USAfrica Profile of Ifenkili Ngozi Onwualu, President Anambra Women Los Angeles

USAfrica & CLASSmagazine EXCLUSIVE Profile Q&A 
 
with Mrs. NGOZI ‘Ifenkili’ ONWUALU 
President, Anambra State Women Association of Los Angeles, California.

By Dr. Chido Nwangwu
Publisher, USAfrica multimedia networks, Houston
Chido247@Gmail.com

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This interview appears on the USAfrica powered professionals e-group of IgboCalifornia247 and USAfricaonline.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IgboCalifornia247/
IgboCalifornia-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Chido: Tell USAfricaonline.com, CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia e-group readers about your group. When was it founded?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] Anambra State Women Association was founded in 2004 as a California nonprofit corporation. In 2005, we were granted exemption from California income tax under Section 23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation code. We are also exempt from Federal income tax as an organization described in Section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What is your group’s mission?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] Our mission is to help underprivileged women and children get needed resources necessary to improve their quality of life. Often, resources needed in areas of child birth, well women wellness and childhood immunization are often not within their reach.  Most government efforts focus mainly on addressing these needs in the big cities such that women and children in the remote parts of Anambra State without any means of getting to the big cities for treatment are left unattended.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What are your goals?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] Our goals include to annually raise funds through the consolidated efforts of all members of the organization. The fundraising may be in form of individual charitable contributions, donations from philanthropic associations, gala nights, and silent auctions.  With the funds raised, underprivileged women of Anambra state will be able to have safe child birth in sanitary conditions, conduct annual wellness checks which will include Pap smears, mammograms and basic blood work. In addition, children of the underprivileged women will have needed immunization.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group:  I understand you have a diverse membership, share with USAfrica readers the demographic and general profile of the Anambra State Women Association of Los Angeles membership?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] Membership to the association is open to all Anambra State women by birth, marriage, adoption or through maternal or paternal decent who share common interests that will foster the educational, cultural, medical and technological aspirations for improvement of Anambra women and children in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group:  When did you take over as the president-leader of the group, and who’s in your team?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] I became the second President of the association in 2009. Prior to that, I was the association’s financial secretary. The present leadership comprise of the Vice president Mrs. Ngozi Ilouno, Secretary Mrs Pat Ani-Igbokwe, Fin. Secretary Mrs. Esther Ikeji (who was also our first secretary for four years), Treasurer Mrs. Emilia Muomegha, Mrs. Holly Asigbue assistant financial sectary, Mrs. Joy Ochifeoma publicity Secretary and  Mrs. Mary-Grace Okoye, Provost.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What’s next on your 2013 agenda for Anambra State Women Association of Los Angeles?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu]  For  2013, we intend to extend our project to other maternity clinics in Anambra state. In the past five years, we adopted the Amaku Community hospital in Awka.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What do you do, professionally?

Professionally, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (L.C.S.W). I work for a Nonprofit agency as the Center Director. Under my supervision,  I oversee, a $10 million  contract for the agency. The contract manages programs for Mentally ill adults and older adults with a staff of over 36 professionals. Our goal is to reduce recidivism rate of either jail, hospital, homelessness or locked setting. We ensure that clients’ transition into the community are seamless and assist them after the transition with ongoing treatments.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: Tell us about your family?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] I am happily married and blessed with three wonderful boys. My boys are very active with football. I am actively involved in their games. I am part of their school snack bar and I love  watching them play. My oldest son is at University of San Diego and hopefully, he will play next season and I assure you, I will be at the field during their home games.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: I saw you speak and rouse women and your members at an event in Los Angeles in November 2012, and like I told you, you’ve a colorful and engaging style of mobilizing women. Tell us about your leadership style….

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] One thing people don’t know is that Nigerian community are hardworking people and our women in addition to working hard and dedicated to their families, our culture and education. When issues pertain to these three things they answer with one voice. I combine the three styles of leadership in managing the association depending on what is going. I’m not the type that will take side on an issue. I present an issue and we deliberate on it, one thing I always have in my mind is that “the association belongs to all of us”. I try to give people a chance to be heard and later go with what the majority want. We started with 56 members and to date, we have 132 members.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What are your hopes for the community?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu]  My hope will be for us to continue to grow stronger and leave a good legacy to the community we are in. We have seen various association from Nigeria crumble for one reason or another, ours due to our openness with things may become the backbone of our community.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What is your guiding philosophy?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] Hard work, dedication and with God on your side, things will be possible.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: Any role models?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu] former first lady Mrs. Hillary Clinton. She puts a smile on my face any time I see her.

Chido/USAfricaonline.com/CLASSmagazine and IgboCalifornia247 e-group: What are your hobbies?

[Victoria Ngozi Onwualu]  Cooking and watching football games.

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