My Story of Inspiration
“Nothing hurts more than being laughed at for something you have
little control over."
My name is Abena Pokuaa Bandoh and I have always been plump since I was young. I used to be laughed at. I was forcefully nicknamed " Obolo (big)", " Biggie ", among others. Even though I was the smartest girl in class during my primary school days, I used to have very low self esteem. I would always hide at the back of the class. Up until my final year in high school, I sat at the back of the class. I was never truly happy with myself.
Fast forward into Senior High School, I decided to change the narrative of who I am and who I wanted to be. So, I embarked on a weight loss journey in a search for my self esteem. In addition to that, I took up a prominent leadership position as the senior girls prefect as a starting journey of confidence, acceptance and courage. Continuing this journey, I began my collegiate career at Ashesi University in Ghana. This pursuit was meant to help me discover myself and build my career. Yet, I got intimidated by the way people described my physique and I was back to hiding my personality and the talents that I had to offer. I thought I was doing myself a favor by hiding from opportunities, participating and involving myself in activities. I did this as a way of preventing embarrassment.
Applying to Yielding Accomplished African Women has been a life transforming experience. It has taught me self fulfillment, acceptance, determination and success. I learned the things I have to focus on as a burgeoning woman. It has empowered me not to allow the negative norms and the views of society to define who I am. I can be anything, irrespective of how I look or who I am. Being smart wasn't enough to push me to the top. But having the energy, drive and the skills is what I needed to reach higher heights in my career and life. It was what I needed to be fulfilled and I received that at the Yaa W training camp. I want to encourage other young women to not allow societal stereotypes of an ideal woman to be a barrier against their success. I want to be an example of this by being a successful investment banker.” - Abena Pokuaa Bandoh
This is what Yielding Accomplished African Women stands for. We discover African talents, nurture and develop their potentials to be of great benefits to their communities, countries, Africa and the world at large.
We believe with your support today we can nurture the potential of African women like Abena. Give today and give here. Also, you can join the campaign and get more people to share in the vision following the below directions:
Give for HER - Go to our website and donate any amount to be a friend of Yaa W.
Spread the word - Make the most of your investment in African women by participating in our campaign and reporting using our models. Here is the document that contains all you need to be a part of the campaign
Send us a video showing why you support our organization's mission and encourage others to join in. The video can be uploaded here.
Sponsor a Girl - No African woman should be denied the opportunity to learn and elevate herself here. Team up with us to sponsor a girl for a year and give her $250 so she can fulfill her dreams. You have the option to spread this by donating $20 monthly.
All of the donations go toward supporting the next set of African women in the technology and finance talent accelerator at Yield Accomplished African Women. All donations are tax deductible!
What will my donation be used for??
Your donation will help us in in 2021 to:
Build the first fully integrated online learning and recruitment platform just for women
Expand our Professional STEM sorority chapter into another 20 universities.
Train and certify 10k women through our world-class conferences and talent accelerators.
Reach 6 more countries and 20 more markets within Africa
Employ continent-wide staff to propel our work.
Please let us know if you have additional questions or if additional information is needed.
Thank you for your great support and always remember “If development is not engendered, it is endangered.”
The Future is African & Female! Invest in the Future Today!!
