Women of Rubies
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BEING A WOMAN DOES NOT LIMIT YOU IN ANYWAY – IFEYINWA JACINTHA, FARMER & AGRICULTURAL ADVOCATE 

Ifeyinwa Jacinta Eze, founded The Green Generation Initiative in 2011 with a seed funding from ExxonMobil. The Agricultural Advocate, Educator, Scientist, and a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum holds a Bachelors degree in Soil Science and Land resource management from the Obafemi Awolowo University and a postgraduate student on food security at the Business School Netherlands. While setting up “The Green Generation Initiative” she worked  as Supply Chain at AACE foods between 2013-2015, facilitating at least 1,500 farmers to supply indigenous spices and grains to the processing factory as well as access to storage and finance.

Ifeyinwa Jacinta Eze’ work has made significant contributions to improving the livelihood of smallholder farmers in Nigeria. With over 8years of experience in agriculture, business and management, her unparalleled success as an educationist propelled the organization in training teachers and students in practical vegetable production skills. Today through Funding under the MicroVeg project from Global Affairs Canada, over 120 schools on climate-smart agricultural practices have set up gardens in two geo-political zones of the country.

Jacinta is the co-author of the book “School Vegetable Garden Manual for Secondary schools”, a practical and inspiring book for the younger to love agriculture that is funded by the MicroVeg Project. On pro bono basis, she advocates for the inclusion of children, women and youth in agriculture, Jacinta has also been a guest speaker in many agricultural workshops and conferences both locally and internationally. She shares her inspiring story in this interview.

Childhood Influence
My childhood was full of flowers and vegetable gardening. At home, my dad grew all kinds of vegetables and flowers. He also always had a small poultry he kept all the time, rotating different kinds of birds. Even when we moved houses, he took his farm with him. The only thing that changed was that we started from scratch to build a new garden. It wasn’t funny when I was a kid because these activities always stole into my playing time, and Daddy would never allow me join my friends until I was done with my lot. And then high school time, I had this fantastic agric teacher  (Mr Muhammed at FGGC, Oyo) that used scientific names of crops to make jest in class. He would say things like: “Look at your head like Carica Papaya.” This means “look at your head like Paw-paw. His style of teaching was so humorous that it captured my attention to knowing most of the plant names by heart, and then practical agriculture on the field in school became my best time as it just felt like home, before I knew it, growing plants became a lifestyle. Little did I know that I was being prepared for the future, that i would grow up to become an advocate for quality agricultural education, production and sustainability

Meet Jacintha

Am popularly called “Bose Elefo” by rural vegetable farmers as vegetables is my key expertise and that’s what I talk about everywhere I go. I am a social entrepreneur, a trainer, educator and promoter of sustainable vegetable production, marketing and consumption. I am a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum (WEF)-Lagos Hub, a fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). I am an advocate for quality agricultural education and a strong believer that this will bring a transformational change for the next generation of agricultural experts and enthusiasts. I have 8 years experience in farmers engagement, rural development and youth empowerment. Everyday, what keeps me going is more engagement with women and youth for agricultural development.  I hold an MBA in food security from the Business School, Netherlands and a Bachelors degree in Soil science and Land resources management from the prestigious “Great Ife”

Inspiration behind The Green Generation Initiative 
While I was an undergraduate at Great Ife, I noticed a trend among my colleagues, medical and biological science students were regarded as the professional students with bright minds. Every session, I watched most of my colleagues struggle to change their courses “trying to cross from agric to health or biological sciences” departments until they got tired. So I started a personal research into finding out factors responsible and among all of them, what stood out was poor foundational skills. Many undergraduates had little or no direct encounter with agriculture before Uni, they saw no future with their studies and couldn’t wait to just graduate and do something else with their lives. I could say categorically that at least 50% of my colleagues in my set (B.Agric) are into other careers today. So when these findings became crystal clear to me, I sought ways to bring a solution to this. And when I got an opportunity to present my ideas (a platform that will boost young people engagement with agriculture from early education years to increase their interests, help them appreciate agriculture and prepare them for the challenges ahead), I did and in 2009, I won the firstprize on the Womenterprise Awards funded ExxonMobil Nigeria through Ideabuilders Initiative. The seed funding that came with the Award helped me establish school gardens in 6 chosen schools in Lagos and since then its been growing. Now through the work, we have trained as at today, teachers and students on practical agriculture skills in 123 schools in 2 geo-political zones in the country.

 



Challenges

A lot of times I receive unexpected looks and judgement. Many people hardly believe I can hold a hoe talk more of talk about agriculture because of my looks, light skinned and fragile looking. It’s only after several encounters that they believe I know what I am doing or talking about. It’s not been an easy time over the years, I must say. I have worked myself to the bone proving myself.

Poor Motivated teachers: Some teachers have low motivation to drive practical agriculture, they feel like its an extra burden. Its hard to sustain gardens in such environments when the leader isn’t passionate about it. So what happens is that after we have handed over the project to the school, they do not take care of the garden, and it usually ends there after we handover school projects to school



Co-authoring the book “School Vegetable Garden Manual for Secondary schools

The manual is a must-read for every school. It holds practical step –by-step guide for growing green leafy vegetables from planning for the garden up to harvesting the produce of 3 kinds of vegetables. The techniques also show environmentally smart techniques for production like the use and application rates for biologically derived insecticides to reduce/prevent insects invasion. It was fully sponsored under the Global Affairs project: MicroVeg so it’s not for sale.

Other project and activities

Our scope covers sustainable development through intensive collaboration with young people interested in agriculture, support and train smallholder farmers in climate smart technologies, land resource management, biodiversity conservation, agricultural entrepreneurship and nutritional education.

We are working with a Global Affairs Canada sponsored project to disseminate technologies to 21,000 farmers on Vegetable production technologies and innovations. This is in partnership with Osun state University and other partners like the University of Manitoba, Canada and University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Obafemi Awolowo University and University Of Parakou, Benin republic

We have also had successes in training rural women on integrating fresh vegetables into confectioneries. We linked over 200 farmers in Ogun and Ekiti state to receive over 30 million naira which they fully repaid back and this is bridging the gap between finance institutions and farmers

To increase youth engagement and empowerment, we launched “Grooming Leaders For Agriculture” also called GLA in 2017 creating a platform for young people interested in agriculture to sharpen their skills, develop their career path and grow. 
We match young people with mentors (professionals) sharing similar careers and also give hands-on training on vegetable production and agribusiness skills. We are using this to help fast-track their careers, expose them to opportunities and help them become better positioned. We now have 35 young people in the program. Read more..www.glainitiative.org

Greatest reward you have ever gotten for what you do?
My greatest reward isn’t in awards or funding. It has been in building people. The day I started receiving reports that our GLA volunteers had started adopting schools. I felt the best feeling in the world. Do you know what it means to see yourself replicated in others. You know if I were to die today, am certain that the dream will not die. The vision of reaching the younger generation and preparing them for the future is rolling and will reach every corner of Nigeria and this has been my greatest reward.  

Where do you see your brand in the next five years?
A hub for professionals working together and shaping agribusiness that is moving forward the agenda of food security and wellness for all in Africa


Was there ever a time you feel like giving up?

No. Thankfully I haven’t. 

Who and what inspire you to be better?
I have quite a number of people who stand out in inspiring me in my journey. They constantly keep at it and ever encourage me to keep being better: Prof Clement Adebooye, Lucy Kanu, Ndidi Nwuneli

Being a Woman of Rubies

I am a woman of rubies because I am living my life for the sake of the next generation. I am playing my part in contributing to the next generational leaders in food security, we cannot afford to make the mistakes our father made and have the same challenges we are facing today. 

Final word for young women all over the world?

Do not just live your life waking up in the morning, cleaning, cooking, serving or watching TV. Live a purpose-filled life, a life that leaves a positive legacy in your family and community. Your being a woman does not limit you in any way, if you cannot find energy within you to pursue this, find the right support group that works on this and collaborate with them to create that impact that’s needed. We need all women working together to make our world better. All women have this ability, lets use it wisely. 

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Juliet Ezeigwe
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My Experience with Sexual Harassment Inspired Me to Launch My Modeling Agency – Juliet Ezeigwe

Juliet Ezeigwe is a Blogger, Vlogger, Model Coach and Scout, Content Creator, Speaker, Budding Producer, Publicist and a Women and Girl Child Advocate and TV host. A graduate of the Federal Polytechnic Idah, Kogi State, where she studied Science Lab Tech, final year student of Olabisi Obasanjo University(Part-Time), studying Mass Communication.

Alumni of Paradigm Initiative and CVL young entrepreneurs. Jules is not only passionate about modelling but envisages a modelling industry where we have just smart and Top Notch Models, away from the negative opinion people have about modelling and she has been using her platforms to advocate for this, She recounts one of her personal experience as a model, when the director of a modelling agency asked her to go to his room and take off her clothes, to ascertain if she was good for the job, and how she declined the offer with tears in her eyes and made up her mind at that point to have her agency devoid of sexual harassment and high respect for models.

She also has a deliberate interest in advocacy for abused women and girls, which makes her organize both online and offline events to help educate people on abuse. She is the convener of #HelpAnAbusedWoman, My Child, My Hero, Youngster Support Initiative, and the Walk against Abuse. The serial entrepreneur and advocate shares her story and journey so far in this interview.

Childhood
My childhood inspires what I do today, especially in the area of women and child advocacy. Growing up in Ajegunle, where we hear and see the constant beating of women by their husband, boyfriends hitting their girlfriends and a lot of sad tales of little girls getting raped by men old enough to be their fathers. I remember us going into our new neighborhood; I saw a lot of teenage girls get pregnant outside wedlock, I was really surprised, and I went about asking people why it seems young girls get pregnant here. The answers they gave made me cry. Poverty, rape, lack of personality development etc, and then I resolved to start up my NGO called Project F.A.W.A.

 Meet Juliet Ezeigwe

I am Ezeigwe Juliet Chioma, the first of 2 amazing girls to my parents. I loved and longed to be a model since when I was a teenager because I loved the girls that modelled for the Orange drugs company then, but unfortunately for me, I stopped growing tall after secondary school. Lol! For a long time, I was angry with myself, so I decided to give it a trial again in the year 2015, and that was when I thought I made the mistake of my life, which made me who I am and becoming.

I had put my picture on the Sun Girl page, and I got a lot of offers from people, to model for them. But the one, I can’t forget, was when the director of a modelling agency, asked that I go to his room and take off my cloth, so as to ascertain if I was good for the job. I declined the offer, looked at him very hard with tears in my eyes and said, give me 2 years I would have my modelling agency devoid of exploiting young ladies and guys. 2 years down the line, I am living that dream. I love travelling, talking, writing, teaching and inspiring people, especially young ones with my story. I think, I am a social media addict, but the beautiful thing is that I make money from it.

Inspiration behind Da Jules Media
The inspiration behind it, was when I attended entrepreneurship training at Paradigm Initiative, I went there like every other person that attended, but one of the facilitators did something for us on that day. He asked that we write down what we would love to achieve in the next 5 years, I wrote mine down, and today I am doing practically everything I wrote down. We were formally Da Jules World, but alone the time, we gained clarity and today we are Da Jules Media. I will say the inspiration behind the brand is to discover empower, celebrate, and encourage small business owners and models, with a deliberate interest in women and girl child advocacy

What Modelz Hangout is all about…
Modelz Hangout is an annual event, organized by Jules Modelz Academy where Aspiring, Upcoming and Professional models from all walks of life come together to discuss and share their experiences, peculiarities and the unique challenges they face in the industry. During this event, we have speakers, facilitators and panelists who take these models through the journey of Modeling, Fashion, Health and Fitness, Etiquette, Self Discovery, Personality Development etc.
As the name implies it is a hangout where models connect and get useful information and insights on how to take their career to the next level. I plan to go into filming and areas of producing and writing scripts.

Challenges
One challenge I face most importantly is getting funds to run the business.  Seeing that we are just new to the business, lots of people may not trust us enough to get models for their brands. One challenge we are currently facing is getting sponsors for the production of our short movie.

What sparked my interest in advocacy
Hmmm! What sparked my interest is the environment I come from., the fact that I was sexually abused as a child and I don’t want anyone to experience abuse. Another incident I remember vividly while growing up was when an Okada man raped three old girls in his compound, I was devastated, and it brought back ugly memories. There and then, I resolved to be a voice for abused women and children.

Projects and activities

I do a lot of projects, and the beautiful thing is that I am so passionate about them all.
Jules Modelz Academy:  We are fueled with the Paroxysm to Discover, Groom, Empower, Promote and Celebrate young talented models, bringing out the best in them, and providing them with bigger platforms to exhibit their talents. We also celebrate and promote Modeling Agencies/ Fashion Shows/Events. Our projects under this are. Modelz Hangout, Modelz Meet and Greet, Modelz Day Out, Teens Modelz Academy and Jules

Project F.A.W.A:  is a nonprofit organization that is aimed at making a world-class piece that captures the Emotions, Minds and Heart of people, to make an impact in our world living systems through lending our voices to humanities that are victims of abuse, in other to alleviate abuse to its minimal and affect a change in our society. Our projects, include, The Survivors, My Child, My Hero, Help an Abused, Woman and Walk against Abuse.

I am currently working on The Consequences (A short movie). This is a story about abuse, and how it affects society.

Greatest reward
That should be the love I get from people on a daily basis. People that come to my inbox, and tell me how I inspire them. Recently I have been soliciting help from my friends on Facebook for the movie, after our principal sponsor, backed out. The love and words of encouragement I get from them before and after helping are rewarding. It means they value me and all I stand for.

Where I see my business in five years
In five years, I envisage seeing Da Jules Media as the topmost digital, media and modelling company in Africa. I also envisage empowering top-notch models all over the world.

On giving up
Yes, I have. A lot of times. Most times, I just ask myself questions like, who sent you. Can’t you just leave this thing and go get a proper job? I have been depressed too. But then, I remember why I started and keep moving.

What and who inspires me

Yahweh is my first inspiration. My family comes second and then all the models and lives that are tied to mine do inspire me. The fact that I see my models doing things they love and enjoy inspires me.

I am a Woman of Rubies
I am a woman of Rubies because I Empower, Inspire, Motivate, Promote and Celebrate young women. I am a woman of Rubies because I don’t give up. I don’t see failures, I see feedback

Final words of advice

Don’t wait for the perfect time to start.  Start now and get better. Start small, but never remain small. “Imperfect Execution is better than Perfect Procrastination” (Steve Harris)

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MEET VIOLA-NUELA ECHEBIMA, FIRST LAW GRADUATE FROM UNN WHO ALSO BAGGED A FIRST CLASS AT THE NIGERIAN LAW SCHOOL

Viola-Nuela Echebima is the first class  Law graduate from the University of Nigeria who also finished with a first class at The Nigerian Law School to emerge as the Best Graduating Student.

The pretty lawyer was among  4,294 candidates called to the Nigerian Bar on Tuesday, December 12th.

She is one of the 28 candidates who bagged a First Class after the August 2017 bar examinations.

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THE CHIGOZIEM EMEREUWA STORY: FROM LOSING HER ENTIRE FAMILY IN AN ACCIDENT TO ACQUIRING PHD 

In August  2001, Chigoziem Emereuwa lost her entire family in a car accident that claimed the lives of all her siblings and parents, The beautiful graduate with  Phd in Pure Mathematics from University of Pretoria didn’t let that deter her from pursuing her dreams.

She went back memory lane on the fateful day that changed her life forever and said “I only remember being in the back seat, playing a travel game with my sister and then waking up in the hospital” ,my life switched from one moment to the other, I didn’t even get the chance to mourn properly as my aunts and paternal family made sure I wasn’t alone.

The part-time Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Pretoria, South Africa shares her touching yet inspiring story and what kept her going in this interview.

 

Childhood

I loved my childhood, it is one of those times in my life I can’t stop talking about. It was filled with lots of activities, I played soccer, I climbed trees, I rode bicycles, I did a lot of outdoor activities and I also watched a lot of cartoons and movies. During school times, I played a little less because I had to go to school, do my homework and a little schoolwork afterwards. However, during the holiday, my mum wouldn’t register my siblings and I for holiday lessons because she believed that our brains need to rest, so we had all the time to do all the things I mentioned earlier. In a nutshell, that part of my childhood taught me that relaxing and taking a break is just as important as working. So in a way, yes, some parts of it made me who I am.

 

Losing my entire family in a fatal accident

During the first few years after the accident, I became a little moody, I wasn’t as playful as I used to be. I also began to spend most of my time indoors and my grades went down a lot too. My paternal aunt took me in immediately after my parents’ funeral, her children treat me like I am one them, since the last child is older than I am, I am now the official ”last born” of her family. However, she died after I got into the university but my cousins don’t treat me any differently till today, in fact one of them flew in to South Africa to attend my Masters graduation ceremony. Their unconditional love and support together with that of my paternal aunts, uncle, cousins and my Godmother got me through that painful time.

 

Being a PHD holder in Pure Mathematics..

I am not a PhD holder yet, I’m still in process. My paternal family helped me make the choice when I was applying for university, I continued with it because I realized that it creates a foundation for a lot of disciplines and career paths. I could be a lecturer, I could go into finance, I could do something that borders between Engineering, Physics and Chemistry which is what I am doing at the moment. The opportunities are endless. At the same time, I might increase the amount of females we have in the field and possibly inspire a few others to join in the fun.

 What and who inspire me

My inspiration comes from a lot of people and almost everything. When it comes to academics, I look up to my supervisor, his brilliance is quite intimidating. However, my paternal family has a few PhD holders and at the moment, I am not the only PhD candidate in my family. I have family here, my uncle is a professor in his field and his wife has two Bachelor’s degrees, two Masters degrees and an LLD so when I need a personal push, it’s always a phone call away. There aren’t a multitude of women in my field so anyone I meet or read about is an inspiration for me. Being an orphan, I admire anyone or group of people who try to make life easier for the less privileged especially because some of the people who give their time and resources don’t understand how much their gestures no matter how little gives hope to the less privilege. These things make me want to be in position where I can positively affect lives which in turn makes me want to be a better person. I really can’t make a list of people because it would be endless, I’m a gatherer of inspiration.

 

How I felt when my story went viral

I was overwhelmed, humbled and at the same time scared. It drew a lot of attention to me and I’m not used to that. It’s always been me, my family and my small circle of friends so when people I didn’t know started telling me how they found the story inspiring and motivating, I began to realize it too. I have lived my life thinking the story was sad and it might attract some sort of sympathy which I didn’t want so it wasn’t always the first thing I said. Now I am honored that people can draw motivation and inspiration from it.

 

Greatest reward

Personally, I find joy in teaching and interacting with students. When I get a result after so much work, the feeling is priceless. There is no greater reward than joy and affecting peoples’ lives positively.

 

Challenges

The greatest challenge is being in the right frame of mind. My career requires a lot of studying so my supervisor always reminds me that being in the right frame of mind is the key. This is because we have no external equipment, it mostly come from our minds, so even if we have all the tools we need (e.g theorems, articles…) and the books, we could spend months on a problem only to solve it in a matter of days when you’ve gotten the right momentum and focus. That is when that extra hour of study or the late nights pay off.

 

Women in my line of study have been given enough room to soar…

We are in a time where women empowerment seems to be the goal of a lot of organizations and institutions so we are given some sort of support and funding. Academia needs funding, with it you can attend conferences, buy the necessary books, sponsor your education and supervise students as well. For students, there are funding opportunities and some that are dedicated to women like Margaret McNamara Memorial fund, L’Or´eal-UNESCO for women in Science Programme, etc to help bridge the gap and motivate younger women to further their studies in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) fields. There are also associations like African Women in Mathematics, that help give and find the necessary support that we need.

 Other projects and activities

Currently, I chair the Student Postgraduate Committee of the Mathematics and Applied Mathematics department at the University of Pretoria, I also represent my department in a similar committee at the faculty level. Occasionally, I do volunteer and assist with drives to gather supplies and clothing for the homeless.

 

On giving up

Well, it gets hard at times and I get tired, I need breaks which I take and wish could last forever but giving up is not an option and I remind myself that there is no room for that feeling.

 

I am a Woman of Rubies

I am someone who believe in possibilities. I am trying to lead a life that shows that we have to work hard to get to wherever we want to be but at the same time, understand that it is okay to ask for help when you need it.

 

Final word for women who have lost hope or in the process of giving up on themselves

All I can say is that life is beautiful, there’s always at least one person who hasn’t given up on you. So pray if you believe in God, focus on all the good things that has happened in your life so far and have faith that everything always works out in the end. When you find what you love doing, stick with it because in the long run, you will be grateful that you did and you might turn out to be a source of inspiration for someone else.

 

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#INTERVIEW: “MY CHILDHOOD HAS A LOT TO DO WITH MY JOURNEY INTO SHOEMAKING” -CHIOMA MADUEKE

Chioma Madueke is a graduate of Accounting from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University. Being the first girl from a family dominated by men, she grew up as a tomboy, according to her; low self-esteem made her despise the gender she was created to be, this also made her take interest in male footwears, a passion she nurtured and developed after her youth service. Being a graduate of accounting didn’t stop her from chasing her dreams of becoming a “Shoemaker”, a vision that makes her feel fulfilled as a person. Today Chioma is CEO of growing Men’s footwear brand MADU. In her words; “He that must move the world, must move it in good shoes” …. Chioma shares her inspiring story with me in this interview.

Growing up

My childhood has a lot to do with my journey into shoemaking. I am the first daughter and the 4th child of my parents. I have 3 elder brothers and a younger brother out of 5 siblings and I grew up in a male dominated environment where female children were outnumbered by the boys and men. My elder brothers were literally the ones who had to take care of me even though my parents are still alive. I grew up always being amongst men and that exposure got me wanting to be a boy too. I felt they were cool to be with and because I sought for acceptance, I got that from them. Soon I started walking and dressing like them. Because I was so carefree, I would always find myself fitting my leg into my brother’s footwears without minding the size lol. I still try to fit my leg into oversized men footwears and I am glad I can now make some for myself when I wish.

Inspiration behind Madu labels

Last year, I started my journey as a shoemaker because I was passionate about humans and all I represent. I represent passion, confidence, class, self-love, innovations, smart and hardwork, living dreams. I thought of a befitting name for my shoe brand, that embodies all I represent, and my final analysis led to the name MADU Labels.

Why MADU?

The word MADU means “Making A Difference in U”…The Word Madu in Igbo means person or Human…..At the heart of my company is HUMANS. So, for every shoe I make, I am making people truly HUMANS. Robots don’t live their dreams, humans do. Robots don’t have confidence in their abilities, but Humans do. I am making you complete in class, confidence, poise, with good shoes.

I am making you love yourselves.  I am making you wear YOUR TRUE SELF. Many people lose their HUMANITY as they go through life, career, and business. What my company is out to do is to help people find and enjoy their true self through shoes. When you wear your shoes, I want you to feel Happy and Complete. I want you to walk with your head up high, I want you to care, and I want you to love. MADU labels CARES! The name MADU is memorable, stickable, short, urban, AFRICAN….

Growing up as a tomboy…

Growing up as a tomboy contributed to my decision to start making men footwears. I remember feeling so bad each time people tried to talk me out of my boyish life style and even after I gave that up and embraced femininity, I still have a soft spot for nice men footwear plus The fact that I have an amazing habit of seeing the men’s feet as their face. I always catch myself staring at their legs before their faces. Men’s fashion always fascinates me. I can remember wanting to study Accounting because I met a banker, whose dressing was on fleek lol.. Don’t ask me the connection between banking and accounting hahaha

Success nugget(s) that keeps me going

One nugget that keeps me going is ‘follow your dreams’. I have always been an ambitious girl, but the walls of low self-esteem trapped me until I walked the path of self-discovery. I discovered that I didn’t need to be the brightest star to sparkle and so, I decided to shamelessly own my dreams and walk through to the spotlight. If I can dream it, I believe I can achieve it and of course, none of that made sense to anyone who heard that I was an excellent student of accounting but found my path in shoemaking… It didn’t make sense that I rejected 2 job offers to follow through my dream… It didn’t make sense that I left home to Lagos, where I met strangers who took me in as family… It still doesn’t make sense to a lot of people and sometimes to me, but I will keep moving

Who and what inspires me

Who and what inspires me is a tough question to answer. I might be weird to say that everybody and everything inspires me. I believe everyone has an untold story and those stories that are better left in the dark leaves wondering where they find strength to wake everyday to face life either timidly or boldly. Everyone on this journey of life inspires me My undying love for teenagers inspire me everyday of my life even when I want to give up and I inspire me…. Abnormal?  Lol. I look at how far I have come, and I know that I didn’t come this far to give up. The journey so far with it entails inspires me

Greatest reward

The greatest reward so far was an emergence award from the world Changers’ forum. I anticipate more great reward in the nearest future and till them, I will keep grinding

Challenges

I face daily challenges like most startups especially funding. Building a business from the scratch with little or nothing to start with is energy draining and mentally stressful, but you know what?  I am positive about the outcome. I will keep building and hope for destiny helpers because I am sure they will come by

My perception about women in the footwear industry…

My perception about women in the footwear industry is positive all the way. The uniqueness of this is my gender… People tend to see it as a limiting factor, but I choose to see it as my strongest string. Women need to take off the limiting thoughts off their minds and follow through if footwear making is their passion. Though the gender can also be a limiting factor because most people tend to trust the male shoemakers more for obvious reasons but then, a trial always convinces them but how many people do you tend to convince. I just choose to be positive.

On giving up…

Every single time hahahahaha. The question should be how many times have you felt like giving up? Lol. If I say that I don’t feel like giving up any time, I must be an award-winning liar.  Seriously, I feel like giving up more than I feel like holding on. I know that there is no startup entrepreneur who never thought of giving up and of course, I can’t be an exemption. It’s part of the journey and I intend learning from it. If I started to give up, I wouldn’t have bothered starting at all. Does that make sense? Yes, it does.

I am a Woman of Rubies

Women of rubies live to inspire. Every step of my walk in this path of life i deliberate because life is beyond just me. I am all in for helping other women grow… I see no competition. All I see is nation builders. Together we make the world a better place… Collaboration!

Words of advice to aspiring female footwear makers

Dear woman, I noticed that you have suddenly started seeing shoemaking as an attractive craft and I won’t try to discourage you. I will only tell you this “don’t do it because it’s attractive but do it because you are passionate about it because the truth is that there will be times when attraction without passion can’t pull you through. You need unwavering passion to walk this path”… Find you and do you!

Thank you for having me!

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 HAUWA OJEIFO IS THE ONLY FEMALE RECIEPIENT OF THE 2018 QUEEN YOUNG LEADERS AWARD IN NIGERIA

The Queen’s Young Leaders programme has announced that three Nigerians, Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph, Isaac Ezirim, and Hauwa Ojeifo have been chosen as three of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners in recognition of the lead they are taking in their communities to change lives.

The prestigious Awards programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates exceptional young people aged 18 to 29 from across the Commonwealth and the work they are undertaking to improve lives across a diverse range of issues, from supporting people living with mental health problems, helping children to receive a quality education, to promoting gender equality.

Kennedy, Issac and Hauwa will now join the Queen’s Young Leaders network of 240 Award winners, a unique community of influential change-makers, who represent all 52 Commonwealth countries. The winners  will receive their Award from Her Majesty The Queen at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London, UK, next year.

Meet Hauwa Ojeifo

Hauwa Ojeifo has experienced a darker side of life. A bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis in 2015 led her to start She Writes Woman in April 2016, when she could not find any support group to help her through her mental illness.

She Writes Woman is a movement of love, hope and support for women with mental illness. In July, just three months after its creation, She Writes Woman launched the first 24/7 mental illness helpline in Nigeria and have received calls locally and internationally since, helping people better understand mental illness and most important providing them with the right professional help.

In the words of the 25-year-old Business Administration graduate and fashion enthusiast, “Mental illness is not a death sentence, it is not wearing rags by the road in a bin pile. That’s the picture that always comes to mind even unconsciously. I always tell people that you can live an extraordinary life even with mental illness. I don’t try to be normal, I am extraordinary despite and in spite of my mental illness”. Hauwa is living the dream, here’s her story.

Speaking on her award, the 25 year old activist has this to say; “It’s such an honour to have been chosen to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award – a rare privilege to become a part of this diverse group of young people who are selflessly serving their communities. I can’t wait to meet the other Award winners, learn about their work and how this programme will further empower us for social change. I’m really excited to see what the year ahead will bring.”

Queen’s Young Leaders programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to humanity.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Award winners receive bespoke training, mentoring and networking opportunities, and take part in a residential programme in the UK, to help them build on the work they are leading in their communities. They join a now complete network of Award winners and, in tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s lifetime of Service, will continue to connect and collaborate and change lives for years to come. Award winners will attend a residential programme in the UK in June, when they will receive their Award at Buckingham Palace from Her Majesty The Queen.

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MEET GERALDINE GITAU, KENYA’S FIRST PERFUME MAKER

Scents by Geraldine is a Kenyan perfumery which creates and develops high-end beauty products with the aim to revolutionise how beauty and beauty products are received in Africa.

Founded by Geraldine Gitau, a 33-year-old mother of one, the brand sets out to carve a niche for good quality perfumes in Kenya.

(Photo: Instagram/Scents by Geraldine)

Even though the scents are mixed in Germany, the bottling and all of the rest of the finishing is done in Kenya, which the founder says qualifies it as a local luxury brand. Scents By Geraldine sets out to bridge an existing gap through providing quality perfumes, as opposed to some of the counterfeits and low quality brands that the Kenyan market is saturated with.

The debut scent collection Whole By Geraldine was launched recently. About the new perfume collection, Geraldine said:

“Whole by Geraldine is a unique fragrance celebrating the modern and independent woman.

It combines flowers, fruits, citrus and oriental notes to bring a warm and gentle fresh scent.

The soft fragrance creates a feminine spirit perfect for day, night and everyday life.”

With a large range of scents from vanilla to citrus, the perfumes come in 15ml, 30ml and 50ml bottles and 100ml to come for high end customers. In the near future, they aim to start a bespoke perfume line, tailored specifically to the scent the person prefers.

For more information you can check out their website, or follow Scents By Geraldine on Instagram and Facebook for updates!

(Photo: Instagram/Scents By Geraldine)

(Photo: Instagram/Scents By Geraldine)

 

 

culled from konbini.com

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“I Was Suicidal After My Marriage Broke Up”- Kemi Oyesola

Kemi Oyesola is the  Founder/CEO of How2Think Global Consulting Empire , a platform she founded in 2006 in sad circumstances after she separated from her husband of sixteen and half years. A situation that made her depressed and suicidal, but the mother to 2 adult children and  grandmother found hope in her hopeless situation and she uses her story to teach people how to think outside the box and control  their thoughts when faced with life threatening situation such as hers.  Coach Kemi  as she is fondly called is a certified Gold coach and also an NLP Practitioner. In her words: “I had to think my way into the  kind of life I desired. I had to accept first that I was responsible for where I found myself. Kemi shares her story exclusively with Esther Ijewere in this interview.

 Childhood

I think every one’s childhood prepares them for what they do later in life even if at that time they do not know it. We all at one time or another look back at our childhood and realise that we were like that so that we can do what we do now. My childhood was very happy. What I remember very clearly is that I was a talkative and got reported to my parents by my teachers throughout my primary school years. I also remember that I always wanted to take care of people, whether it was in my home or outside my home. I did not really understand why but I enjoyed caring for people. I was always helping or serving. I did wonder why I loved doing so much work – because, yes it was work. With hindsight which is 20/20, I realise now that I was born to take care of others which is what I am doing now. I talk for a living, whether as a speaker or when I coach or consult.

 

Inspiration behind How2Think

The inspiration was the breakup of my marriage. I wondered, especially as I worked at it how come my marriage broke up. I knew that I have only this time to live on earth as is; there is no Part B of this life lived just this way. I had to do the best of it as I have it now. I had to be separated from my now ex-husband to live the life I felt I was called to; to do the things that kept burning in my heart to do. I could not run away from it and although it hurt to break up my marriage, I am glad I did. I would not change it for anything. And so, it was at the point of break up I asked God why when the answer I heard was, “It’s because of the way you think. ’And that was how I started the search for what exactly it is to ‘THINK.’ I realised with my findings that I would have to teach others the ‘how’ of thinking because it was this that determined how we live and the results that we get. It is a deep thing, thinking and so many of us do not pay it attention. We need to think about what we think about. And that is how I was inspired to start How2Think Global Consulting Empire.

 Being Suicidal

I was suicidal after my marriage broke up and almost lost it… It was unexpected. It was unwanted. There was much pain and there was a long journey to the demise of my marriage and the consequences of such. I realised after the break up that it was my thinking that had got me where I was. Being a Christian and married to my Pastor, I knew that we had been serving faithfully and so asked God why my marriage broke. He answered, “Because of the way you think.” So, I picked up the Bible to find the word, ‘think.’ After all, I had never heard that word in church. But you know, that isn’t true. What I had not done was notice the word. After studying the Bible for a couple of days, I found the sentence, ‘… for as he thinks in his heart, so is he’ – and have been studying this ever since; and teaching it too. Many are not aware of how they think. It is the crux of everything, absolutely everything in life. Before you do anything, you think. The resultant effect of your thoughts is your character. Like any seed, thought is a seed and will grow. Therefore, you determine the harvest. But the learning was not in the study as it was in the living. After my ex-husband left, I went into depression and was exceedingly stressed but what was different was that I didn’t know.

I lost my hair and for over 10 years it did not grow until my son was almost 20 years old. I became exceedingly poor, so poor there were times I did not have heating in my house; I could not give my children pocket money to go to school; I was so poor I had to be evicted from my house. I was suicidal and wanted to jump from a very high place in order to kill myself. I brandished a knife on my ex husband – I wanted to kill him. I knew then that I was going kuku in the head and it wasn’t good. There are other things that happened to me that brought me to a low place.. That is another story. The highlight of this is that I had to come out of the depression and quit being stressed but I didn’t know how. I sought help from others, but they only told me what I already knew. I was sinking and sought to stay my head above water but I couldn’t find where or how.

A few times, I thought I needed medical help but I knew they would only tell me what everyone else had been telling me. I needed something to help me get out of the morass I was in. It wasn’t until after I knew I was the only one who could help me that it began to sink. I had the problem I was on a mission to teach. I had to overcome this problem otherwise I would be a hypocrite. I had to think my way into the kind of life I desired. I had to accept first that I was responsible for where I found myself. I had to accept that God had done all He was going to do and the buck rested with me. Nothing has been harder than that acceptance. And nothing has been freer than that acceptance. It took me a few years but I did it – and continue to do it. It is a life’s work. I know that I am on a mission, it is not just a vision – to help individuals learn how to think. I believe that your mind is set with your thoughts thus, I focus on Thought Set and not mind set. In fact, I do not teach mindset. I had no choice but to bounce back. At the age these things happened to me, I was in my early 40’s, I had read about so many tragic situations where the individuals ended up dead or their lives meant nothing because they had lost their mind. I just could not end up like that. It was tempting but it was also scary. It also felt like I would be a total failure if I did not overcome the heartache and the sense of failure that my marriage didn’t work. I knew there was a better way and it lay in how I was THINKING. I knew that no one person and no divine entity could make this happen for me. I did call on God for help, but the buck stopped with me. I remember at the point that I wanted to jump, hearing the voice of God telling me how strong the person was – who was the reason I wanted to jump to kill myself. That annoyed me. And it was enough for me to hear it, think about it and change my mind. But after that moment, I knew it had to be a daily decision to live and not give up. You see, giving up is the first step to becoming suicidal. Once one gives up, there is no reason to carry on in life; for what do you want to carry on doing? I decided to win in life; I could not be among those who lost. What reason would I give? It just didn’t make sense.

Instilling Values in my Kids

One value I have instilled in my kids and how I balance work and home life That one value I have instilled in my children is that they must win; they can do anything and they are not allowed to be stupid or poor. Winning is non-negotiable.

Balancing Home and Work

I balance home and work life by working from home and working for myself thus I have better control. Also, my children are adults now so it makes things so much easier although when they were younger, I was a housewife and worked from home when I started my business. If I had to go out as part of my business, I took my children with me. Even now, if my grandchildren must be with me and I need to speak at an event, I take them with me. It is important to me that they see what I do and learn too.

 

What and who inspires me

What inspires me is the work ahead that I still need to do. The fact that I can, except I decide not to. The fact that the work ahead is given to me because I can do it not because I cannot do it and so must work hard at it. Who inspires me are many – individuals who have faced hardship and overcome. Individuals like Les Brown, Nick Vujicic, Eric Thomas and others like them. They have made it through tough times and did not give up. They could give reasons today for their failures or inadequacies but they forged ahead. Now, for me, that is inspiring.

 

Greatest reward

The greatest reward is when I see the change in those I have helped. That change, the transformation is what I aim for. I must see it otherwise I have not done my job and there is no reward.

 

 

Challenges

Not being able to reach those I would like to work with because they do not see the necessity for knowing how to think. But more than that, when I can speak to clients, I have the awesome job of helping them understand the priority of knowing how to think. This is a huge challenge, but we get there in the end.

 

My perception of women in my industry

Women are amazing within the coaching industry and need to know this. The ability of a woman to want to help others and to start a business despite all the moving parts, is simply wonderful.

 

On giving up

Oh yes, of course I have had times when I want to give up. And I did give up on my business a few times but would come back. I have stopped that now because I find that success does not come to those who give up. Success comes to those who persevere and keep doing what they must do.

 

I am a Woman of Rubies

First, I love the ruby. I love red, it suits me and makes me glow. Red is a personification of who I am and what I stand for and one of my brand colours. A Woman of Rubies is a strong woman, I am strong; an able woman, I am able; a woman who believes she is unstoppable, am unstoppable; an indomitable woman, I am indomitable and a Woman of Rubies is a winner, I am a winner, period.

 

Final word for women who are thinking of going into the coaching and motivational speaking industry

Yes, one word of caution. Mind your own business with all you have got. No comparisons. Your business is yours and it is your responsibility to make it the very best that you can make it. Excellence is a non-negotiable. But before you get into business, be it coaching or any other kind of business, count the cost and hire yourself a mentor or coach. You will need their guidance on your journey. Do not go the journey on your own. It is harder and longer that way.

 

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#PROFILE| MEET UGOCHI IHEZUE, MBGN 2017, WHO MADE IT TO TOP 15 AT THE MISS WORLD BEAUTY PAGEANT

Ugochi Mitchel Ihezue, winner of Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria (MBGN 2017) made Nigeria proud by emerging in the top 15 contestants at Miss World beauty Pageant.

Prior to winning the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant, she served as one of the Beth model management agents and ever since then, she has proven that there is no stopping her.

She surprised the world when she emerged Top Model winner at the beauty peagant which held in Sanya City Arena in Sanya, China on the 18th of November.

She made history at the  competition as It was gathered that this would be the first time a Nigerian wins the Top Model at the competition

 

Check out few things you probably don’t know about her, below:

She was born on the 16th of August, 1990. She attended Army Day Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi and also Federal University of Benin where she studied Fine and Applied Arts.

She currently lives in Onitsha, Anambra state with her parents and family. She hails from Umukegwu-Akokwa in Ideato-North L.G.A of Imo State, i.e the Igbo speaking part of Nigeria.

She is from a family of 5, the first born and only daughter. Mitchel was raised from a humble family. Her mother is a banker with Unity Bank, while the father is a businessman who deals in chemicals.

She attended Army Day Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi and also Federal University of Benin where she studied Fine and Applied Arts.

On 15th September 2017 as the the 30th edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria held at Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos, Ugochi Ihezue represented Kebbi state in the pageantry. Firstly on the grand finale, she was awarded with the Model of the Year. She was finally crowned as the Most beautiful girl in Nigeria 2017.

According to the beauty queen, she is single and a Christian by faith. Her hobbies are reading, Painting, Travelling and playing

 

Credit: fabwoman.ng

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#INTERVIEW|”I WANT VOLUNTEERING TO BECOME A LIFESTYLE FOR YOUNG AFRICAN WOMEN” – TOBBY LORDWILLIAMS 

Agusi Tobby Nazaar, fondly  known as  Gusi Tobby Lordwlliams, is a 21 years old driven young lady, an aspirant to the Nigerian Bar and founder of one of Africa’s fastest growing female volunteering network “Girlhub Africa” . Toby is also a talkshow host, and a professional make up artist.  The young serial entrepreneur who is very passionate about creating more opportunities for African women and dedicated to her humanitarian service believe women are a treasure trove of possibilities. In this chat she talks about not being tempted to give up, her eureka moment, why she created her platform and where she sees herself in five years.

Childhood
My childhood did a whole lot to influence what I do today. In fact I’m a product of the saying “Train a child the way he should grow…”My parents are my NO 1 fans…My mum is a GHAV herself (GIRL HUB AFRICA
VOLUNTEER)…They both have always encouraged volunteering to us when we were kids.. My mum will take us during school holidays and after
summer lessons, to the hair-dressers shop and tell the hairdressers that we were there to help them for free, I never understood why she did that until i was much more older, but i loved it. Eventually I
realized this was done so we could learn the hair making skill. On another holiday she will take us to the tailor, and she kept on taking us to various artisans until she found out our areas of interest,
then she encouraged us to carve a niche out of what we have learned and also to help develop our skills…especially at church events,
weddings and other programs, my mum will make myself and my sisters help the organizers, we didn’t call it VOLUNTEERING then (Laughs), my
sisters’ friends would even call us “Over sabi”, but my mum knew what she was doing. And I thank God I want through all that process. Having all those experiences, now I can bake, make hair, sew cloths, repair a generator (Laughs), make some simple furniture,  to mention but a few.

Meet me
 I am a 21year old Nigerian. The  last born of 4 girls from a family of 6. I started volunteering for social clubs back in my school days from my first year, and the impact/advantage it had on my life made me realize that a lot of people especially young ladies needed to engage themselves in several opportunities in other to really find purpose. I am currently the lead volunteer and founder of GIRL HUB AFRICA  a professional female Volunteering Network. I love meeting people, reading, teaching, and traveling. I am an addict entrepreneur. On an average day, when I’m not on the move, I’m in my shorts and top, exchanging emails and closing deals. I also spend time  praising God and running my other business. 

Inspiration Behind Girls Hub Africa
I noticed there is a gap in our society where we preach being our brothers keeper but we don’t teach or encourage it.  Our schools and society don’t necessarily provide a structure or avenue neither do they have a curriculum for people to give their time to a cause or movement without monetary reward. Our generation gradually have become self centered unlike previous generations, this days its all about financial gain or celebrity status, we are becoming desensitized, then I realized  when we volunteer, that humane side of us grows, we become more humble and value our place in society as someone who can do their little bit which adds to a collective achievement with the objective of a positive influence. I was also tired of seeing a lot of young ladies after school/NYSC say “My sister work no dey”, Yes I believe things are not so easy in the country, but life itself is not a bed of roses, you have to go out there and create what you want for yourself. There are alot of opportunities out there to engage these youths if only they are willing to be selfless about it.  I am glad to say since we started in April this year, we have recorded a 30% increase in employment among our volunteers, because what you do well for free can eventually bring you your fee.

How I feel about my achievements so far…
Graced… its simply a proof that there is more to be done. All these have made me realize that the sky is truly my starting point.


Projects and activities
I do have a lot of projects at the moment, but my pet projects which I have passion for are;
a) The TOUCH ME NOT CAMPAIGN by the AMAZING AMAZON INITIATIVE –
Speaking and counseling children in upper primary schools and secondary schools on the prevalence of rape, domestic violence and child sexual Abuse.

b) The GHAV project – engaging young minds in the act of volunteering, hence our *TEENS WHO VOLUNTEER* campaign,We basically make them understand that they can find purpose early in life as well as give back to their society simply by rendering a selfless service.

Greatest reward
That would be seeing my volunteers find purpose and also become successful at any niche they carve for themselves simply because they volunteered.
It brings me so much joy that these opportunities we provide are properly utilized by them.


Where I see my brand in the next five years..
As the Ministry of VOLUNTEERING in Nigeria 😄 (Laughs) Well we do have a plan…
We are currently talking with our partners.
our focus is people development, we haven’t crystallized our strategy but we have the resource to evolve and identify growing trends and
building up the relevant skills in our volunteers so that stay relevant.

In 5 years, we intend to have GHAV in all West African countries with a good membership strength of professional volunteers.

On giving up
Have I ever felt like giving up? Not at all,  but this is true, I have always loved this and as the day goes by, I want to do even more until VOLUNTEERING becomes a lifestyle for young African women.

Who inspires me
God is my first inspiration, and then my mother. She is a typical example of a virtuous woman. I would also say my GHAV’s  (GIRL HUB AFRICA VOLUNTEERS), they inspire me a lot, you need to experience the
feeling of seeing ladies unite just to render selfless services in our present day Nigeria. The joy and hard work they put in inspires me alot, now I believe that women are a treasure trove of possibilities. This one itself is so much more than inspirational.

I am a Woman Of Rubies
I am a WORrior because I believe the potential every woman has can be resourceful if given the right opportunities. Personally, I look beyond the ordinary, what every other person will deem impossible is
what’s possible to me.

Final words for women
What’s your passion? find it, work and focus on it, you are the best thing to happen in your community, you need to take advantage of every
opportunity so you can shine brighter than you can ever imagine but in doing that, learn to support every woman around you.

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