Inspiration Archives

In Inspiration July 15, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Bukky Asehinde Is Helping Creative Businesses Thrive With Her Bellafricana Platform

Whether they choose to admit it or not, the goal of every business or product owner is to be noticed and patronised by people outside the shores of their country.

One problem business owners have faced for years is making their products noticed by other consumers apart from those within their vicinity.
Getting products noticed by global consumers is always difficult for Africa’s creative women entrepreneurs, but this challenge represented an opportunity for Bukky Asehinde, founder of Bellafricana. Her platform is giving visibility to Nigeria’s creative business owners and their quality products.

Bellafricana, is a platform that empowers, supports and connects quality, talented and creative indigenous businesses to their local and global consumers.
Starting with Nigeria, their goal is to take it one African Country at a time.

Bukky created a platform to enable creative MSMEs to thrive, whilst doing all it takes to bring the quality products to the forefront of the market. She believes very much that a support group/community for these businesses will enhance the non-oil export in the African economy.

Bukky was inspired to start this up when she noticed a rise in the number of creative indigenous (made in Nigeria, Africa) brands that have great quality, yet are struggling to grow their business with little or no financing from both the government and bigger institutions.
She wondered for a long time, “Why should we wait on financial backing from the government and big institutions to help this industry, when we can create a platform to connect these Indigenous businesses who are maximising raw materials in Nigeria (Africa), providing employment for local talents within the country and creating wealth for the Nation?”. And so she conducted a research, which made her realize that one of the major challenges these businesses were facing majorly has to do with marketing and understanding the trade, which is the heart of any business.
This birthed Bellafricana, a community that showcases the products of local entrepreneurs to a wider audience, both locally and globally.

Bukky finds satisfaction as an entrepreneur because she is able to contribute to the growth of the economy, making an impact that will outlive her, and touching lives.

Her counsel to women who are trying to start a business is simple:

“SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WISE & POSITIVE PEOPLE: This is so vital especially when you know your personality type. I am an extrovert and a positive person, so having negative people around me was a no no. This I know has certainly helped my journey. Another key one is surrounding yourself with wise people, as the bible says also “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”.

GET MENTORS: It’s important to have mentors who key into the vision of what you do and are thought leaders in their various sectors not necessarily celebrities. How? (you might ask) by keeping a relationship with them and striking a mutually beneficial balance of what they do, they will give you more than their time when you show you care.”

Bellafricana is that “support system” every creative business owner needs to be globally accessible.

In Fashion July 15, 2021 By Women of Rubies

How Ijeoma Onuoha Is Creating Stylish Fashion For Women Through Asoebigirl

Every woman wants to feel and look good, and finding the right stylish clothing for any occasion plays such an important part in that process.

In Nigeria, entrepreneur Ijeoma Onuoha, founder of fashion business Asoebigirl Limited and creator of the brand, Touchbyasoebigirl, is bringing her stylish designs within reach of every discerning woman.

Ijeoma Onuoha is the founder and head creative designer at TouchbyAsoebigirl, a female fashion brand founded in 2017 under the parent company Asoebigirl Limited. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Technology from the University of Port Harcourt and a certificate in the Essentials of Entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School.

Your dreams are valid regardless of what your present situation looks like. Just start!

Touchbyasoebigirl is a female fashion brand (parent company Asoebigirl Limited) created to meet the fashion needs of women through affordable but stylish clothing.

Their customers are fondly called “Touch Woman”. A Touch Woman is a woman that stays stylish regardless of what time or day or occasion it is, and to this end, Touchbyasoebigirl caters to different events; corporate look, casual, events and weddings, swim wear, lounge wear etc.

Their pieces are tailored uniquely to cater to individual styles and personality and their customer base currently extends beyond Nigeria into other African countries (Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon), UK, Europe and the US/Canada.
They recently launched a collection called the Touch Executive Woman which offers finely tailored pants suits that show the sexy, confident and powerful sides of the women that wear them.

She was inspired to be a fashion entrepreneur by her mother who has been a fashion designer for more than three decades. What she picked up as means of unwinding from work stress has now become a major source of income for her.

In her words, “Every time I walk into a room, I start to look for where there are needs (in some situations, I create the needs), and then find ways to meet these needs. You can say I have always been a sales woman. I started my first business at 19 years old while in University, I sold make-up products for a couple of years, sold thrift jackets from the UK and even lifestyle products like BP machines. The idea of multiple streams of income forever appeals to me and this explains why today I have a business running in fashion while I maintain a 9-5 job in the Healthcare industry. I guess we can say entrepreneurship comes naturally for me.”

Ijeoma Onuoha has over 7 years of work experience in Business development, relationship management and sales across different industries including Telecommunications, Media and most recently, healthcare.

In Inspiration July 14, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Ruth Wewura Guribie Is Empowering Ghanian Women With Her Natural Skincare Brand

For decades, women across the African continent have known how good shea butter is for the skin. This is why Ruth Wewura Guribie, the founder of Sava Shea Company Limited in Ghana, is creating a natural skincare brand that celebrates this much-loved local ingredient.

Sava Shea Company Ltd is a female-owned cosmetics company established in 2015 in Ghana to solve the growing need for natural skincare products by manufacturing and distributing high quality skincare products. Their products are made from premium quality unrefined shea butter handcrafted by rural women in the Northern parts of Ghana and infused with oils and other natural ingredients that are purchased locally.

Their products are simple, natural, and portray to the world what Ghana has to offer in skin care. Their products include Body Creams/Butters, African Black Soap Shower Gel, Lip balm, Hair/Beard growth Oil and unrefined shea butter.

She was motivated to start Save Shea when she discovered that most of the skincare products she used were full of synthetic chemicals; some of which were not even listed in the ingredients. Her skin was being soaked in a cocktail of chemicals everyday with unknown long-term effects. So she decided to start listening to her body and stopped using these products.
Thereafter, she began experimenting in the kitchen making products using only natural oils and butters that she knew were safe and could be sourced sustainably.

You will have many reasons to quit at some point, but don’t. Be passionate about what you do and communicate it in the way that feels most inspired, natural and unique to you.

Quite simply, if a product is made using organic ingredients, you are guaranteed that it has the environment and sustainable practice at heart. So, she felt producing organic skincare products would be her way of helping the process of slowing down the ever increasing speed at which our world is degrading. She never wanted to be just another company making natural products. She wanted to make sure her customers were enjoying best quality products for the most reasonable price she could sell them at.

“Of course, I started this business with the goal of financial success. However, this company is so much more. Save Shea represents me. It is a manifestation of my passion, dedication, skills, and talents. It’s been 5 years since I started this journey, and like any other start up founder, I have had my shares of highs and lows. I certainly had some interesting learnings along the way, which has helped me become a better person and an entrepreneur. I have learned that I am not capable of doing everything nor knowing everything, so I had to learn to get the right people on my team, ask for help, and say no to things I was incapable of delivering. I knew the journey was going to be both exciting and painful, but just as my mother had always taught me growing up, this was MY journey and both my successes and failures are direct results of ME and by ME! I am ready to walk it through and make it work despite the odds.”

Sava Shea is differentiated from other brands on the basis that we focus on manufacturing products that are safe for all skin types and ages, effective and free of chemicals.

In Inspiration July 15, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Meet Mildred Agbana, The Premium Organic Vegan Skincare Brand Builder In Ghana

The beauty and wellbeing benefits of shea butter are well known, but now for those looking for a premium brand and product range which is organic, vegan, and suitable for the most sensitive skins, help is at hand from Kinapure.

In Ghana, Kina Africa, founded by entrepreneur and health specialist, Mildred Mawusi Agbana (Millie), and trading under the brand name Kinapure, is creating a range of products that are handcrafted, organic, cruelty-free, 100% vegan, hypoallergenic and non-GMO.

Mildred Mawusi Agbana is the founder and ceo of Kinapure (USA) and Kina Africa (Ghana). The brand is a premium health and wellness brand that is focused on building an organic and sustainable business that contributes to people’s health, while impacting the lives of rural women in Ghana through training, support and the ongoing construction of an ultramodern shea processing centre in the Savannah Region of Ghana.
Mildred has worked as a registered nurse and a chronic care manager in the USA for 10+ years and is currently pursuing her MBA.

“My biggest advice to women starting their own business is to put fear aside and try. Start small and invest less money in the beginning. Test your idea and seek help from your local organizations and other online resources. This will improve your success as an entrepreneur.”

Kina Africa LLC was founded in 2016 and its subsidiary Kinapure in 2018.
Kinapure produces the highest-grade of shea butter and other organic products, incorporating Nutrient-rich, Clean, Functional, Organic, Non-toxic, Non-GMO and Cruelty-free ingredients to deliver powerful skincare solutions.

Mildred’s journey into the world of entrepreneurship happened unplanned. According to her, “My child, Gabby developed really bad eczema when she was only a baby. As a nurse for 10+years now, there are various treatments I know for various skin conditions. I tried them all from the most expensive skincare brands to the most organic homoeopathic solutions but nothing seemed to be working for her. Some did for a while, gave her a little relief but it was never permanent and it kept feeling like a never-ending war. My friends and family couldn’t even carry or play with her. She was so uncomfortable, fussy and didn’t enjoy being touched. She would cry and cry because she was itchy and uncomfortable all the time and as her mother, whenever she cried, I cried along with her.”

“Finally, I brought up the issue with my mother and she reminded me of the power of the shea nut, the same one she used when she was pregnant with us (her children) and the same one she used for us when we were younger and had skin and hair issues. I went ahead to create a mixture with the shea butter and some other potent ingredients and used it on Gabby. I realized that even on the first day of use, Gabby had become relaxed, calm and was sleeping better. Within a few days, Gabby was already sleeping better and smiling brightly like she used to. My friends and family were impressed by the quick improvement in my daughter’s condition and asked me to make some of the elixir for them. No matter their skin tone, race, age or gender, they all came back with amazing feedback and results after using it. After realizing the elixir, I had unknowingly created rapidly advanced the quality of my daughter’s life and others, there was no turning back, this miracle product had to be shared with the world.”

Both of Mildred’s maternal grandparents were traders and they taught her the ins and outs of trade. They were able to pay for her school fees with the money they made from selling. This inspired her to becoming an entrepreneur.

“My biggest advice to women starting their own business is to put fear aside and try. Start small and invest less money in the beginning. Test your idea and seek help from your local organizations and other online resources. This will improve your success as an entrepreneur.”

In Inspiration July 13, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Sarah Kuponiyi Is Impacting Lives Through Her “A Well-Informed Adolescent Initiative (AWA)”

Sarah Kuponiyi is a passionate youth leader whose work cut across gender equality and sexual reproductive health.

The certified adolescent sexual health professional from Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (GFMER) Switzerland has other certifications from Global Health Learning Center an affiliate of John Hopkins Public Health Institute.

Her passion for development and advocacy led to the founding of A Well-Informed Adolescent (AWA) Initiative, where she leads the team in creating and managing Safe Spaces that ensure young people can achieve their potential by enabling them access to essential services such as sexual health, mental health building equitable gender norms skills among adolescents, quality formal and technical education and opportunities to create livelihood like skills acquisition and empowerment without being exposed to discrimination, harassment, emotional or physical harm.

Since Inception, AWA Initiative has implemented projects on addressing Gender based violence at the community level, fighting for gender equality, youth health and development that has been donor funded by Global Affairs Canada, IHS Towers of Strength, Peace First, and Pollination Grant among others. She also leads innovative school based interventions on adolescents’ sexual reproductive health programs. She manages various Youth Resource Centers a role she has been consistently doing even after working with CUSO International as a Youth Resource Center Manager.

Sarah who is also the CEO of Alora Reusable Pads uses her skills to advocate for upholding of human rights for sexual reproductive health, to ensure women and gils can be equal and free to make dcisons in all spheres of their lives, without discrimination. Violence or coercion.

Through AWA , Sarah has handled several projects like;

A Well-Informed Adolescents Campaign
Tackling Gender Based Violence; A weekly program that offers crucial approach to poverty reduction, economic development and a key to protect sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Friday Talk Date: In this event we provide adequate age appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to adolescents at the youth resource center
Safe Space Activities: We provide youth friendly services that cater for the overall development of young people
Health and Livelihood Programs

We celebrate Sarah for adding value to humanity, and using her platforms for social good.

You can contact AWA Initiative via the links below;

Website: www.awainitiative.org

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/AWAInitiative22

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAInitiative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awa_initiative

Email: awainitiative@gmail.com

Contact: +2348092287963

In Inspiration July 5, 2021 By Women of Rubies

#RubyGirls |”Always Strive To Be A Person Of Value” – Prisca Chika Onuegbu

Prisca Chika Onuegbu is a Public health professional with keen interest in education and advocacy for children with special needs. She believes every child is unique, with untapped potentials waiting to be rightly harnessed.

Prisca holds a Masters in Public health (Child and Adolescent Health) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She holds a B. Sc in Child Development and Family relations from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. She has facilitated and attended several trainings to support her cause for children with special needs in Nigeria.

As the Director of Programs at The Autism Awareness Foundation (TAAF NG), she is actively involved in support and advocacy for individuals with autism and other related developmental disorders. She has worked as a therapist at Patrick Speech and Languages Centre, Ikeja, the foremost centre for Autism in Nigeria.

In 2018, Prisca got the ‘Talent of the Future’ awards by Ideation Hub Africa. She was also a 2019 fellow at the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI), U.S. Consulate, Nigeria.

Prisca is passionate about leadership, excellence and positive impact. She believes a love-infested, inclusive society is possible.

She shares her ‘RUBY GIRL’ story with the team.

1. Tell us about your childhood. What was growing up like for you?

I had a normal childhood. Born into a Christian home and an academic environment, I was always the caregiver for babies in my compound and parents felt safe leaving their kids with me. I was also given enough room for expression and exploration, so I grew up to making my choices and owning them, of course with the support of my family.

2. What inspired your interest in children with special needs?

Well, I’ve always loved children generally. Then my course of study exposed me to developmental milestones and challenges. It was then that I stumbled on the word AUTISM. I was going to make it my project topic but I was discouraged from going that route, partly because most of my lecturers were not familiar with the condition and partly because there had been little research done on Autism in Nigeria.

The backlash I received strengthened my resolve to connect and work with children on the Autism spectrum. Thankfully, I met a woman who owned a centre for Autism in Ile-Ife. I visited the centre, saw the peculiarities of the children there, and decided that this was a cause I was going to stand for – enlightening more people about Autism and other special needs.

3. What inspired you to study Child Development and Family Relation?

The background story is that I gained admission into two institutions of my choice, one was to study Medicine and the other to study Child Development and Family Relation. I never really liked the idea of studying Medicine, my childhood dream was to be a journalist but somehow I found myself in science class. In all, my love for children, the idea of escaping medicine, and staying away from home was how I got here (grins).

4. How has serving as a volunteer for children with special needs influenced you?

It has made me more empathetic. Empathy is different from sympathy. You can’t pity them, in fact, they don’t love to be pitied. They want you to see the strength in them and help them thrive. I have also learnt patience. My family members are still amazed at how soft I can be around children with special needs when I could be the ‘madam’ at home (laughs). But then, I guess it’s what passion does to you – brings out your soft and creative skills.

5. ‎ Can you give us an insight into Child and Adolescent Health?

Child and Adolescent Health is an arm of Public Health that focuses on improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Childhood is the foundation of life and adolescence is when most children are trying to discover their essence as they transition into adulthood.

Children and Adolescents are usually faced with different health challenges including developmental delays and disabilities, mental health conditions, injuries, communicable and non-communicable diseases. While growing up, it is important that they are provided with adequate caregiving and health-care services, nutrition, and safe environments. Child and Adolescent health shows us that the extent to which society invests in the health and well-being of children and adolescents will determine the future – not just for them, but for everyone.

6. You received the “Talent of the future” awards in 2018, how did that make you feel?

I felt really elated and encouraged to keep showing up. First of all, I am not the Founder of The Autism Awareness Foundation but the founder felt I deserved it because of how invested I was in the Initiative. Someone called it ‘passionately owning a vision in other people’s vision’. Maybe that was it but I’ve always believed that value never goes unrewarded. So, it was a great reward to be
recognised at that time.

7. What was your experience in the foremost centre for Autism in Nigeria as a Therapist?

Working at Patrick Speech as a Special needs therapist armed me with most of the experiences and skills I needed to work with children with Autism and other developmental disabilities. It’s one thing to be knowledgeable and it’s another thing to be experienced. I have seen and worked with children on different aspects of the Autism spectrum which has boosted my confidence in advocating for them.

8. What is the highest and lowest point of your journey as a volunteer, advocate and leader and how did you overcome them?

Highest point, I’ll say is the recognition of my work. I’m always glad when people see opportunities and the person who comes to mind is Prisca. I have gotten referrals and job connections simply by volunteering and speaking up about what I know.

Lowest point is trying to convince people that I don’t have the kind of money they think I have. Because you are quite loud about what you do on social media, some people think it’s synonymous to you making money and then you start dealing with pressures from different fronts. But you see this money people think I have /ehn/, I will have plenty of it /ooo/ (laughs).

9. What would you like to change about yourself?

Hmm…I’m not sure there’s anything I really want to change about myself for now except that I’m really introverted and I get to hold back on meeting new people. But it’s being worked on. Networking is key in the development space.

10. As a Carrington Youth Fellow, what are the lessons and project you learnt and implemented during your stay as a fellow?

The first lesson was ‘the decision of the team overrides your personal decision’. So, you must do everything to ensure your team excels. I also picked the value of interdependence, we all need one another to make things happen. I was in the economic empowerment team and during our cycle, we worked with the US consulate to empower 30 Nigerian youths with Data Analysis and Management skills.

11. If you were the President of Nigeria for a day, what would you change?

I’ll change the system of accountability. It’s a major thing we lack in Nigeria. We must begin to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and promises. And it doesn’t just start from being the President of a nation, it starts from the smallest unit of the society – the home.

12. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next 5 years?

In key leadership and decision-making position, thriving and 10 times better than I am today.

13. If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them?

Always strive to be a person of value. Before you think about what you stand to gain, be sure you are bringing something to the table. Value always begets value, and preserves your relevance.

_Thank you for your time, ma. We’re most grateful_

In Fashion July 8, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Meet Michelle Hammond, CEO Of Ruahh Creating Ghanaian Fashion Pieces With Modern Styles

Michelle Hammond, the founder and CEO of Ruahh was born and raised in Ghana but moved to the United States to complete her Bachelor’s degree.
Today, her business and brand, Ruahh, is focused on fusing her Ghanaian culture with modern design to create chic accessories for women that are symbolic and unique. In weaving her African pride into her brand, she invites everyone to explore her culture, understand its nuances and share in her sense of belonging.

Ruahh fashion brand provides chic and unique accessories for the versatile woman and her adventures. Crafted from high quality materials in an array of exuberant colours, they create pieces that combine comfort, convenience, and style.

The name ‘Ruahh’, which means ‘spirit or breath of God that fills all living beings’, is especially symbolic, as Michelle hopes to breathe new life into the concept of versatile style.

Even though she didn’t come from an entrepreneurial background, ever since she was a child, she always dreamt of starting a company making something she would wear. At a young age, Michelle would make clothes for dolls and sell them to her friends. She thought nothing of it then but over the years growing up, that stirred up a passion of starting or owning a company someday.

Fast forward to the Fall of 2020, Ruahh was born. Starting this business when there’s a global crisis has caused problems with vendor sourcing, shipment delays and rejections, but she admits that every challenge has provided her the opportunity to hone her creative skills and learn new things in business.

The motivation to begin the brand came when as a mother of two, Michelle always needed a multi-purpose but stylish bag that could effortlessly double as a diaper and casual bag. And she searched but couldn’t find any bag that she was satisfied with. As all her findings were either too expensive, not stylish enough or without an acceptable quality. So, she decided to create a bag that didn’t sacrifice style, quality or functionality for every woman who values versatility. That was the drive behind Ruahh.

Since its inception, she has added earrings that are vibrant in colour and adds a beautiful statement to any outfit for any occasion.

“Starting a business can be both exciting and disappointing. While you keep your expectations, dreams and faith high, be patient with yourself and the process. It does eventually pay off.” Michelle advises women who want to launch a business anytime in their life.

In Food July 6, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Monica Musonda, Zambian Entrepreneur and CEO of Java Foods

What qualifies you as an entrepreneur is how much solutions you’re willing to deploy to the current existing problems in your immediate environment.
This is what Monica Musonda did with her food company, Java Foods. She realized that in Zambia, people do not eat right and feed well despite how big the agricultural sector of Zambia is. She set out to ensure that her people are able to access nutritional and healthy food through her innovation and processing of healthy plant-based foods.

Monica Musonda is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Java Foods, a Zambian based food processing company. It is committed to providing high quality and nutritious food from local products at affordable prices. Java Foods’ first product was “eeZee Instant Noodles”, which is Zambia’s leading instant noodle brand today. Monica is a dual qualified English solicitor and Zambian advocate. She has held senior positions in private practice with Clifford Chance & Edward Nathan.

She has also worked as in house corporate counsel at International Finance Corporation and for Dangote Group. Her experience working with Aliko Dangote, one of Africa’s most successful entrepreneurs, gave her the impetus to start Java Foods.

Monica founded Java Foods to provide affordable nutrition to the southern African market. Her company seeks to revolutionize the eating habits of the youth market by offering them affordable and nutritious food options made from local products.

Her food company was born out of the need to provide mothers of children under five years of age multiple options of nutritious foods to choose from. Not only that, she also works to make sure they are affordable and available for every one, regardless of their economic differences.

As part of the challenges she has faced as an entrepreneur, she explained in her words, “When you are an entrepreneur, another of the challenges is to keep going when you encounter hurdles and when the going gets tough – it is not easy. At these times, there is a human tendency to want to panic, and as an individual you question whether you can do this, whether you can see the business through to its full potential and to a level that people expect of you. Even when you are growing as a business, there is a fear and a doubt that remains, and you are almost afraid of your own success. In recent times when Zambia was going through its depreciation, I personally experienced doubt in such times, but I felt that despite the challenges, it was too soon to give up. I found great people I could speak with, both men and women, but I found that particularly other women were interesting to engage with in order to get feedback on how they manage to balance the pressures of expanding a business with maintaining their own personal and family lives. Often, I found it so worthwhile to engage with other women and get their insights and hear their own experiences in similar circumstances. The great thing was that I heard from other women entrepreneurs that the experiences I was going through were normal and that despite the challenges, the journey would be worth it and the challenges got over in time. So now as I move forward with the next phase of my own entrepreneurial journey, I am interested to speak to more women who are doing similar things in business, as their insight is really useful. In the past, I have had more male mentors, but now a combination of perspectives is refreshing. Today, I hear from so many other women entrepreneurs that they have gone through similar experiences on their business building journeys and have successfully come out the other side of many challenges – this is always reassuring to hear.”

Best advice?… “Firstly I would say, don’t be afraid to start. I think we find in Africa that women carry so many things, they have so many great ideas, but often are afraid of starting. The point is that you are not going to build a factory on day one, but you can start small with what you can manage – the idea is to just start.

In Fashion July 5, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, The Ethiopian Shoemaker Breaking Boundaries

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is founder and Managing Director of soleRebels, the world’s fastest-growing African footwear brand and the only Fair Trade-certified footwear company in the world.

Growing up in a poor suburb of Addis Ababa, Bethlehem decided that there was only one way to defeat poverty – use local craftsmanship to make products that can compete in the global marketplace. She decided on footwear and today 70,000 pairs of shoes leave her factory every year.

From the humblest of beginnings, Bethlehem has built soleRebels into the planet’s fastest growing African footwear brand and the very first global footwear brand to ever emerge from a developing nation. She has created world class jobs, and empowered her community and country, whilst presenting a galvanized, dynamic face of African creativity to the global market.

Bethlehem was born and raised in the Zenabwork/Total area of Addis Ababa, one of the most impoverished and marginalized communities of Ethiopia. Growing up Bethlehem saw that Ethiopia had plenty of charity “brands” but not a single global brand of its own, so she set out to change all that.

In early 2005, fresh out of college in Addis Ababa, Bethlehem founded the trailblazing footwear company, soleRebels to provide solid community-based jobs. Tapping into her community’s and the nation’s rich artisan wealth and heritages, Bethlehem started re-imagining what footwear could be.

Seven years, many shoes and hundreds of creative, dignified and well paying jobs later, soleRebels is the planet’s fastest growing African footwear brand and the world’s first and only World Fair Trade Federation [WFTO] Fair Trade certified footwear company.

Constantly elevating the idea of what her brand can achieve, Bethlehem has led soleRebels to become the first ever brand from a developing nation to open branded, stand-alone retail stores around the globe including in Asia and the EU.

soleRebels has been expanding rapidly and today exports to no fewer than 45 countries and is targeting 50 stand alone soleRebels retail stores across the United States by 2018 and 500 worldwide by 2022.

Now hailed as the Nike of Africa, Bethlehem is proud that soleRebels stands as living proof that creating innovative world-class brands is the best road to greater shared prosperity for developing nations like Ethiopia.

In Inspiration July 5, 2021 By Women of Rubies

Tanzanian Born Susan Mashibe Is An High-Flying Pioneer In Aviation Services

A pivotal moment in Susan Mashibe’s life happened when she was just four years old, standing at the airport in Kigoma in Tanzania, holding her grandmother’s hand and watching as her parent’s plane took off. It was a poignant moment and one that made her think that if she could only fly a plane herself, then her parents would not leave her behind again.

That key moment was to change her life forever and was to take her on a journey from her childhood in Mwanza and Dar es Salaam, to studying at Western Michigan University and qualifying to eventually becoming Tanzania’s first female FAA-certified pilot and mechanic.

However, that was not the end of the story, only the beginning of the next chapter to fulfilling her entrepreneurial destiny. In the summer of 2001, she had just received her pilot’s license and was applying at Delta Air Lines Inc. when the terrible events of September 11th were to change the world, and aviation in particular. At that point, Susan abandoned her efforts to get a U.S. work permit and returned to Tanzania to build her aviation career in her home country.

It proved to be a life-changing move and today, Susan owns and operates VIA Aviation, a highly successful and unique aviation company founded in 2003, and specialising in providing world-class private jet handling and hangar services. Today, the company provides a wide range of aircraft handling, clearances and ground support, security and fuel in Dar es Salaam.

VIA Aviation generates revenue of over $2 million, and Susan has plans to expand the business to more than 20 countries throughout Africa. At Kilimanjaro International Airport, the company already has 80,000 square feet of hangar space. Susan’s client list is able to boast Heads of State, monarchs, global corporate executives, and the military. The company is also now a multi-million dollar aviation business and highly regarded around the world.

She has achieved all of this in an emerging and largely male-dominated industry in Africa, and her success is a testimony to the power of education, economic empowerment, and self belief. One of the key’s to Susan’s entrepreneurial success in life – she says she has no fear! Simply a deeply-held and long-standing passion for aircraft.

It is so inspiring to see the dreams of a very young girl growing up in Tanzania becoming a reality in later life, particularly when those dreams break the barriers to entry for a whole new generation of women in Africa’s aviation sector.

Not only is Susan Mashibe an amazing example of a women entrepreneur making great strides in breaking into the global aviation industry, but she is also inspiring and encouraging a new generation of women aviation across Africa and beyond. She is living proof that women entrepreneurs can be gamechangers in the world.

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