The 2018 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Gala was held on Sunday night December 9 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The CNN Heroes is held annually to honour people for their extraordinary acts.
This year, our very own Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin was the only Nigerian among the top 10 CNN heroes alongside other trailblazers from different part of the world, which are Luke Mickelson, Maria Rose Belding, Dr. Rob Gore, Ellen Stackable, Florence Phillips, Susan Munsey, Amanda Boxtel, Chris Stout, and Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong.
Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin through her program, GirlsCoding, has helped hundreds of disadvantaged girls in Lagos, Nigeria, gain the technical skills and confidence to transform their lives.
“Technology is a space that’s dominated by men. Why should we leave that to guys?” she said. “I believe girls need opportunities.”
Each of the CNN heroes will receive a $10,000 cash prize. During the event, last night, one of the 10 was named “CNN Hero of the Year,” and received an additional $100,000 for his cause. The winner was Dr. Ricardo Pun-Chong, for his tireless work helping families with young children who come into his hospital in Lima, Peru.
During the event, Nigeria’s Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin asked the world to “join us in this fight” in her speech.
We are very proud of Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin and how far she has come, even though she didn’t win, she is our winner!!!