BBC World Service reveals Outlook Inspirations 2018
The names of three people chosen as Outlook Inspirations 2018 have been revealed during a special live broadcast from the BBC’s Radio Theatre in London, and aired across the globe on the BBC World Service.
Published: 27 June 2018
Huge congratulations to all three Outlook Inspirations - their stories show tremendous courage and resilience in the face of adversity and they have each made a real impact on the lives of others in their communities and beyond.
First launched in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of BBC World Service programme Outlook, and now returning for the second time, the Outlook Inspirations Awards celebrate unsung heroes from across the globe - ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Mary Hockaday, Controller of BBC World Service English, says: “Huge congratulations to all three who have been named as the Outlook Inspirations - their stories show tremendous courage and resilience in the face of adversity and they have each made a real impact on the lives of others in their communities and beyond.
"Outlook remains one of the most loved programmes on the BBC World Service and we’re delighted to bring back these Awards for a second time, allowing us to celebrate the achievements of unsung heroes from across the globe.”
The names were revealed during a special broadcast of Outlook presented by Matthew Bannister and Jo Fidgen at the Radio Theatre in BBC Broadcasting House in London. The judging panel, chaired by the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner, actress and Time’s Up campaigner Tessa Thompson, and incoming Head of Amnesty International Kumi Naidoo, chose the three winners.
The programme also featured a link up with one of the other shortlisted names - Seyi Oluyole in Lagos, Nigeria - was nominated for her work encouraging young people to stay in education through dance.
The Outlook Inspirations Awards are about celebrating ordinary people with extraordinary stories. The 20 nominees are people who are doing remarkable things, people who have overcome enormous obstacles to achieve something extraordinary, or people who are breaking taboos and challenging stereotypes, or they are working hard to improve the lives of others. They were chosen from individuals who have been on Outlook and others nominated by listeners. For the full list of nominees please see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05ydg2t
About BBC World Service
BBC World Service delivers news content around the world in English and 41 other language services, on radio, TV and digital, reaching a weekly audience of 279 million. As part of BBC World Service, BBC Learning English teaches English to global audiences. For more information, visit bbc.com/worldservice. The BBC attracts a weekly global audience of 347 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.
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The Outlook Inspirations 2018 are:
Nice Leng’ete was eight years old when she was due to be circumcised. According to Maasai tradition, this meant that she would be a woman and ready for marriage - but also that she would have to abandon her schooling.
Nice ran away and hid in a tree and then begged her grandfather to postpone so she could carry on her studies. She was shunned by most of the community but she completed her education and set about convincing the men of her village that some practices needed to change.
In a complete break with tradition, in 2014 Nice was invited to address all the Maasai chiefs at an important gathering at Mount Kilimanjaro. And it was there that many of the Maasai tribes in Kenya and Tanzania agreed to abolish the cutting ritual. The ceremony and many of the traditions remain but the transition to womanhood is now marked with a certificate, not a cut. Nice has since saved over 15,000 girls from FGM.
More about Nice’s story here
Image Credit: Amref Health Africa
When Brisa De Angulo was still a teenager she took on the Bolivian establishment and fought and fought until they listened. The reason was shocking. As a 15 year-old she was raped over a period of months by a member of her extended family, who was twice her age. When she complained, she was badly let down.
The Bolivian authorities had a poor record of dealing with sexual violence against children. Brisa’s case went through the courts but no one wanted to hear it. Finally, she ended up in a tribunal designed for livestock. After her ordeal, aged 17, she funded the only programme in Bolivia for survivors of sexual violence providing free social, legal and psychological services. The group has now trained 80,000 people including judges, prosecutors and police on how to work with survivors of sexual violence and helped more than 1,500 children.
More about Brisa’s story here
Image credit: Parker Palmer
In 2010, at the age of 26, Livey Van Wyk became the youngest person ever to be elected mayor in Namibia - an achievement all the more extraordinary because just a few years before, the townspeople of Witvlei had made it very clear that she wasn't welcome there. She was attacked and ostracised - because she was HIV positive.
Livey had got the diagnosis soon after discovering she was pregnant. Her grandmother took her in and cared for her. After treatment, her son was born HIV negative and he gave Livey the strength to pick herself up and start to live life again. Livey chose to speak out about her diagnosis and the stigma of HIV. In the end she won over her community, and many beyond, who repaid her by electing her their leader.
More about Livey’s story here
Image credit: UNICEF Torgovnik Verbatim Photo Agency
