Sonia Barikisu Elmir | Ghana | What The Notebook Taught Me
Speaker & Youth Mentor | Founder of L'Elmir
Empowering the Next Generation in Tech
Data Analyst | Mortgage Advisor | Systems Support Specialist
Before there was L’Elmir to the World, before the interviews, community initiatives, recognition, and invitations to speak, there was a girl with a small notebook. Her name was Sonia Barikisu Elmir. Today, Sonia is a wife, mother, technology and data professional, communicator, and founder of L’Elmir to the World. But before those titles, she was simply a girl with a dream. She wrote down her ideas, questions, and possibilities without knowing exactly where they would lead. For years, she dreamed of The Elmir Show-a television platform where she could ask questions, share stories, explore ideas, and inspire others. But eventually, she realized she did not have to wait for a television station to give her a platform. She already had technology, social media, and her voice. So she started. Her education and career in technology and data gave her new tools to understand how information, communication, and technology could connect people and solve problems. Then, in 2023, the dream of The Elmir Show evolved into L’Elmir to the World, a platform focused on purpose, self-development, technology, STEM/STEAM, menstrual hygiene, environmental responsibility, and community development.
The idea soon became action.
In Ada West, one initiative supported approximately 500 girls through menstrual hygiene education and support, with community engagement supported by Madam Matilda Mahama, Head of the Department of Community Development. Sonia also became involved in educating women in Senya East about breast cancer, through a collaboration supported by Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson, former Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya East.
Along the way, Sonia interviewed and featured leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, professionals, and community builders, turning their experiences into stories that could inspire others.
She learned that success rarely follows a straight line-and that many extraordinary people simply need someone willing to give their stories a platform. Her work began receiving recognition. In 2025, L’Elmir to the World was named NGO of the Year. Sonia was also featured by TTY Brand Africa, recognized by the MCE of Ada West for community development and support, and invited to share her ideas on platforms including GBC and other events.
But for Sonia, the greatest milestone was not the recognition. It was seeing an idea that once lived inside a small notebook become a platform, then conversations, then community action-and ultimately, something that could reach and impact other people.
Her message to the next generation is simple: you do not need the whole plan before you begin. You do not need the biggest platform, everyone's permission, or all the resources. Start with what you have. Write the idea down. Ask the question. Make the call. Start the project. Learn, adapt, make mistakes, and keep moving. Because sometimes, the person you are meant to become is hidden inside the thing you are afraid to begin.
Sonia started with a small notebook.
The notebook became a dream.The dream became a voice.The voice became a platform.The platform became community action.
And the journey continues.
Your beginning does not have to look impressive. It just has to be yours. Because one day, you may look back at that first small idea and realize: that was the beginning of everything.
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