by Queenet Ukachukwu
For our second Feminist Series feature, we sat down with Queenet, one of our newest team members, whose journey into the world of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) is anything but ordinary.
From the structured world of banking to the warm hustle of managing a bakery, Queenet has now found her passion in advocacy. How did she make such a bold leap? We got the inside scoop!
So, what sparked the switch from corporate to non-profit?
For Queenet, it was all about the thrill of something new. “I have this thing where I get really… new things excite me,” she shared with a smile. “I just needed something new, something exciting, and that’s how I found myself here.” Guess what? The NGO space totally delivers. “It’s so interesting,” she says.
Do banking and corporate skills actually help with advocacy?
You’d be surprised! Queenet found that her experience in managing people was a superpower she didn’t know she had. “When you manage a business, you’re managing a wide range of people,” she explained. “Coming into the SRHR space, you’re meeting a different group of people who think a certain way. So that skill really helped me blend in.”
Talk about transferring skills!
What’s the biggest difference between corporate and NGO life?
Ready for this? The dress code!
“In a weird way, I think it’s the dressing,” Queenet laughed. “In the non-profit space, it’s a bit smart casual, but in corporate, it definitely has to be casual.”
Who knew liberation started with the wardrobe?
What was her “Aha!” moment in SRHR?
For Queenet, it was learning that child marriage isn’t confined to one region. “One ‘aha’ moment was at the Amplify Change convening,” she recalled. “I learned that child early and forced marriages also happen in the East. I’m from the East, and I had never heard of that.”
It was a powerful reminder that the issue of child early and forced marriage transcends culture. It is nationwide, and that awareness is the first step to action.
What’s the most challenging misconception she’s had to unlearn?
“That things are not black and white,” she says, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like abortion. She’s learned that SRHR work requires nuance, empathy, and a willingness to understand the grey areas, a skill she’s quickly mastering.
What’s been her most rewarding moment at YNCSD?
It isn’t about a single event; it’s about growth. “I think it would be developing myself as a person,” Queenet reflected. “Which is kind of the whole point of me looking for a new space, just doing something that I never really thought I would be able to, but somehow I’m killing it.”
Absolutely! Queenet is Head of Programmes and Operations at YNCSD, and she really is killing it.