My Name is Ice Prince Zamani and I am a ONE member.
This is our Africa, this is our future. Now is the time for the youth to use our voices and “swag” to improve our future. There has never been a better time to be a young African, as our continent is on the rise, but there is still more to be done. That’s why I am so blessed and humbled to lending my voice to this campaign, let’s be heard.
Being Ice Prince hasn’t come easy. I struggled so hard financially and could not even finish my university education. Joining forces with ONE in the fight against poverty has not only been an incredible experience for me, but one that resonates with my own story and my own motto of ‘One love, one blood and one Africa’.
Big Brother Africa is the most watched show on the continent, so it offers an incredible platform to reach out to millions of people to raise awareness of a problem that touches all of us; that of the injustice of extreme poverty. Last week presented a real opportunity for the housemates to inspire Africans to do something about this important issue.
As an advocate for ONE I had the pleasure of meeting the housemates at the start of last week, and I encouraged them to use their influence and popularity to work to defeat extreme poverty by 2030- a goal which we know is possible. I called on the housemates to stay committed to this project as they explored different issues to do with poverty over the week, including taking part in tasks that highlighted some problems that Africans living in poverty face on a daily basis.
The housemates kept track of what they discovered on their ‘ONE boards’, and at the end of the week, they filmed a 30 second personal message that called on the African Union to take action on extreme poverty. Each housemate deployed their talents and passions to inspire action and commitment by leaders and viewers.
I’ve been inspired by the housemates’ personal stories and feelings on extreme poverty, which they shared with me when we talked last week Monday. Angelo spoke about the importance of proper sanitation, and recalled not having enough to eat some nights during his childhood. His story is still a reality for many in Africa, where one in eight people go to bed hungry every night. Elikem added that improving women’s education should be more of a priority for African leaders, whilst Bimp felt that if Africa retains its educated citizens it could help the continent achieve ‘massive things’.
These experiences remind me of why I support ONE, because ONE is focussed on the eradication of extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. By raising public awareness and pressuring African leaders to support smart and effective policies, ONE and its millions of members around the world are helping to save lives and build futures.
Join me and join ONE by signing up to be part of the movement.