Libraries Hosts International Leader Edem Dorothy Ossai for Talk on Storytelling and Social Impact
Syracuse University Libraries will host social impact leader and education policy advocate Edem Dorothy Ossai for an engaging talk titled “Little Heroes: An Experience of Storytelling for Social Impact in Oyo State, Nigeria” on Thursday, May 29 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library Room 114.
The event will include an in-depth talk, a question-and-answer session, opportunities for collaborative discussion and light refreshments. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members are invited to connect with Ossai and engage in conversations at the intersection of education, storytelling and social entrepreneurship. Ossai will share her inspiring work as the author of a children’s storybook series that highlights African role models to address literacy and education challenges among marginalized, poor and out-of-school children in Nigeria. Her storytelling initiative also complements her efforts to expand mobile libraries and learning access through grassroots community outreach.
The event offers a unique opportunity to explore how creative storytelling can spark social change, especially in underserved regions. Following her presentation, Ossai will lead a conversation around collaboration, learning exchanges and dialogue with experts in African studies, education, social entrepreneurship and beyond.
An education, gender and youth specialist working internationally, she serves as the Africa Regional Coordinator for Network for International Policies and Cooperation in Education and Training (NORRAG), an international network of 6,100 experts from 182 countries. Based at the Geneva Graduate Institute, its central initiatives revolve around critical global education policy and training issues to shape more participatory, evidence-based and equitable education at national and international levels. It emphasizes equal access to quality education, particularly in the context of international development and cooperation.
She is also the Founder and Director of MAYEIN, a Nigerian non-profit organization advancing equity in education, entrepreneurship development and girls' agency. MAYEIN's mission is to empower youth with skills needed for community impact and future readiness in the workplace and to help African youth become active, skilled and resilient growth drivers in their communities and national economies. MAYEIN also provide a Library on Wheels Project.
With over 15 years of experience in child rights advocacy, universal basic education and gender-responsive education planning, she brings a wealth of expertise to development work around the globe. Her academic background includes a master’s degree in international development and policy from the University of Chicago. She has led numerous workshops and consultations on gender-responsive education, including work with the African Union Commission on its draft gender policy.
In 2017, she launched Girls Without Borders, a school club program empowering adolescent girls with knowledge about their rights and strategies to exercise their agency. Her commitment to social impact has earned her multiple international accolades. She was named a Mandela Washington Fellow in 2016, an Inaugural Obama Scholar at the University of Chicago in 2018 and a 2021 Echidna Global Scholar at the Brookings Institution, where she authored a policy brief on gender-responsive education in emergencies in Nigeria.
Over the past year, she has also been engaged with CampusLabs Nigeria, an initiative supported by the Orange Innovation Fund, a donor-supported grant program through Syracuse University Libraries. Co-founded by her husband Emeka Ossai G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), the Ossai’s worked with Syracuse University to launch the program to accelerate innovation, entrepreneurship and venture development in Nigeria.
“We are delighted to showcase Edem’s accomplishments as a social impact innovator, author and educational policy leader,” said Linda Dickerson-Hartsock, advisor for strategic initiatives at SU Libraries. “This will be a very exciting cross-cultural exchange on a topic that is important to all of us –- creating role models for the next generation and the collective power of positive catalytic voices.”
Those who cannot attend the May 29 event in person are welcome to join by Zoom: https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/j/93070411997
