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Episode 36: From Homelessness to Social Impact Queen with Raquel Daniel


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On this 36th episode of The Unscathed Life Podcast, I have the incredible honour of hosting the phenomenal Raquel Daniel. Raquel is a social entrepreneur and educator working in poor and remote communities in Nigeria focusing on education for children & reproductive health for adolescent girls through her Foundation called ‘Beyond the Classroom’. 

Raquel has received numerous awards including the 2021 Luther King Heroes Award, the Women of Impact Award 2021, the Women Achievers Award 2021 and lots more by doing no more than spreading light and giving hope to so many in dire need. 

On today’s show, we go beyond the impressive awards and well deserved accolades into Raquel's incredible backstory. Raquel’s dream was to set a new education standard in her family as no one had ever gone beyond secondary school. She nursed this dream until it was threatened in her early teens when there were plans to marry her off to fund her brothers remaining in school. Raquel ran away from home shortly after. Her unbreakable spirit, relentless optimism and heart for God were the saving graces that helped her survive tumultuous teenage years of homelessness and precarious living in a Lagos brothel.

This episode encapsulates what we preach here on The Unscathed Life Podcast. We all have the power to thrive even amidst difficult circumstances and must aim to start fires for positive change in whichever capacity we find ourselves. Raquel’s humility, resilience, selflessness and tenacity were the building blocks which led her to become the change she desperately wanted to see in the world. 

Key highlights;

  • “You have the power to change what you don’t like” (05:03)
  • Nursing her dream of finishing Secondary School (09:12)
  • Running away and becoming homeless  (10:15)
  • Starting a business in a Brothel(18:11)
  • How technology changed her life: Going from Cleaner to Office assistant in one day. “The importance of learning new things” (34:57)
  • Admission into University through divine help (42:46)
  • Helping others with nothing but empathy and sincerity (53:52)
  • The birth of “Beyond The Classroom” (59:24)
  • The importance of Owning Your Story (1:07:03)
  • How to become a Changemaker (1:10:38)
  • The three types of people: Fire Starters, Fire Lighters and Fire Tamers (1:05:03)

Raquel is also the co-founder of Nzuriaiki.com, an online platform designed to showcase volunteer opportunities in Nigeria.

She is the author of FLOW: a girl’s guide to menstruation, There is a New Virus in Town: a coronavirus awareness book for children; The Alphabet Book on COVID-19; Squeaky Clean; a personal hygiene book for girls and she most recently launched a set of colouring and tracing books for children.

Asides, its focus on education, reproductive health and hygiene, the Beyond the Classroom Foundation also provides skill acquisition support to her beneficiaries. The Foundation has a new project running through May 2021 in Abuja, themed “The Menstrual Hygiene Project For Girls”, and its focus is to educate young girls about menstrual hygiene and provide 3 month worth supplies of sanitary towels.

For further information on how to support the Project/Foundation, see details below;

Instagram: @itisiraquel or here

Twitter:      @iraquel

Website:    www.raqueldaniel.com

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Created For MoreBy Tonbra Nwosuagwu

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