Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Uwa Irving.
Dr. Irving, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
At the end of the Nigerian Biafran war, I was physically assaulted by a Nigerian soldier at gunpoint. Many young girls were forcefully taken from their families and married off. My parents never figured I would fall victim. I was only 9 years old. Unfortunately, the assault happened while my father and mother were within earshot. My father, his Holiness, Eze K.O.K Onyioha, the spiritual head of Chiism (Godianism) and my mother Nneoha Ngozi Onyioha could not intervene to save me. They helplessly heard my screams. One of my younger brothers who was 7-years-old, watched along with other children, the assault through a hole in the wall. For a long while, he had psychological problems.
My dad saw that I had become subdued and depressed, so he decided to take action. My Dad would wake me up at 5 am every Saturday morning and ask me to sit with him and watch the sunrise. He did so several times before he finally asked me if I knew why he wanted me to engage in this exercise. He told me that “The only thing greater than you is the sun. You do not have the right to die until you make a difference, and never live anywhere unknown.” He also emphasized that no one can shape my mind but me, and never let anyone take away my zeal for life. This became my modus operandi. I was determined to make a difference in the world and I actively sought opportunities to do so.
An opportunity presented itself to do something special when my father, the Spiritual Head of Chiism (Godianism) was invited to be a guest speaker at a conference in Nairobi Kenya, sponsored by the United Nations’ World Council of Religions for Peace (WCRP). However, he could not go because of ill health. As his Continental Envoy, I went to Nairobi to represent him.
I was not prepared for what I saw in Nairobi, Kenya. I met so many young people whose lives were a bastion of hopelessness and helplessness because of the horrific impact of HIV/AIDS. The focus of the conference was to address the stigma of HIV/AIDS on vulnerable children throughout Africa.
Leaders of Religions throughout the African world were tasked to look at HIV from a different perspective. Who else, they said, had more access to churchgoers every Sunday, and can shape their thinking about HIV/AIDS? The goal was to break the horrors of the stigmatization of children who are victims of the disease. I met many young people whose parents were dying or had died of HIV AIDS. I met a young 7-year-old named Salim Yassin who stood on the dais, flashing steely eyes at the conference attendees. He asked: “Why must death be my destiny?” Young Salim had lost his whole family to AIDS.
At the end of the conference, we were instructed to go back to our countries and become the voice for the children, and tell their stories of suffering. When I returned to Michigan, I founded the African Women Economic Consortium (AWEC), a nonprofit organization now based in Georgia. I organized some businesswomen to help orphaned children in Africa. However, because of the lack of grant funding for orphan care, we decided to switch our focus and dedicate our efforts to supporting small women-owned businesses.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, not initially. I wear many hats.
I have completed my Doctoral work in Clinical Psychology. Initially, I chose to go into this field because of my desire to help people to understand their relationship with themselves and how that understanding can shape their ability to overcome past challenges. But now, I use my research work in Clinical Psychology to be a Life Coach, focusing on helping mostly women, to visualize their future and not regurgitate past experiences. My life coaching program is called Fresh Life Coaching. I help start afresh, and go beyond their humanness and embrace their unlimited potential.
I served as the Ambassador to the United States for the Economic Development of Women, and the promotion of tourism for Abia State, Nigeria. As the President of the African Women Economic Consortium, I saw no limits. I did not see boundaries. Instead, I saw opportunities for women and I wanted to do all I could to ensure that their dreams become a reality. I feel that every one of us, consciously or unconscionably, organized or unorganized, systematized or non-systematized, have our own way of giving service to humankind and leaving a memorable legacy. Mine is to be the cause and the reason for somebody’s jubilation!
However, the journey would prove not to be easy. There has been moments when the individuals that I was trying to help were inpatient and demanded instant gratification and results even when it was difficult to provide them with the financial assistance that they needed. But I understood their frustration. I know that when people are desperate or hopeful, they do and say things out of such consciousness. But, I never folded. I believed that at some point I’ll be able to carry out the dictates of my responsibilities to the women if I stayed focused. Challenges simply helped me build and flex my muscles. The wind is beginning to blow in the right direction.
I have written two books, “A Cry In the Sun” that is a fiction about the sad yet victorious life of a 12 -year- old orphan girl in Nigeria, and “Phenomenal You,” an anthology of extremely motivational words that uplifts! These books will be launched in time for the holidays!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the African Women Economic Consortium story. Tell us more about it.
On our website, aweconline.org, we have a listing of numerous women entrepreneurs in Nigeria and in the US, some in integrated agriculture, animal husbandry, health and wellness education, co-operatives, textiles industry, and more. There are a total of 139 women. We are slowly loading their information on our site. As a senior grant writer, I initially sought to get grants for these small businesses. However, that proved futile because many could not meet the requirements by the grantors. So, now we focus on getting businesses and sometimes individuals to sponsor them. This has generated more interest than pursuing grants.
Funding them means that they can help to support themselves, feed the community and alleviate unemployment for youth and widows.
We need businesses to sponsor and help these women grow their businesses. We are building websites for them at no cost to them, so that sponsors can know more about them and the nature of their businesses. Even if the women do not have access to the internet, people who do will have access to them. Their phone numbers, addresses and emails are listed, and most importantly, information about the nature of their businesses is shown on their websites.
We also teach financial literacy education called Financial Independence Not Dependence(F.I.N.D), in the City of Lithonia in collaboration with the Mayor of the City, Mayor Deborah Jackson, Americorps, and also in Stone Mountain in six week sessions. Our fantastic F.I.N.D financial literacy instructors are Kemo Barrow and his assistant, Nnamdi Irving. Workshops are held on Saturdays, from October 19-23rd, 2019.
My advice for other women, particularly young women who are just starting their journey, is to stick to the fight even when it seems impossible. Regardless of how long it takes, if it is worth having, then stick to it and give it your all. Lose your terror of opposition because those who see the new you emerging may pose a threat. If you face some challenges along the way, let that be the cause nd the reason to forge on with alacrity!
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I am also a co-partner of the Maroon Peak Retreat and Event Center in Stone Mountain Georgia. It is where my business partner (Dr. Imani Ma’at, a Havard trained Health Educator) and I have the opportunity to combine our skills, talents and abilities to create an amazing gathering spot to help others realize their dreams (or just chill and have fun!) I met this wonderful woman and partner and woman through networking.
Les Brown said that one great American said, “I do not wish to be a common man, It is my right to be uncommon if
I can.” I share this sentiment. If it can be done, I will go to the depth of the valley to find out how, and march on up to the mountain top in victory. It is up to me!
However, I see that it is imperative to go out into the world and be with people doing creative things. We can never learn too much! It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. So, it’s judicious to see what other people are doing, how they do it, and how successful they are. Even failures can teach you what not to do. They can be your greatest teachers.
Contact Info:
- Website: aweconline.org
- Phone: 248-773-1857
- Email: awec2005@aol.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrUwaOnyiohaOsimiri and https://www.facebook.com/uwa.onyiohaosimiri.3
- Other: maroonpeakreatreat.com
Image Credit:
Dr. Uwa Onyioha-Osimiri, Kelenna Osimiri
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