Ms. Mary Izobo is a Nigerian International Human Rights Lawyer, Gender Equality and Equity Advocate and Governance Expert. She is the Founder of The Amazon Leadership Initiative, a non-profit organization that empowers women and girls. She also serves as the Advocacy Programme Manager for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, where she leads the advocacy strategy implementation and creates collaboration between advocacy programs. Mary obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) in Rule of Law for Development from Loyola University Chicago, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, a Barrister at Law (BL) from the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, Nigeria, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) in French Language from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Empowering Dreams: Raising the Next Generation of South Africa’s Female Leaders

This project will boost the leadership skills of 50 young South African women and girls between the age of 14 and 29 years by creating an interactive workshop platform where they engage with female luminaries in various fields. The workshop will educate, mentor, and empower young South African women and girls to build their capacity to enjoy and fulfil their rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. 

So far, Mary has finalized the workshop agenda, identifying eight inspiring female speakers, including herself, to lead her workshop on "Empowering Dreams." She also selected 60 participants, aged 14 to 29, from 39 communities in Gauteng, South Africa.  

To maximize reach, Mary transitioned the event to a hybrid format, offering both in-person and virtual participation so that more girls could benefit from the sessions. In addition, Mary has scaled up her project from 50 to 60 in-person attendees. Mary has noted that her main goal for this project is to "prepare these young women and girls for future leadership roles through mentorship and capacity development as they become confident, courageous, and charismatic women and girls with good agency and social capital." 

 

 

“Through collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, this project can pave the way towards a more inclusive and equitable future where women are represented and empowered to lead effectively and build a society where women's leadership is celebrated and embraced as a catalyst for positive change.” - Mary Izobo

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Mary participated in the IVLP Project Transparency and Accountability in Government II organized by the U.S. Department of State and American Councils for International Education, in partnership with GlobalJax, Global Ties Arizona, the World Affairs Council – Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, and the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.  

Mary’s exchange experience led to the development of her project: “I gained invaluable insights on transparency and accountability in government from Ms. Troy Meyer and Ms. Robin Lewis while in Washington, DC. I also learned from discussions with inclusion and diversity experts such as Ms. Jackie Johnson during our networking event in Phoenix, Arizona, [and from] the innovative approaches shared by Ms Carla Miller in Jacksonville, Florida, and the session in Cincinnati, Ohio on encouraging women to seek leadership positions in government. 

“I am fueled by the passion and dedication of my peers and the professionals I met during my IVLP exchange. I am committed to translating their insights into meaningful impact in my own community, Africa and beyond.” - Mary Izobo

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Cincinnati, OH; Jacksonville, FL; Phoenix, AZ 

Country: South Africa

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