Taiye Adesewa Oyinloye is a passionate social impact leader dedicated to empowering young women for excellence and global impact. As the founder and lead coach of HEY SISSY, she provides personal development coaching and mentoring to young women, nurturing them to reach their full potential. With a background in Microbiology from the University of Ilorin, Adesewa’s journey in the social impact sector began during her undergraduate days, driven by her unwavering passion for helping children, particularly the girl child. Adesewa is dedicated to driving positive change through HEY SISSY, inspiring and equipping young women to become confident, purpose-driven individuals making a meaningful impact in their communities. Adesewa is also a writer who has authored “The Goal-Setting Manual”, a practical guide for achieving goals, and she constantly writes lifestyle content to inspire others.
Today, the Non-governmental organisation turns one. The Founder of HEY SISSY, Taiye Adesewa Oyinloye speaks to Mephy James of Green Savannah Diplomatic Cable
Excerpts:
Why did you set up HEY SISSY?
I started HEY SISSY because of the strong desire I have to see women maximise their full potential. I started out by writing letters to ladies using my WhatsApp status. At the time, I was in my final year in university. That was in early 2023. I began those letters with ‘HEY SISSY’. Later on, I went for my one year national youth service in November. It was at the orientation camp, after interacting with some ladies, that God asked me to create a WhatsApp group where I could coach young ladies on personal development at no financial cost. I obeyed. I walked over to some ladies in my hall and encouraged them to join my group. Today, we have over 340 members that are being coached and mentored. We also included community service as part of what we do at HEY SISSY. Today, HEY SISSY has two arms; a personal development community for young ladies and a community service initiative.
What were the initial challenges and how were you able to navigate through?
The only major challenge we have faced is funding for our community service projects. However, God has been faithful. People now donate to our projects.
It has been a year since you started, what impacts have HEY SISSY made?
The lives of the ladies that are being transformed through our personal development community gives me joy, and makes me feel like a proud mother. Furthermore, in one year, we have impacted over 1,200 females and grew to over 340 community members represented in more than 15 states across Nigeria. We have carried out two major community development projects. The first was pad donation outreach where we donated 600 packs of sanitary pads to over 500 girls and women at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Durumi, Abuja and Government Day Secondary School, Danialu, Kwara State in June 2024. The second was a leadership training we carried out on the International Day Of The Girl Child at Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja and Anglican Girls Grammar School, Surulere, Lagos. About 200 girls benefited from this. We have also been featured by five top media agencies in Nigeria; Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Nigerian Tribune, The Herald, Vanguard Newspaper and Green Savannah Diplomatic Cable.
In what areas is HEY SISSY looking for assistance?
We want to carry out more humanitarian works and our final project for the year is an orphanage home visit for children living with disabilities located in Kwara State. This is happening in December 2024. We plan to give out food items, clothings, drugs and general provisions. We would really appreciate the financial support of everyone in making this a reality. We would also appreciate partnerships and collaborations.
What should the world expect from your organization in the coming years?
Expect God’s best. By God’s grace, we plan to have a physical academy where young ladies can be groomed and an orphanage home to cater for children. We desire to be a force and a name in the social impact sector.
