My Disability Didn’t Stop Me. I am a Woman, a Mother and an Entrepreneur.

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  • 24 Sep 2013
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Akwa Ibom, Nigeria – September 24, 2013.  Today is a big day for the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Mobile Value Added Services program.

YTF is providing entrepreneurship and capacity building training to over 400 women entrepreneurs in Akwa Ibom State.  These women are drawn from across all the local government areas and own business in the light manufacturing, social services, retail and wholesale industry.

Our ShEntrepreneur in Akwa Ibom is Mrs. Victoria Etim.  Her business, Victoria’s Court, designs and manufactures wigs, gown, gloves and other accessories for lawyers in Nigeria.

With support from the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, YTF recruits women entrepreneurs and immerses them in several types of training including classroom and online training, industry tours and opportunities to network with each other.  The ShEntrepreneur is identified as a successful woman entrepreneur in the state where the training is taking place.  She has a well-established business, has often overcome challenges and is a good mentor and model for other women entrepreneurs.

Victoria has been in business for 9 years.   She went into business for herself after she graduated from the university with a law degree, but couldn’t find a job practicing law.  “Discrimination against people with disabilities in Nigeria is still very prevalent,” she said.  “I didn’t want to be idle.  I am very creative and love the legal profession”.  I brought together my two passions and founded Victoria’s Court. “Prior to founding my company, I never thought of entrepreneurship as a viable career.”  In school professional careers like accounting and medicine were often talked about, but never business, especially for young women.

 

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Today, Victoria’ Court employs a staff of 10 and retains several top clients in the legal profession.  Victoria started her business to help others, women especially, thrive as lawyers.

I could feel Victoria’s passion as she so graciously welcomed me to her business yesterday afternoon.  I stopped by to see if she had any questions about the structure of the training and her audience.   As Victoria shared the success of her business, she also shared the challenges of financing, being a disabled woman entrepreneur and challenges of networking because of her lack of mobility.

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ShEntrepreneurs are selected from a large group of women entrepreneurs that YTF works with as part of the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Mobile Value Added Services program. They kick off the training session by sharing their stories and addressing questions other women entrepreneurs have in trying to build and sustain their individual businesses.  “I can’t wait to share my story,” Victoria said.  I have so much to tell other entrepreneurs, like me”, she said.  “They shouldn’t give up.  Being a woman entrepreneur is not easy, but it is the most fulfilling thing in my life, other than my children.”

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Ngozi Ejimadu is a Program Coordinator – Gender Empowerment Programs at Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF).  She writes from Imo State, Nigeria, where she works at YTF’s Owerri Digital Village with youth and women to provide access, deliver training and mentor women entrepreneurs. 

 

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