“Be a leader in every little way”
Wonderful is the youth chairperson of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo Branch. She is a public-health professional, humanitarian, nature advocate, health and fitness enthusiast, disruptive leader and a female catalyst who became the first female youth chairperson in the branch. She first joined the Red Cross in the year of 2011.
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Wonderful joined the Red Cross Red Crescent movement because she has always admired first aiders drive to assist vulnerable individuals. After witnessing an activity of the Red Cross in her local branch, "I saw my way to be a part of the Red Cross movement and my interest in becoming a humanitarian and giving back to the community was deepened”. Her first major activity with the Red Cross was the Lassa Fever Campaign and Advocacy. She also participated in the Nigerian Red Cross' road operations, the COVID-19 emergency response operation and represented her national society at the COP27 conference, which reminded her that more needs to be done by all, individually and together.

Connecting with people with similar interests while contributing in helpful ways has “preserved her life, her health and her dignity”. Most importantly, she has been impacted positively to always be neutral and promote peace. Wonderful has learned that “being a woman leader in the humanitarian field requires you to perform four times more than a man performs most times because people around doubt how you can handle the duties and are always watching your next move”. There will always be challenges as a leader, what matters is being a true leader; to do what is right and to include people and be accountable. The most important thing she has learned is to value her support circle. They are the best people to have at her side.

“Females make great leaders and more female leaders will help transform the humanitarian system”.

– Wonderful Imasogie-Osatemple, Nigeria

Wonderful believes that the main challenges that women face in taking leadership positions or in making positive changes are not being taken seriously, facing limited respect and non-inclusive and non-neutral environments. Some of the ways we can create change is by listening and encouraging people to participate, especially those who should be directly involved. Wonderful believes in “collaborating with relevant people for better responsibility and ownership, recognizing and appreciating volunteers for their contributions and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment”.

Wonderful dreams of “a peaceful and balanced world, a time when people would be able to perform, not limited only to their skillset, but driven by passion and intent and not associated to (or hindered by gender, age, race or other primordial status); creating a strong motivation for young females to break boundaries”.

Females are at the forefront of social development, females are determined and goal-oriented, females make great leaders and more female leaders will help transform the humanitarian system. Be a leader in every little way.

Wonderful Imasogie-Osatemple

Nigeria, 2011

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Did you know...

Across all regions, between 45-57 per cent of Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are women.

– IFRC Everyone Counts Report, 2019

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