By Miracle Nwankwo
On the 10th of September 1982, Kansas City witnessed the birth of a gifted ballerina born by a single mother Sylvia DelaCerna whose failed marriages caused her financial instability and the ability of providing well for children.
The impact inspire category for this week centers on the philanthropic strides of an amazon in Arab who believes that “When you change women’s conditions and empower them, you change the whole family”. Those words were written by Muna AbuSulayman, a Saudi Arabian business woman and activist. Muna was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the 16th of May 1973. She studied at the King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, International Islamic University Malaysia and George Mason University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from George Mason University. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Arab American literature from King Saud University. She is a woman of substance whose pursuit for women’s empowerment has cost her both time and money. Muna began her career in 1997 as an English Department Lecturer at King Saud University, she moved on to the media world as a co-host of Kalam Nawaem…
Philanthropy in Philippine is taken as important as education, health, infrastructure or any other basic need that is important to man. A striking aspect about philanthropy and the Filipinos is that the women in Philippine are mostly given to philanthropy than any demographic. When discussions on Philippine’s women and philanthropy comes up, the story of Heart Evangelista ruminates the mind. Heart was born on February 14, 1985 in Manila, Philippines as Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero. She is the daughter of Reynaldo Evangelista Ongpauco, a restaurant magnate who belongs to a Chinese-Filipino clan, and Maria Cecilia del Gallego Payawal, whose family is from the Bicol province of Camarines Sur. She is the youngest child of 5 children, four sisters and one brother. The family moved to San Francisco, California during Heart’s early teens, there she studied at Aubudon School in California. However, before Heart crossed her teens she moved back with her family to Philippines and later…
We all agree that the attitude of giving stems from a burning desire to meet a need or a determination to impact lives especially when it driven by past struggles and failures. Philanthropy by Merriam-Webster, is a goodwill to fellow members of the human race especially, an active effort to promote human welfare. In our world today, there are billions of philanthropists scattered all over the world in pursuit of a particular goal, which is; making the world a better place for the entire human race. Amongst these numerous people is Noëlla Coursaris, the Congolese rural diamond. Noëlla was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a Cypriot father and a Congolese mother. Her father died when she was only five, leaving her and her mother alone. After her father passed on, Noëlla’s mother, being saddled with responsibilities and with no education or financial resources, faced difficulty in catering for her…
“The importance of women being able to work as well as raise children left an indelible impression on me” According to The Economist, “women make up only a small percentage of top philanthropists in Asia, but their influence is disproportionately large as they transform the nature of philanthropy itself”. Recounting the activities of businesswomen in Asia, philanthropy is a common phenomenon. Asia’s women are natural given to philanthropy and in many cases most of the businesswomen in Asia started their journey in business with the mind-set of impacting their society and helping the poor. The impact inspire category of Amazons Watch Magazine is a platform that mirrors the impact and philanthropic activities of women in developing nations while setting examples and inspiring others to get involved. In the same vein, we bring you the story of Yoshiko Shinohara, Japan’s first self-made woman billionaire who began her journey as a business…
She is currently the President of the Voice of Women Entrepreneurs Tanzania, (VoWET) a platform that empowers women economically in East Africa’s second biggest economy .In addition; she is a chairperson of major women’s savings and credit co-operative organization in Tanzania. However, it is her entrepreneurial journey that bagged her East Africa Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2017 that initially made her more visible in a space smothered by a patriarchal mindset. Maida Waziri, 49, Managing Director of, Ibra Contractors Ltd, that won her the accolade of best female contractor in Tanzania for cumulatively five years ending 2015 also owns Ibra Enterprises, her first officially registered company that is engaged in the furniture and hardwood sector. Understandably, what makes Maida a news-grabber is the fact that her road to success is simply inspirational. No wonder she is widely considered a quintessential entrepreneur who has made it to the top…
In recent times, women all over the world are beginning to pay a closer attention to philanthropy since they have realized that this does not only put smiles on faces but also affords them the opportunity to become agents of empowerment to the society at large. The quest to make the world a better place, is currently spreading among women from different works of life who are going the extra mile to be a part of the new generation world changers. In Philippine, Nanette Medved-Po a former film actress, TV host and model began her journey into philanthropy when she sighted an opportunity to make a difference using her wealth and fame. The newness about philanthropy is in the modern perception that surrounds it, which is the idea that wealth and fame can be used as tools to promote good cause for the welfare of others. According to John Gardner,…
