created a film and a social media campaign to raise awareness about child brides and to raise funds for education programs in Yemen,[3][4] supported by UNICEF.
Personal life[edit]
Naza has been married to Folarin Alakija since 2017.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "folarin-alakija-wedding-blenheim-palace". Harpers Baazar. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Ajumobi, Kemi (July 12, 2019). "'Naza Alakija, empowering entrepreneurs to build tech solutions to fight climate change'". Business Day.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "'Naza Alakija: I want to make sure that women and girls are given priority in the midst of these crises'". Marie Claire Arabia. April 8, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "'MEET NAZANIN ALAKIJA'". Women Moving Millions. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Kemadjou, Nathalie (April 5, 2021). "le sens au service de la cerativite".
- ↑ Parker, Alison (March 10, 2020). ""You have challenged me, that nothing is impossible" Nazanin Alakija". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "'Opinion: African women, a force for good on climate change'". Africa Times. 14 March 2019.
- ↑ "How the climate crisis can trigger the sixth extinction". Guardian Nigeria. 9 December 2019.
- ↑ "SETAREH HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Fighting COVID 19 Soap gem Herat". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Adebayo, Folashade (December 1, 2020). "Displaced girls' education gets boost". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "THE S.A.G.E. INNOVATION CENTRE". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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