Submitted
2020 Elevate Prize

Askdemy.com

Team Leader
batula abdulazeez
About You and Your Work
Your bio:

My name is Batula Abdulazeez; a Phd candidate in International business management at the International School of Management (ISM), Paris, France. I have over 20 years in the financial services industry, an MBA in marketing. 

Project name:
Askdemy.com
One-line project summary:
Quora for Africa
Present your project.

1. What problem are you committed to solving? We are committed to solve the problem of dearth of knowledge. A lot of knowledge lies in people's head which ultimately get lost once these people die. Thus the need to create a library where knowledge could be saved and transfered to those that need it. 

Secondly, to provide employment for women and youths who would prefer to work from home.

2. What project are you proposing? A knowledge market place that is a question and answer platform to bridge the knowledge gap both locally an globally and across generations. 

3. How could your project elevate humanity?

1-By enriching people's minds with knowledge that could otherwise have been lost due t deaths; pandemics etc

2-By providing employment for women and other marginalised segment of the society who have lost their jobs or left their jobs to take care of their families

Submit a video.
What specific problem are you solving?

Unemployment is a major challenge affecting many Africans most especially youths in Nigeria affecting about a quarter of the populace.  Women constitute over 50% of the global population. In Nigeria with a population of 200million people, the same situation applies, yet many remain tied to their household chores (unpaid) domestic care. We wish to have more women doing what they love and being able to contribute to the global community while earning some commission.


What is your project?

Askdemy is a Question & Answer site and a social network platform that focuses on creating a well researched and authentic content to ease the life of the ordinary

Who does your project serve, and in what ways is the project impacting their lives?

Our project experts and scholars from various parts of the world;  students; employees; employers of labour; researchers; research organisations; small businesses; multinationals and other curious people from across the world i.e. people who genuinely want to learn and share, and people who want to network and sell their products and services

Which dimension of The Elevate Prize does your project most closely address?
  • Elevating issues and their projects by building awareness and driving action to solve the most difficult problems of our world
Explain how your project relates to The Elevate Prize and your selected dimension.

Our project is a knowledge market where people ask questions, receive answers; share knowledge and network.

Our project experts and scholars from various parts of the world;  students; employees; employers of labour; researchers; research organisations; small businesses; multinationals and other curious people from across the world i.e. people who genuinely want to learn and share, and people who want to network and sell their products and services.

Our project fulfils the three criteria for ellevate

How did you come up with your project?

I remember while growing up, shortly before he died, my dad handed over to me a book in the local hausa language. The book was titled "Magana Jari ce (meaning: Talk or Knowledge is Power).

After going through lot of experience dealing with psychological trauma and emotional stress, my doctor told me that I am suffering from depression, I googled the word “”depression  and there exist vast amount of knowledge and information on the issue. Secondly, the issue of trauma, came up again, I searched online not knowing who to turn to for details. There again, I got a lot of information on the topic. The third, time, someone mentioned something to me about being scape-goated; I googled it and voila on youtube, there existed tonnes of information on the issue. The information, i gathered were real, personal and deep experience of people who had seen it all and wanted to share the knowledge with others. i felt a deep connection about creating a marketplace for knowledge sharing. I learnt a lot. I felt that these people are so magnanimous with knowledge. so, why cant i create a similar platform where people can learn through knowledge sharing and social networking

Why are you passionate about your project?

I personally feel that a lot of knowledge is hidden in people's heads and that it needs to be shared with the world. Secondly, people are in dire of answers to their everyday challenge both in life and in the workplace like i did. The lack the knowledge or the exact place to get it. just like i did. A lot of these knowledge is not taught in schools. Therefore, many students graduate from schools without adequate knowledge to navigate both life and work challenges.

In the advanced world, the challenged is less and more great in Nigeria where the use of the internet is just becoming greater. 

In the workplace, people go though a lot needing one type of information and not knowing where to find it. When employees leave, they leave with  all the knowledge they have gathered over decades of work.

We want a place where knowledge could be saved for generations to come; where companies can send their employees to access information.



Why are you well-positioned to deliver this project?

I have gathered over two decades working in the financial service industry in Nigeria. Secondly, i have a lot of personal experiences, the knowledge is only known to me but could be shared with others. I charge a token

I have written several books in form of short-stories to showcase some of these experiences but i feel that a lot more could be done by creating a one-stop shop for everyone to access free of charge.

Provide an example of your ability to overcome adversity.

I have survived three awful marriages and have spent over two decades in the corporate ladder in Nigeria's financial service industry. I have overcome all forms of violence (gender violence; economic violence; domestic and family violence etc) and have survived.

Describe a past experience that demonstrates your leadership ability.

Putting together all my experiences, i decided to form a foundation to help other women deal with all forms of violence (economic inequalities; social and political inequalities). We campaign against all forms of violence in our communities most especially against women and girls; we support school children with educational materials; food support for marginalised communities and provide women with lifesaving skills.

How long have you been working on your project?
2 years
Where are you headquartered?
Abuja, Nigeria
What type of organization is your project?
  • Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
If you selected Other, please explain here.

Tulips International Foundation, founded by myself 

More About Your Work
Your Business Model & Funding
The Prize
Solution Team:
batula abdulazeez
batula abdulazeez