Wendy Nwajiufor fondly called Chylove by friends is an award-winning Content creator, Director, Executive Director and Entrepreneur. A graduate of Computer Science with Masters in Human Capital Managemnt. She has a passion for helping people and seeing everyone succeed and this led her to venture into many initiatives geared towards the empowerment of women and professionals to become the best version of themselves.
Wendy’s Partnership with Youtube
Her passion for sharing important information including, healthy and family living led her to start a YouTube channel that originally focused on unique and delicious meal recipes inspiring people through her humble lifestyle as a Nigerian Immigrant in Canada with her family.
As the channel grew, many of her community members and subscribers wanted her to share more of her Canadian Journey and lifestyle – which led her to enter into a partnership with YouTube in 2020 to reach more audience and today the channel has grown to over eighteen thousand (18k) subscribers. Incredible and remarkable success stories have been shared by her subscribers regarding how helpful her content contributed to their migrating to Canada.
Passion For Tech
Wendy Nwajiufor is also a Brand influencer for companies and organizations some of which are Teddy Blake, Zinff Optical, Biocosmetics, Wraptucknmore and many others. She is also a Director with BlackTECH – an organization that focuses on empowering professional immigrants with capability-building tech skills to beat underemployment. Wendy is also the Executive Director of the NIPCA Women in Tech Working group as well as the Founder of Intentional Women Foundation – an organization focused on supporting black and racialized women to become economically empowered thereby contributing meaningfully to their families and society.
Her passion and work have seen her travel to 5 continents and several countries including Dubai, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. She is very passionate about family upliftment and women empowerment especially racialized and black women to become all they have aspired to achieve.
Wendy Nwajiufor
Other Area Of Expertise
Wendy‘s Specialty includes Business Development, Planning and Coordination, Business Analysis, Agile Scrum Master, Strategy/transformation and Content Creation. She’s certified with multiple international certifications such as SAP ERP Certified Human Resources (HR), PSM1, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and Certified Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). In her spare time, she loves having quality time with her family, shopping, Cooking, and listening to good music.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi are not just queens of the sky, they are history makers. The amazing pilots, who fly South African Airways planes, became the first black African female pilots to operate an SAA flight in its 88 years of existence.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi operated the flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Tuesday, 25 October 2022. The whole crew on Flight SA346 was female.
Captain Vundla made history for the second time. She is SAA’s first black African female captain. She is also a military flight instructor and a Presidential pilot.
Captain Vundla was born in 1980 and attended Kingsway Christian School for her primary education before moving to Mmabatho High School from 1991 to 1997.
Upon completing her Matric, Captain Vundla joined the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for about two years. After serving in military training, she joined the South African Air Force in January 1999 and became a Presidential Pilot.
She has flown the Presidential Inkwazi BBJ1 (Boeing 737-700) jet, Falcon 50 and Citation II (C550) planes for 23 years.
In 2010, she joined South African Airways as a pilot., becoming the national carrier’s first black female captain.
Moreetsi attended Merensky High School from 2001 to 2005 before enrolling at Stellenbosch University. She attained a Higher Certificate in Military Studies and later a Bachelor of Military Science in Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology with distinction.
In 2006, she joined the South African Air Force as a pilot.
From 2008 to 2009, First Officer Moreetsi did a Pupil Pilot Course with the Central Flying School in Langebaanweg.
Despite achieving all these, First Captain Moreetsi felt this was not enough.
In 2010, she went to Starlight Aviation Group and got a Private Pilot’s Licence. The same year, she also went to the Helicopter Flying School.
From 2011 to 2013, while in the air force, Moreetsi was the Limpopo/Mpumalanga Branch Coordinator for the South African Women In Aviation.
The pilot then left the South African Air Force and joined South African Express Airways as First Officer from 2014 to 2016.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi
First Officer Moreetsi’s academic pursuits resumed in 2016 when she enrolled at the Da Vinci Institute. In 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management, specialising in Aviation Management.
From 2016 to date, she has been with South African Airways, where she was Senior First Officer and later promoted to Deputy Fatigue Risk Management Specialist.
In June 2022, First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi was promoted to Fatigue Risk Management Specialist.
She had words of inspiration to girls on the day of her historic flight with Captain Annabel Vundla this week:
“My message to young girls is that your dreams are valid. If this is a career you would like to follow, it is possible. Your gender and your race are not a barrier.”
Judge Rochelle Ivri is one of ten citizenship judges in Canada and a paralegal professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton. She has a degree in Criminology from the University of Windsor, a post-graduate certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from York University and has co-authored the textbook, Tribunal Practice, and Procedure for Legal Professionals.
Career of Rochelle Ivri
Rochelle was the first Black person to be appointed as a board member on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Board. She served for 8 years as a board member of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Board. . She was also the first Black person to be appointed to the Council of the College of Midwives of Ontario, where she served for 8 years, 2 of which involved being on the Executive Board.
Additionally, Judge Rochelle was a member of the Discipline, Appeal, and Review Committee of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. She currently sits on the board of Bravo Niagara!
She is the first and only Black woman to be appointed to the inaugural Niagara Region’s Women’s Advisory Committee. Judge Ivri is the co-founder and facilitator of a mentorship program for Black youth.
Passion For The Black Community
Judge Ivri is committed to enriching her community and ensuring that the voices of Black women are included and heard. During her eight years as the first and only Black woman appointed to the Council of College of Midwives of Ontario, she made certain that Black women’s experiences and perspectives were included in the development and implementation of policy affecting the regulation of maternal health in Ontario.
Award and Recognition
In 2019, she was awarded the Woman who Rocks Award for Hamilton. In 2020, she was a finalist nominee in the Education/Mentorship category for the YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Awards. She was awarded the Leading Women, leading Girls, Building Community Award for her work in Kitchener Centre.
Judge Ivri was awarded the Lincoln Alexander Award in 2021 by the Law Society of Ontario making her the first paralegal to ever receive this recognition in its nearly 20-year history.
Family of Judge Rochelle Ivri
Rochelle and her husband, Eldean, have 4 children. She is passionate about human rights, the Charter, and encouraging good citizenship and civic engagement in the diaspora.
Olunike Adeliyi is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer. She got her big break in the hit television series Flashpoint where she played Officer Leah Kerns. Since then, she has built an impressive resume and inspired other women to chase their dreams.
The Early Life of Olunike Adeliyi
Olunike Adeliyi was born in Toronto, Ontario to Sunny, a Nigerian salesman and Roxy, a Jamaican nurse. Raised in both Jamaica and Canada, the well-travelled actress ultimately earned a place at the highly coveted American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
Education
Adeliyi had her primary education in Canada. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts In Newyork. Reportedly, she used to visit Brooklyn, New York, for her acting career and returned to her home country.
Career
Her popularity gained momentum after her appearances in films and TV shows like SAW 3D, French Immersion, The Listener, Being Human, Republic of Doyle, Lost Girl, Christmas Horror Story, Killjoys, and The Girlfriend Experience. In 2012, Adeliyi was nominated for “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2014 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress.”
Some of Adeliyi’s critically acclaimed stage performances include Macbeth (Unit 102 Theatre), HER2 (Nightwood Theatre) and Bleeders (Summerworks).
In 2019, she starred in the horror feature She Never Died, which premiered at LA Screamfest, where she was nominated for best actress and at the Blood in The Snow Film Festival, where she won the award for best actress. Olunike has performed in theatres throughout Canada and the U.S. playing leading roles in many productions.
Recognition and Award of Olunike Adeliyi
Olunike was nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards for her role in Boost; “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2011 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress”.
She recently received the 2022 Rising Star Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel in Toronto. Away from her awards, let’s take a look at Olunike’s journey into motherhood.
Motherhood
Olunike Adeliyi and her daughter, Alesha Bailey
The amazing thespian is a mother of a beautiful daughter named Alesha Bailey, an actress. However, the details regarding her baby papa are missing. Further, the actress shares a good relationship with her daughter, and the mother-daughter duo is often seen enjoying with each other on different media platforms.
We celebrate Olunike for her tenacity, passion for her craft, and for creating room for other women to thrive.
Google Doodle is celebrating Jollof rice today with Haneefah Adam’s art illustration , though the official day is August 22. According to Google; “jollof rice, a quintessential West African dish simmered in reduced tomatoes, onions, peppers and regional spices.”
Nigeria-based guest artist, Haneefah Adam made the beautiful live-action doodle of jollof rice, The beautiful part of the doodle is the way it ended. They showed the different side dishes like plantain and chicken you can eat jollof rice with.
The beautiful soundtrack featured in the doodle is by Senegalese Jazz musician, Herve Samb. It is safe to say Google created a balance of Jollof rice origin and the country where it is eaten the most.
Describing the doodle, Google writes that, “on this day each year, rice farmers plant and reap a bountiful harvest, and cooks across West Africa prepare to make fresh Jollof. Also known as benachin and thieboudienne’
They also elucidated the origin of jollof rice. It is believed to have first been prepared by the Wolof tribe in the 14th century. “The Wolof Empire, ruling parts of modern-day Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania made Jollof rice popular.”
“Each country has added its spin to the recipe and West Africans engage in humorous banter over who makes the best Jollof. These friendly rivalries, known as the “Jollof Wars,” have become an African cultural phenomenon.” Google writes.
The most competitive countries are Nigerians and Ghanaians. Google elucidates the difference. “Nigerians use long-grain rice that absorbs more spices, while Ghanaians use basmati rice with a more aromatic flavour.”
In 2016, Haneefah won the #TechMeetsArtNG exhibition, sponsored by Samsung Nigeria and Rele Gallery. The competition was a culinary exhibition aimed at exploring the artistic presentation of some of Nigeria’s local meals.
It’s beautiful to see our food being celebrated, and the work of one of queens highlighted on a global platform.
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 18 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service experiences.
She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank.
Claudette began her career at BMO in 2000 and held multiple senior leadership roles including Chief Information Officer, Enterprise Technology Employee Experience. In 2020, she joined TD Bank as Global Executive Officer for Cyber Security.
In her spare time, Claudette writes books for children, builds robots and is the founder of the Black Arts & Innovation Expo. Claudette holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards: In January 2020, she was selected as an honoree at the Jamaican Canadian Association’s 20th International Women’s Day event for her groundbreaking work in STEM. In 2019, Toronto Life recognized her as one of the city’s Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians, Women’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, AdWeek Magazine heralded Claudette as a Toronto Brand Star, and the Digital Finance Institute honoured her as one of the Top 50 Canadian Women in FinTech.
In September 2019, Claudette also had the honour of moderating what is being hailed as ‘the most insightful one-on-one conversation’ with Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000-plus at Elevate, Canada’s largest technology festival.
Claudette was recently honored by Afroglobal TV as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadian , she also received the Science and Technology Excellence Awards
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, Afroglobal TV honoured 16 Individuals, that make profound difference in the lives of people and the black community in Canada. Olunike Wendy Adeliyi, Caludette Mcgowan, Shola Alabi, Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard, Dianne Clemons, Joan Jekinson, Dr. Roz Roach and Grace Carter-Henry Lyons were recognized at the epoch making event.
These women have used their work and Influence in the society to help Black Canadian women realize their potential and encouraged them to chase their dreams fearlessly. They Inspire Black girls and women by showcasing examples of the many contributions Black women have and continue to make in the Canadian society.
Olunike Adeliyi is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer. She got her big break in the hit television series Flashpoint where she played Officer Leah Kerns. Since then, she has built an impressive resume that includes shows such as Republic of Doyle, American Gods and Little Dog. Olunike has been nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards for her role in Boost; “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2011 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress”.
In 2019, she starred in the horror feature She Never Died, which premiered at LA Screamfest, where she was nominated for best actress and at the Blood in The Snow Film Festival, where she won the award for best actress. Recognised with 2021 Canadian Screen Award nomination for her performance in BET and CBC drama series Coroner, Olunike has performed in theatres throughout Canada and the U.S. playing leading roles in many productions. She received the 2022 Rising Star Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
Claudette Mcgowan- Science & Technology Award
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with over 20 years of success in leading digital transformation to improve service and cybersecurity. She has worked at Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank. Claudette is the Founder and CEO of Protexxa, an cybersecurity company. She has co-led Phoenix Fire & The Firehood, a multi-million-dollar women-focused angel investment fund and network for women in technology. She its on the boards of MaRS, SickKids, Black North, Elevate and First Book Canada.
Claudette has been named Toronto Life Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians, Digital Finance Institute Top 50 Canadian Women in FinTech, IT World Canada Top 20 Canadian Women in Cybersecurity, and the Women’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. She has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, she received the 2022 Science & Technology Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
HON. WANDA THOMAS BERNARD, Lifetime Achievement Award
Wanda Thomas Bernard
The Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard is the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, representing the province of Nova Scotia and her hometown of East Preston. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005, and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. Senator Bernard served as a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she held the position of Director for 10 years. During her time at Dalhousie, she developed a curriculum for the ‘Africentric Social Work’ course.
Senator Bernard was honoured with the Frank McKenna Award for Leadership in Public Policy in 2021. She is the Vice Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and sits on the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Senator Bernard has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians. Television.
Diane Clemons, Global Impact Award
Diane founded The Pinball Clemons Foundation with her husband, Michael, an organization that provides marginalized youth with educational resources and options to integrate into mainstream of society. The goal is to see youth enter the workforce, and be gainfully employed. Since its inception in 2007, the foundation has been responsible for the construction of a hospital in Uganda, over 200 schools in developing countries, two orphanages in Haiti, and locally awarded more than 200 scholarships.
Diane Lee Clemons is a Singer/Songwriter. She has hosted Vibe Gospel Awards and appeared in ‘The Rev’ on CTS Network, as well as on ‘Train 48′.
Joan Jekinson – Media Award
Joan Jekinson
Joan Jenkinson is a highly accomplished media executive and an influential member of the Canadian screen industry. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Screen Office, where she works to empower Black Canadians working within the screen industries to thrive and share their stories. Joan was Vice President of Independent Productions for VisionTV, where she commissioned, developed, and executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning content in all genres.
A recipient of the Reelworld Tony Stoltz Memorial Visionary Award, Joan spearheaded VisionTV’s DiverseTV/NSI initiative. She is the co-owner of Artemis Pictures. She served as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television, Toronto for five years. She sits on the boards of Hot Docs and the Reelworld Film Festival. She is been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, and receives the 2022 Media Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
Shola Alabi – Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award
Shola Alabi
Shola Alabi is a founding members of Africa Missions Canada (AMCA), a chapter of the Africa Missions Global. She served as Vice President from 2004 until 2013, when she became President. Under her leadership, AMCA has built water wells in Kenya, instituted two schools and Empowerment Centres in Uganda, and through the Rwanda Cow project, many have seen their status change, become financially independent, and grown in their Christian faith.
Shola is also the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, working with communities, NGOs, and government agencies. Shola holds a Bachelor of Science in Administration from Providence College, Rhode Island, USA; a postgraduate certificate in Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Mental Health at Humber College; and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Windsor.
Dr. Roz Roach – Community Development Award
Dr. Roz Roach
Dr. Roz Roach holds a Nursing Degree, Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Social Science, a Master’s Degree in Trans-Cultural Psychiatry, and a Doctorate in Health and Human Sciences. A certified Psychotherapist, Psychoanalyst, Raw Food Scientist, and Acupuncturist, she is the Founder and Executive Director of Dr. Roz’s Healing Place, a Centre for Empowerment and Healing for women and children survivors of domestic violence. Dr. Roz Roach negotiated with three levels of government to raise 5 Million dollars to change lives.
An athlete, mountain climber and marathoner, she completed a 120-kilometre walk from Collingwood to Owen Sound in 2022, and a 462-KM climb across seven cities in China, to raise awareness of violence against women in 2008. An artist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, playwright and designer, Dr. Roz is a mentor with the Scotiabank Women Initiative. She receives the 2022 Community Development Award from Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.
Grace Carter-Henry Lyons – Heritage Award
Grace Carter-Henry Lyons is Founder and Musical Director of Heritage Singers (Canada). The group is a reflection of the Canadian mosaic, and their repertoire ranges from sacred to secular, work songs, lullabies, seasonal ditties and perennial ballards. They have performed world-wide, including Holland, Germany, Taiwan, Mexico and Venezuela. Grace studied piano in Jamaica through The Royal School of Music London, England.
She served for 15 years in the banking industry, including Management at CitiBank Canada. A Real Estate professional for 35 years, Grace is in the Re/Max Hall of Fame. She has received the BBPA Harry Jerome Award for Business Excellence, the Women of Excellence Award from the Congress of Black Women, and was recognized in the Who’s Who of Black Canada. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Community Folk Arts Council of Metropolitan Toronto. She receives the 2022 Heritage Award from the Excellence Awards program of Afroglobal Television.
We celebrate these women for making a difference in the community, touching lives and being a source of inspiration to young girls and women across the globe.
Photos from the Afro Global Excellence Awards…
CoFounder, Afroglobal TV, Patricia Mawa and Esther Ijewere, Editor- Women of Rubies
Actress, Olunike Wendy Adeliyi, and Esther Ijewere
Esther Ijewere and Grace Carter-Henry Lyons
Afroglobal TV Patricia Mawa and Esther Ijewere
Afroglobal Television is a global super channel that caters to the of people of African heritage worldwide. It showcases the best of Africa and the Diaspora through programs that inspire, educate and entertains.
About the Writer
Esther ijewere Is a multi-award winning Social Activist, Journalist, Writer, Best-selling Author, Host of the Youtube syndicated show; #GettalkingwithEsther and a certified PR expert with over 10 years of experience. Esther has spotlighted over 1000 women across the globe, Interviewed First ladies, A-list celebrities and giants of different industries. She is the Editor-In-Chief of Women of Rubies, and other development initiatives recognized globally. Follow her on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
In 1994, Prophetess Uju-Ken had a major encounter with God when she gave her life to Christ, that was the beginning of her ministerial journey and commitment to the body of Christ.
The Canadian based woman of God who has toured different continents winning souls for Christ and reflecting the power of humanity works at the intersection of combining spirituality with reality, using her lived experience as a tool to educate and teach the society the importance of developing a relationship with God and having a prayer life.
Her story went viral online during her recent crusade in Baltimore, USA where she touched lives, performed mind-blowing miracles and spread the gospel. Prophetess Uju is happily married to her supportive husband, and they are blessed with amazing children.
Prophetess Uju-Ken shares her story with Esther Ijewere In this Interview.
Childhood Influence
I grew up in a very christian home. My parents were catholic and were quite involved in church events. My parents always took us to church on Sunday and every weekday early mornings for “Morning Mass”. While in secondary school, my classmates and I attended a church programme. While at this program, the preacher preached on the “Ark of the Covenant” and also asked that those who wanted to encounter the touch of the Ark of the covenant should lift up their hands. That was the first time that I had fallen under the anointing. At that time, I had started dreaming dreams but I had no idea that it was a gift of the Holy Spirit.
I would always tell my mom of my dreams and they would come to pass. I would narrate my dreams of someone dying and then that person would die. My mom would always caution me and warned me to stop telling her about my dreams. On the other hand, while in University, I started modeling and designing tops and shirts and selling to bankers. I would say that modeling prepared me to face crowds. I was already aware of God’s existence and work in and around me.
Inspiration Behind Glorious Reign Ministries
The HolySpirit inspired me to start my ministry. After my childhood encounters, I didn’t know how to pray but I talked prayers. I would pray like I was having a conversation with God. One midnight in 2009, I was laying down and fell into a trance. In that trance, I saw some tall grasses in the field, a strong wind was blowing and as the grasses were being blown by the wind, the words “Time 4 Harvest “ appeared. I was confused as to what they meant.
In that trance also, the voice said that if I was doubting, I should go to the sitting room, that I would find my brother lying on the couch sick. I did get up and go to the sitting room and actually found my brother laying on the couch and when I asked him to go into the room he responded that he was sick.
Before my trance experience, one of my female friends had gifted me with a T.D. Jakes Bible titled ‘Woman, thou art loosed’. After the trance experience, I started preaching to a set of 5 empty couches.
Why I moved My Ministry From U.K To Canada
My move from the U.K. to Canada was a decision of my husband and myself. This decision was solely for the purpose of availing our children the vast opportunities available in Canada including education.
The Journey So Far
We give God the glory. The journey has been amazing, in the sense that with the help of the Holy Spirit. It has also been a learning curve with challenges but God has been faithful because He has promised me in 1 Corinthians 10:13B that “He will not suffer me to be tempted beyond that which I am able to bear”. Every challenge has been a ladder to get to my next level.
Challenges Of My work
As a professional counselor as well as a Minister of God, maintaining boundaries especially with family and friends has been a challenge. I’m still working on learning to say “No” and stick with it. Another challenge is that I find it very hard to look the other way when I see people suffering. I have the tendency of taking on people’s burden and failing to realize that I can’t save everyone.
I’m very humbled that God has chosen me as a vessel to work miracles in the lives of people irrespective of their status in life. I’m also very happy to see God’s power in action, saving souls, healing diseases and mending broken hearts.
Other Projects and Activities
We are believing in God to establish a non- denominational pilgrimage center where people from all walks of life can come on a weekly basis to pray out for themselves and receive solutions to their challenges. I also make it a point of duty to support other peoples ministries to motivate and minister to the people. As per the ministry activities, we meet every first Saturday of the month for our Open Heaven program, we also meet every second Saturday for a meeting with the Holy Spirit titled “Fix me Holy Spirit”. We meet again every third.
What I Enjoy About My Job As A Woman of God
What I enjoy most about my work is my relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always teaches me, guides me and directs me. He always reassures me, all I have to do is to just show up and He acts. I also enjoy seeing people walk into my office with tears and leaving with joy. As much as we go on missions, we pray, and we give.
3 Women Who Inspire Me And Why
The first person is my mother because she is a prayerful woman, a hopeful woman of faith and a woman that never gave up. These attributes of my mother have shaped my own life. The second woman is Kathryn Kuhlman of the blessed memory who solely depends affectionately and intimately on the Holy Spirit.
My Work-life Balance
As a woman of God, a mother, wife, and mentor, I feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day. However, I have to follow strict timelines in order to maintain a work-life balance. Moreso, I have learnt to let go of what I cannot control. So I prioritize my work according to the order of importance. I am also very grateful for my very supportive husband. He’s always there to offer support and cover for me in the home front.
As a society, to win more souls, we can show more love, be empathetic, compassionate, and actively listen to one another. We can be more tolerant towards one another.
On The Importance Of Unity Within The Christian Community
Men and women of God to help each other and to collaborate more especially through complementing one another where the other is inadequate since God has given different spiritual gifts to all men for the perfecting of saints and edifying of the body of Christ ( Ephesians 4: 11-12).
Being A Woman of Rubies
What makes me a Woman of Rubies is the grace of God upon my life and the power of the Holy Spirit.
To Those who Have lost faith
I would tell them “Don’t give up” “Help is on the way” and “Your SOLUTION (Holy Spirit) is bigger than your PROBLEMS (the challenges
Fatima Mohammed Habib is a young empath with a heart of gold, and passion for community service. She is the youngest humanitarian in Nigeria. At 14, she founded the Advocacy for Human Value Foundation (AFHVF); a Not-for-profit organization that aims at improving the lives of the most vulnerable by providing them with basic needs such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), health care services, protection and education across Nigeria.
Fatima is a graduate of Political science from University of Maiduguri, and a YALI Regional Leadership Course (RLC) alumna. The organization is powered by over 1,300 volunteers around Nigeria and 30 staffs. With operations in Abuja, Borno, yobe, kaduna, Kano, Taraba, jigawa, and katsina states.
Fatima Habib is well known for creating awareness on child sexual exploitation, gender based violence, and promoting girl-child education in vulnerable communities. Her organization has impacted over 6000 lives in 73 marginalized communities in Northern Nigeria over the years it has been in existence.
In October, 2020, Huawei Technology Company Nigeria Limited partnered with the AFHVF and The Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy in donating standard equipment and renovating the school building of Al-Walidyn Charitable School in Pantami Community, Gombe State, Nigerian.
Fatima’s motivation comes from support she gets from her family and the values upon which she was raised amongst which is kindness to people of all backgrounds. She shares her inspiring story with Esther Ijewere in this exclusive interview.
Childhood Influence
I was born on September 23rd, 1999. I am Kanuri by tribe and hail from Maiduguri, Borno State. I had my Primary and Secondary Schools at Adeola International School Abuja and later moved to Maitama Model Secondary School Abuja to complete my SSCE in 2015. I’d say that I have always wanted to help the less privileged. My parents were my first teachers and therefore had the biggest influence on my life. Things they say and do, their way of being and relating to me and others, laid the foundation for many of my beliefs, values, attitudes, and respect for people around me.
Inspiration behind Human Value Foundation (AFHVF)
My zeal and passion to help the less privileged most definitely pushed me into this path. Let me start with the man whose character, intellectual milieu, and philanthropic gesture to whosoever approaches him in the day, at night, or any other time is indescribable. He is Dr. Mohammed Kyari Dikwa mni. He has greatly inspired me beyond measure.
Additionally, Dr. Zainab Bagudu (the First Lady of Kebbi) whose Medicaid Cancer Foundation is similar to my Foundation’s objectives remains dear to my heart as a woman. I also had the opportunity of meeting Hajia Laraba Shuaibu (a barrister who works with my dad in the Corporate Affairs Commission) in 2014 with my siblings. She had cupboard-of awards displayed in her sitting room which I believe was a result of her versatility, network, and consistency towards her work and profession.
My Passion For Issues Centered Around Child Sexual Exploitation, And Gender-Based Violence
We realized that one of the most prevalent issues that almost all women face is the issue of Gender-Based Violence. We have studied and come to the conclusion that why most women face this problem because of their dependence on others for their sustenance. The solution to most of the causes of Gender-based violence is the economic empowerment of women.
To this end, I recently started the advocacy on Sexual exploitation. We advocate making these victims become stronger, and more well-informed so that despite the daunting challenge they could be able to speak up and change the face of the world.
Challenges
Sometimes the security challenges in the Northeast make it difficult to reach some communities. Even when one is determined to go, loved ones will caution against that. Other times, there is the issue of funding.
When we have a project to execute, we usually find it quite challenging to raise funds to meet our budget. We navigate the security challenges by trying to do as much as possible what we can in areas that are safe. For the funding, we try as much as possible to cut down our budget or improve efforts on fundraising
My Thoughts On The Development And Advocacy Sector And What Stakeholders Should Do Better
Stakeholders can do more with the regulations in the sector. Founders should be vetted before giving the necessary license or registration documents to start. This is to protect against people who set up non-profits to enrich themselves. Stakeholders should set more regulations to protect the humanitarian development space from being flooded by people who don’t have the appropriate aim.
Thematic Areas My Organization Cover
Currently, we work in the areas of health, education, and the environment. In the aspect of education, we’ve assisted many people. We have given scholarships and we recently built a school with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and Huawei Technologies Nigeria. We just completed the building of a charity school – primary to secondary levels.
How I Am Using My Organization To Create Room For Women In The Community
About thousand of people’s lives have been impacted and shaped by my foundation as we have been able to give children their right education by enrolling them in schools and funding their education. We have done a lot of fundraising on social media platforms and also a television in providing hospital expenses to people with special disabilities ( Vulnerable members of society).
Periodically, I visit the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Maiduguri and hold discussion sessions with some of our targets where we talk out the problems faced by them. This leads to the curing of trauma and depression amongst the vulnerable members in the various camps we visited. I recently started the advocacy on Sexual exploitation. We advocate making these victims become stronger, and more well-informed so that despite the daunting challenge they could be able to speak up and change the face of the world.
Women Who Inspire Me
1. Dr. Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu
2. Hajiya Laraba Shuaibu
Other Projects And Activities
For health, we are assisting people who can’t pay their hospital bills. So, we post it online mostly. In 2018, the then-minister of health saw some of our posts and made sure that one of the boys we were assisting was given the care he needed. As for the environment, you know the northeastern part of the country has been prone to conflicts, especially Maiduguri. We have been providing aid in IDP camps and communities affected by criminalities.
In the area of sanitation, we provide boreholes. For the females, we sensitize them to child sexual exploitation and provide them with sanitary pads to enhance their menstrual hygiene among others. That is water sanitation and hygiene.
My Work-Life Balance Routine
I understand that to whom much is given, a lot is expected. I have never taken the privilege I have for granted. I try to be as very organized as possible. Whatever I do, I plan adequately for it. Anything that comes up later that is not in my plan, initially, I try to see if some plans can make way for it. If they are all priorities, I postpone or discard them as appropriate.
Being a Woman Of Rubies
I am very ambitious. Supporting and encouraging people to pursue their own goals and dreams, I make my own as well. I have a vision for my future and chase after it with voracity.
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There is no force greater than a woman determined to live a fulfilled life, and make a difference while at it. Oluwatoyin Fadairo is a goal-oriented woman full of passion. for humanity and affinity for change. TSD, as she is fondly called by friends, is a successful entrepreneur that also doubles as a philanthropist whose focus is on vulnerable women and children in the society.
With her creativity and innovative ideas, she has been able to create a niche for herself on social media, and this has landed her a number of ambassadorial and brand promotion roles with reputable brands and businesses across the world.
Oluwatoyin Fadairo is the Director of Operations for TSDXclusive, the home of quality bespoke footwear for men, and shoes for women and children. Oluwatoyin has successfully created a platform for children and women experiencing any form of abuse or human right violation, to seek and get necessary help and intervention.
Being a philanthropist, TSD is the founder of The Unbroken Women Initiative (TUWI), a non-profit organization that caters for women and children with psychological, emotional, and financial needs.
Oluwatoyin Fadairo shares her inspiring story with Women of Rubies.
Oluwatoyin Fadairo
Childhood Influence
Growing up was fun. I grew up in a relatively comfortable family, as my parents tried their utmost best to provide us with the necessities of life and my siblings and I attended some the best schools around. However, we were taught not to close our eyes to the needs of the people around us, as there are rewards for givers.
In our neighborhood, we had folks who were struggling to cater for their kids, my parents especially my mum always assisted in her own little way and I learnt this from her. I made up my mind at the early stage to ensure I am always there for people, in my own little way.
Inspiration Behind The Unbroken Welfare Initiative
The empathy for women who suffered all kinds of abuses in marriages. The trauma some of them experienced when they lost their spouse, seeing children, who ought to be in school doing menial jobs at the earliest stage of their lives, etc, motivated me to start The Unbroken Welfare initiative (TUWI).
The Journey So Far
Frankly speaking, it has been very challenging. This type of vision requires a lot of resources – human, financial and a host of others to sustain it and make desired impact in the lives of the target population.
A lot of financial resources are required to meet up with the ever mounting financial requests.
You will be amazed to see the number of requests that get to our table on daily basis, like financial assistance to sort medical bills, school fees, accommodations, etc. Many people believe, for you to set up this kind of NGO, the finances are there and you must be able to respond to all, immediately these requests are presented.
They are ignorant of the fact that the organisation runs on the little gains from personal businesses and goodwill of friends and family that key into TUWI’s vision.
Another major challenge we face is that people are skeptical of sharing their burdens with us. Many are reluctant to share their experiences due to societal discriminations, as well as pressure to keep quiet, especially those in abusive marriages/relationships.
Also, for every platform, there are people, who are not genuinely in need but cook up stories, to the extent of ‘cooking up’ fake medical reports in a bid to get funds from us. We also need volunteers, especially professionals, to assist in attending to diverse issues.
How My Work Inspire Other Women
I have seen a lot of women coming out to express themselves freely about challenges they are going through. People have walked up to me, to speak of their desire to touch lives in their communities, because they appreciate what we are doing. This gives us at TUWI, a lot of joy and push to do more.
I started my business years ago (sales of interior décor). I am now also into sales of fashion items mostly shoes and many others….brand influencing, social media adverts and campaigns for brands/businesses and brand ambassadorship (I am presently the face of two brands).
What I Enjoy Most About My Job
Getting to meet new people, helping small businesses grow as I also supply items in wholesales…I have a number of people who get items from me through what we call the dropshipping system, this makes it possible for people to start and run businesses without having to worry about capital The most satisfying aspect of my job is the running of TUWI, knowing that at least I get to touch lives positively in my own little way
3 women who inspire me and why
My mum, Chimamanda Adichie and Olamide Ogidan Odeseye(Larmmy)
To People Who Judge Women Who Walk Out Of Abusive Relationships
Stop pushing people down the death valley. Life has no recovery key and we cannot continue to encourage people to keep enduring torments. If we only put ourselves in other people’s shoes, we will be less judgmental.
Then we need to let people especially this new generation know marriage is not a do or die affair, its supposed to be a journey between partners not a war zone.
How To support women in abusive relationships
As a society, we need to stop stigmatizing single people and single parents. This has prevented many from walking away from unproductive and abusive relationship.
We need to encourage women in abusive relationship to speak up and also provide them with therapy to enable them heal, as abusive relationship leaves people with a huge scar and takes so many things away – joy, self-esteem, vision and so many other things.
In the adventure of life, I have been through a lot of fire and storms. I have not given the fire the power to burn me nor subjected myself to be blown away by the storm. Rather, I have allowed the experiences to shape me into a woman of dignity, industry, influence, vision and respect.
No matter the challenges or the obstacles that come my way, I have chosen to live through them and to be inspired by them.
My life is a proof that God exists, I am evidence that He is indeed faithful and so gracious. There are days I feel like my life is not all together, other days, I feel like wonder woman but I have learnt to be in charge, in both situations. Rubies are beautiful, they are formed under severe heat and pressure.
The heat of life refines me, the pressure of life strengthens me.
If I Could Speak To A Young Person Who Is On The Verge Of Giving Up
Quitters never win. No situation is common to a man and no challenge has ever come to stay, as long as one does not surrender to it. Never stop dreaming. Everyone being celebrated today, would tell you they were at the point of given up, at some time but they turned things around by realizing that, giving up would not result in change of fortune, they re-assessed where they were, where they ought to be, understand what was needed to move from where they were to be where they ought to be, resolved to give it all their all, connected with people who can lift up their spirits and assist them in their life journey.
Life is full of ups and downs but never give up.
You can follow Oluwatoyin Fadairo On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to know more about her work.
