Celebrating ALL women on Women's Day

International Women's Day, celebrated on the 8^th of March, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women - while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. This year's theme is Each For Equal. The IWD 2020 campaign theme is drawn from a notion of 'Collective Individualism.'

An equal world is an enabled world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world.

Women's equality can't wait. It's going to take everyone to think and be inclusive - all the time, everywhere so take action NOW.

Let's all be #EachforEqual.

#IWD2020

Women In Africa Initiative Officially Launched in Nigeria

HE, Mr. Jérôme Pasquier, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, hosted dignitaries, diplomats and women leaders on January 14th at a private reception at the French Embassy, Abuja, to officially launch the Women In Africa (WIA) Initiative in Nigeria.

Event venue

Networking session

Marvella Odili (L) with French Ambassador, HE, Mr. Jérôme Pasquier

Marvella Odili (L) with Aude de THUIN, Founder and Chair of Board, WIA Initiative

Marvella Odili (L) with Aude de THUIN

Marvella Odili (L) with Hafsat Abiola, President/CEO, WIA Initiative

 Among the dignitaries present were HE, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo (wife of the Vice-president of Nigeria) and Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (Chairman, CEO, of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission).

L-R: Hafsat Abiola, Aude de THUIN and French Ambassador

Cross-section of guests

 

L-R: Rev Ifueko, French Ambassador, Adedayo Benjamins, Rukayat, Marvella Odili

Hafsat Abiola, President/CEO of WIA Initiative, gave a wonderful speech on the power of African women to positively transform their societies and move Africa forward.

Hafsat Abiola, President/CEO, WIA Initiative, making a speech

L-R: HE, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo in a tete-a-tete with Hafsat Abiola

Marvella Odili, Founder/CEO of Save Our Needy Organisation, was specially invited by the France Ambassador to the event.

Marvella Odili, Founder/CEO, Save Our Needy

Marvella Odili

L-R: Azhee Akinrin, Marvella Odili, Rukayat

Founded by Aude de THUIN, WIA Initiative is the first international platform dedicated to the economic development and support of leading and high potential African women.

Disadvantaged Families Receive Love From Save Our Needy's Santa

Our annual initiative "Santa Comes To Visit" has come and gone but it left indelible marks in the hearts of families.

Disadvantaged families (widows and single-mothers and their children) got surprise visits from Save Our Needy as we played to them, providing them with food items, clothing, and toys to enable them to celebrate the yuletide season.

We were very glad to make several children's dreams come true and put smiles on the faces of families who had lost all hope of ever celebrating the yuletide season.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Shoprite Community Network for their unwavering support of this impactful initiative.

Happy New Year!

My Experience At The Social and Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC) and EMERGING Valley

It was an intense week of activities from November 30th to December 5th, 2019. I was invited by the French Agency for Development (Agence Française de Développement) and  Fondation La France S'engage for an exciting and rigorous boot camp training and accelerator program for start-ups in Marseille, France.

Le Cloitre

Marvella Odili at Le Cloitre

Marvella Odili at Le Cloitre farm

Marvella Odili and Louise Clement, Program Manager, Afghanistan Libre

Marvella Odili with Kofoworola Oyeleye

Marvella Odili at Emerging Valley

Marvella Odili (R) with Kofoworola Oyeleye, Founder/Director, Iyin Creative at Musee Des Regards du Provence

Marvella Odili

Marvella Odili

I joined more than 50 participants from all over Africa to receive training and mentorship at the Social and Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC) from world-class experts including Isabelle Hoyaux, Founder of Scalechanger, Isadora Bigourdan, team leader at SIBC, Erik Hersman, CEO of BRCK, Tomi Davies, President of African Business Angel Network, Sarah Toumi, Director - General of Acacias for All, Clement Uwajeneza, Country Director, ANDELA, Rwanda, Camille Linquier of African Management Institute, Veda Sunassee, Dean and Founder of African Leadership University and a host of others on leadership, pitching of business ideas and scaling up of social enterprises.

Marvella Odili making a short presentation

Leadership development sessions

Team-building sessions

Sessions during Start-Up Clinic

Marvella Odili with Veda Sunassee (R) Director and Dean of African Leadership University

Sarah Toumi, Co-founder/Director, Acacias for All (Matron of the event)

At the end of the training, all participants were awarded certificates which were presented by Christophe Itier, the French High Commissioner for the Social and Solidarity Economy and Bertrand Walckenaer, AFD's Associate CEO.

Participants of SIBC

Emerging Valley 2019

From 4th to 5th December, rendezvous was at EMERGING Valley at Aix-de-Provence, Marseille, where 1,350 participants, 130 speakers, 140 start-ups, 40 big investors from 45 countries came together to discover the new champions of tech innovation from Africa and the Mediterranean as well as to network. It was a fantastic collaboration linking Africa and the Mediterranean to Europe.

Cecile Lapenu, Director, CERISE

Eric Hersman, Founder/Director, BRCK

Clement Uwajeneza, Country Director, ANDELA, Rwanda (Patron of event)

Isadora Bigourdan, Team leader at SIBC

The speakers included Bosun Tijani, Founder of Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria, Rebecca Enonchong, President of Afrilabs, Cameroon, Ninon Duval, Director of Bond'Innov, France and Thomas Festerling of Greentech Capital, Germany. 

Eight participants of SIBC were given the opportunity to pitch their wonderful ideas and social businesses to investors and the audience. Winners of the Med'INNOVANT Africa competition were also awarded their prizes.

Diana Serra, Founder/CEO, Be Girl, pitches to investors and the audience

Pitching session

Pitching in action

Isadora Bigourdan introduces the participants of Emerging Pitch Session

Winners of Med'INNOVANT Africa are given their awards

Marvella Odili at the Marseille Stadium

EMERGING Valley, founded by Samir Abdelkrim, hosts the biggest tech event in the world. Suffice it to say EMERGING Valley 2019 was a huge success.

- Written by Marvella Odili, Founder/CEO, Save Our Needy