Auguster Asantewa Boateng, Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur

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FWM: You are an Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur. Share your background. 

Yes! I was awarded the 2018 Most Outstanding Female Personality in Education by the Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards scheme which has been established to identify, publicly recognize and reward women whose personal and professional conduct have been exemplary and whose achievements have been outstanding. The awards seek to publicly recognize women in Ghana who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in various forms of endeavor across both the public and private sectors.

The awards also aim to identify and publicize role models whose accomplishments would encourage and inspire women in general across the country to similarly conduct their activities and behavior in an exemplary fashion and also seeks to win the support of the male gender towards affirmative action which would enable the nation to benefit from the full potential of women.

To me this award is not only to celebrate my work or what I’ve been able to achieve, but rather to celebrate the power and potential that lies within me. The award came just after a year of starting my nonprofit called Butterfly Effect Global. Which is a social impact and an advocacy organization that runs programs and initiatives towards the personal development of young people and holistic empowerment of young women and girls. I started this nonprofit as a way of instituting change to the challenges that women and girls face and also influencing policies that affect the female gender. 

My work as a reporter at one of the major media houses here in Ghana was a contributing factor and a motivation to start my work. I realized I could do more to help the female gender than just report their stories of stereotypes, inequalities, successes, and innovations. I got nominated alongside other social entrepreneurs. The selection process was not based on votes but on a continuous social media monitoring of our works by the judges who were independent of the organizers. 

And I only got to know of the selection process after I received the formal confirmation letter from the organizers. I could barely believe it when I got the call and the subsequent letter because I felt I just started my non-profit and also because the other awardees were ‘big’ women who I look up to. But during the awards night I knew I deserved it because I had been consistent with what I do and have been able to impact lives and set a path that was promising for young people. 

I dedicated the award to every single woman/girl regardless of status or color because I am a strong believer of the female power and potential and I believe in going all out to let the world see the power resident in us. The award has also been a motivating factor to keep doing what I do and even increase the pace because it is not all about the award, it is about making a difference in people’s lives and being remembered for that. 

“My documentary series (Power House Series) and magazine (Power House Magazine) was borne out of the desire to institute social change and promote women and girl’s development through storytelling, rethreading the lives of women and girls in their various career fields, creating content that encourages young women’s ambition and telling stories of stereotypes, inequalities, and challenges that women and girls face.”

FWM: Share your passions. 

I’m passionate about a number of things but the ones that stand out are my passion for gender equality/equity and seeing young people especially young women become holistically empowered and able to make informed decisions for themselves and also seeing the female thrive and succeed. I got fascinated by gender advocacy and activism during my university days when I took lectures on gender and development. It opened my mind and made me conscious of the challenges, the stereotypes, and the inequalities that the female gender faces in every phase of her life. 

My membership to a youth leadership initiative is also a contributing factor to my activism. I figured there’s something I can do in my way and space to speak on these inequalities and barriers that affect women and girls. Mostly because I have lived experiences of these challenges and so I felt it is right to be a voice for those that are unable to speak up.  

I also have a passion for writing even though I haven’t paid much attention to it. I always keep a book and pen in my bag to jot down something that comes to mind. I do most of my writings on my phone because it comes in handy. I like journaling too. I have dairies that I’ve kept for years and anytime I chance on them, I get amazed at how far I’ve come. Somewhere last year I went back to blogging, something I started years back. And so far the feedback has been amazing. I’m also half way through my maiden book which I hope to launch soon. 

FWM: How have you inspired young people? What is your best advice you can give them on entrepreneurship? 

I like interacting with young people most especially young women because I always want to learn about their aspirations, dreams, fears, and insecurities and it helps me to offer help or support where needed. Since I started my non-profit in 2017, I’ve organized personal development and empowerment programs for over 3,500 young women and girls. We have also partnered with other organizations to promote the agenda of empowering young women and girls through school tours and community sensitization programs. 

I also run a documentary series on trailblazing women, sharing their challenges, their experiences, and the trends in their respective careers as an inspiration to young people. To let them have that pictorial vision of their dreams and remind them that they can be whoever they dream and work to become. We don’t only look at inspiring these young ladies, we have a job shadow initiative we are about to roll out where we are giving internship opportunities to young women to have practical experience with different industry players. 

My best advice on entrepreneurship for young people is that they need to have a clear vision and objective. Most often we are so much interested in getting our products or services out there that we forget to map out a clear vision and objective. We hurriedly start and get stuck in the middle and that’s where we realize we should have made proper laid out plans and implementation strategies. 

Another thing to note is that it is important to consistently focus on building your product or service instead of chasing investors. We need to have a good business model where our products or services make money on its own. Instead of making a product or service to impress investors, let’s focus on creating a product or service that customers love. When customers love what you do, investors will come automatically.

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FMW: As a Storyteller and a Magazine Producer, you run a documentary series on trailblazing women who are disrupting gender barriers. Can you share a few stories?

I’m a trained journalist and a communicator and so I know how effective storytelling can be in highlighting certain issues and getting your message across. My documentary series (Power House Series) and magazine (Power House Magazine) was borne out of the desire to institute social change and promote women and girl’s development through storytelling, rethreading the lives of women and girls in their various career fields, creating content that encourages young women’s ambition and telling stories of stereotypes, inequalities, and challenges that women and girls face. 

In my work as a journalist and a gender activist, I’ve come across many stories of stereotypes and barriers that sort of hinder women and girls from fully accessing certain opportunities and rights but through my docu-series and magazine, we aim to make a difference and also influence policies so that the female gender can thrive and become more without any barriers or glass ceilings. 

We currently have an Instagram live streaming going on where we have conversations with women from diverse career and entrepreneurial backgrounds speaking to different topics. We’ve hosted Dr. Ameena Ali who is the founder and lead advocate at the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights(FIGHR) and also a special consultative status at the UN ECOSOC who took us through ways by which the youth can address the shocks, challenges and opportunities post-COVID-19.

We’ve also hosted Dr. Jemima Kankam, a medical director, a Board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. She spoke on Depression among women, and how to unpack the gender differences and understand the effects and management strategies. 

An entrepreneur, top podcast host, and best-selling author Lindsey Schwartz has also been our guest who gave practical insights into what one needs to enable them to get started on her journey of becoming a Power House Woman, getting out of their way and into action with their big ideas. 

We have other inspirational guests listed for the first season of our e-conversations and after that we are officially launching our magazine. We also have themed documentaries we are shooting that captures the real stories of women and girls moving beyond systematic structures to break out from challenges they experience and become an amazement to the world. 

FWM: What are the key topics you talk about during your global speaking engagements? 

My speaking engagements started 2-years ago when I was invited to a youth summit to share my story and journey of resilience from becoming a mother in my final year at the university to starting an organization that focuses on empowering women and girls. That single invitation and my subsequent social media posts about my works opened other amazing doors for me. 

Suddenly, I’m getting invitations to speak on different topics mainly connected to my communication and journalism background and also on topics I’m constantly learning on. I’ve spoken on several topics at different conferences and summits. I’ve spoken on leveraging on the power of social media to scale up your work as an entrepreneur. I have spoken on skill set development and the need for added value in one’s career and business. 

I have also moderated a youth and politics session and a women’s empowerment summit at the 10th Ghana International Model United Nations. I recently spoke at a virtual conference on ways to use your pain or an unpleasant experience to your advantage. As a result of my engagements at these conferences, I’ve been able to secure 3 different positions in 3 different International organizations. I also sit on several youth and gender boards. 

FWM: Tell us about your initiatives in Ghana for sustainable development. What is the future of Ghana?

The first organization I started is called Butterfly Effect Global which is a social impact and an advocacy organization that provides programs and initiatives towards the personal development and holistic empowerment of women and girls. Since its inception in March 2017, we’ve been able to hold empowerment programs for 3,500 girls, provided vocational training (soap-making) for 50 orphaned girls, and also provided sanitary pads for rural girls during our sexual and menstrual hygiene projects. 

The SDG goals 3, 4 and 5 are our focal points and the backdrop for all our initiatives because we believe advocating for gender equality also requires that young women and girls have access to education and all the resources it comes with as well as being able to experience good health and make informed sexual and reproductive decisions. 

We have another project we were supposed to roll out until COVID- 19 happened. This project, One More Girl is a mentorship and a career coaching project for young women to get connected to professionals who will groom and prepare them for their career paths. Schools are on break now but we are still looking at ways to implement this project. 

The future for Ghana in this regard cannot be emphatically stated but we are hopeful of a change. Systems and structures need to be revised and properly tailored to ensure an equal opportunity and access for women and girls. Work is still going on. There are several other organizations pulling their weight to ensure we achieve this goal of equality. It may not be immediately but yes, there will be change and it will be for good. 

FWM: Who inspires you?

I’ve got loads of people who inspire me and I can’t cherry pick right now. All these people have a way of uniquely influencing my life directly and indirectly and I’m happy about that. I’ve made a conscious decision to follow and be around positive energy and so I get to experience amazing personalities whose lives speak to my own life. And I learn from them. I started this daily ritual where I make sure to ‘check in’ on my inspirers most of which are virtual to know what’s going on with them. I go to their pages, their podcasts or any other avenue through which I can ‘connect’ with them and learn. I’ve been able to approach some of these virtual inspirers and due to my kind of approach, I now have them in my network where I get to reach out anytime. 

I also connect with those I can physically meet and learn from. When I have questions or need clarity on anything, I go to them. I’ve mentors who have been super helpful to my life and my work. Mentors who ensure that I’m on track with everything I do and when I need help, I go to them. I believe that everyone is unique and has a unique way of inspiring people so yes I’ve got quite a number of inspirers. 

I can’t count the number of times I’ve imagined meeting Oprah Winfrey! My imagination is so full of our encounters and it’s a matter of time for me to meet her in person. I admire her greatly for a number of reasons. She’s been able to make a name for herself regardless of all the challenges and roadblocks. Her tenacity and resilience is admirable! She is incredible! I have subscribed to her youtube channel, I watch all of her interviews and get to learn new tips that guide me in my interviews. There are many amazing women I would love to meet and Oprah definitely is one! 

FWM: What is your vision for 2020? 

2020 is actually a year I had so many plans for. I made up my mind to achieve something worthwhile, something I’ll look back years to come and be proud of me. The current global crisis in a way distorted my plans but it didn’t destroy it completely. There are plans I’ve had to restrategize and implement it in a different alternative because of COVID-19.

Things have changed for me but some of the plans will be executed this year. By the end of the year, I want to get my communication company started and have regional correspondents for Power House Series and Magazine. I also want to gain some level of financial freedom and scale up my work with Butterfly Effect Global. 

Facebook: The Obaa Yaa Boatemaa Instagram: @_the augusterboatengTwitter: @am_obaayaaLinkedIn: Auguster Asantewa Boateng