User:SJack4/sandbox

Thelma Arimiebi Ekiyor--she's mentioned a lot in Leymah Gbowee's book and seems to be instrumental in establishing and running WIPSEN (which is just a one paragraph note on this page) but she doesn't have an article on Wikipedia. Admittedly, it is also very difficult to find articles that mention her. This strikes me as kind of odd because she seems so important in Gbowee's book and because she's founded a half dozen organizations and worked with the UN. But I'm not sure if Wikipedia will consider her noteworthy if there isn't sufficient evidence? Most of the websites that mention her have brief biographies that say essentially the same things.

She's from Nigeria

mentioned in articles Leymah Gbowee, Emmanuel Bombande, Samuel Gbaydee Doe, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Organizations:

WANEP -- ?

WIPNET

WIPSEN-A -- "a women-focused, women-led Pan-African Non-Governmental Organization with the core mandate to promote women's strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance in Africa."

TY Danjuma Foundation -- "an independent private perpetual foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of Nigerians. The Foundation’s initial focus is to support initiatives that increase access to health care and educational opportunities in Taraba State."

Afrigrants -- "an indigenous social enterprise that designs solutions, mobilizes resources and builds collaborations to respond to challenges in disadvantaged African communities. Afrigrants specializes in creating business solutions to address social  problems, and mitigate the effects of poverty and under-development." "enhance women's financial inclusion, youth entreprenuership, access to funding" "Market Women's Quick Cash"

SME.NG -- "Nigeria’s Impact Investment Platform, which has set up two impact funds for women entrepreneurs"

West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI) -- pioneering exec director,

The Funding Space

Other Roles:

- Strategic Policy Adviser to UN Women Nigeria

- Board Member on ALL ON (renewable energy impact fund in West Africa)

- Chairperson of the Micro, Small and Medium sized businesses & SDGs group of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) [source http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/2386449347?accountid=9703]

- sits on the Advisory Boards of Women Empowerment Centre (WEC) and Rising Leadership Foundations (US based)

Education:

- MBA (Entrepreneurship & Innovation) from Imperial College London, UK

- Law Degree (LLB Honours) from University of Buckingham UK

- Fellow of Stanford University, USA

Sources about Ekiyor:

Michelle Quinn. (January 29, 2020). Investors, Entrepreneurs Meet in Silicon Valley to Discuss African Investment. Voice of America News. Retrieved from  https://advance-lexis-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5Y39-NY31-JCCP-00GF-00000-00&context=1516831 . -- "Investors, Entrepreneurs Meet in Silicon Valley to Discuss African Investment"

""For many of the attendees, the event was a welcomed chance to talk about Africa successes. Thelma Ekiyor runs a Nigeria-based business accelerator and an investment fund for women-run businesses. "There is no doubt there are problems in Africa, she said, but "for the diaspora, the lens through which you look at these problems must be different. For the diaspora, these problems are opportunities. For the diaspora, they are entry points." She said one of the challenges has been that the structure of financing women entrepreneurs in Africa and other developing regions has been "micro." "Most of the funds available to women are micro-lending, as if women don't know what to do with big money," she told the attendees. "And so the first thing that I knew we had to do was change that and ensure that how we finance women was aspirational. We would start them at them micro-level and support them to grow."""

http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/2296981356?accountid=9703 -- Ekiyor argues for women's economic empowerment and ask's Nigeria's private sector to help this

http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/884352245?accountid=9703 -- TYDF opening new school in remote area, education as providing opportunities to girls, affecting maternal & infant mortality

http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/2154869079?accountid=9703 -- WICA calling for gender & social inclusion policies from gov & corps, Ekiyor keynote speaker

""According to the group, ensuring meaningful participation of women in the infrastructure sector will enhance sustainable socio-economic development, structured women empowerment, mitigate poverty and boost the emergence of sustainable and resilient cities and communities in the face of climate change challenges.""

http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/1990879979?accountid=9703 -- UN Women calling for partnership with Nigerian government

""In her presentation, Ms Thelma Ekiyor, UN Women Consultant, said that the SDGs provided the private sector with a framework to align its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to long-term sustainability objectives and goals, such as SDG-5 on gender equality.""

""Ekiyor said that investing in SDG-5 would facilitate the implementation of all the SDGs in Nigeria, which would also advance business and economic goals. "UN Women can provide technical support to private sector entities to guide the implementation and maximise the impact of their CSR initiatives. That not only increases GDP, but also contributes to building an enabling environment for business and sustainable development, '' Ekiyor said.""

http://www.theplatformnigeria.com/sites/2010/oct/profile.ekiyor.php -- discusses her different involvements

https://africa.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2017/07/women-and-girls-heartened-to-establish-sustainable-social-and-economic-re-integration-interventions -- Ekiyor's involvement in a UN Women meeting

""She was supported by Ms. Thelma Ekiyor, Co-Founder of the Women Peace and Security Network-Africa, who said that a lot of women in the private sector are in strategic positions and must be included in conversations on peace and security. “We have created silos in peace and security, but economic independence is a hallmark of peace and security,” she said.""

http://www.african-di.org/the-pan-african-leaders-award-the-2015-adi-nominees-who-inspire-humanity/ -- Ekiyor nominee for Pan African Leaders Award for nominees who inspire humanity, Preservers of Peace and Security

** how is Ekiyor a nominee for this award and yet there is so little info about her online?

https://guardian.ng/news/un-women-others-hold-affirmative-procurement-advocacy/ -- what is affirmative procurement?

""Speaking at a forum organised by the United Nations (UN) Women, Procter & Gamble and Afrigrants Resources, in Lagos, Chairperson of Afrigrants and co-organiser, Ms Thelma Ekiyor, said affirmative procurement is the way of making procurement processes more inclusive of not just women, but youths and persons with disability.""

https://guardian.ng/guardian-angels/creating-support-for-smes-at-the-funding-space-2019/ -- Ekiyor spoke at kick off party for funding space

"" Ms. Thelma Ekiyor, the Founder and Convener of The Funding  Space, gave an overview of the platform as an access to finance, impact investing, training and networking platform in Nigeria. The main objective of The Funding Space, according to her, is to inspire,  challenge, support and share information on access to funding/finance with Nigerian actors and diverse donors and investors.""

https://advance-lexis-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/api/permalink/78451d70-9e7a-483a-8084-dff9e7ba83a3/?context=1516831 -- "August 2019 #Smallbizchat LIVE: How World Entrepreneurship Is Impacting Your Small Business"

""Globally, there has been an increase of women-focused and/or women-led investment funds. However, women still get only 2-3% of venture capital funds. This means that there needs to be a concerted effort to level the financial playing field. This will take a while, but the promising development is that women are not waiting for men to finance themwomen are now raising capital and putting their wealth in 'women-only' funds.""

"" Entrepreneurship is not a job; it is a vocation. Being entrepreneurial is a mindset. Many women want to start businesses to have additional income but not to be full-time entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs identify an opportunity and develop a solution to capitalize on it. The starting point is not financing. The starting point is the opportunity and the solution. It is only then that womenor any entrepreneur can start to identify how to locate the right kind of financing to commercialize their solution. ""

'''""Any time women connect across borders on any issue, the impact is powerful. My background is in peacebuilding. It was women's global advocacy that brought attention to the plight of women and girls in conflict situations and brought about significant changes. I recognized that entrepreneurship and financial literacy are a way out of conflict. Women entrepreneurs and investors need to identify and establish linkages with other women beyond their communities and countries. I have met and become 'sisters' with some many women, including Melinda Emerson. We support each other. We advise each other. We promote each other. This is a potent force that if harnessed, can break the barriers that keep women in poverty in many countries across the world. I have a responsibility to be a successful entrepreneur. I know if I do it right, some woman, somewhere will say, 'I can do it also.'  "'''

http://www.wipsen-africa.org/wipsen/who/founders/ -- describes Ekiyor as founder of WIPSEN-Africa

https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/28470-TY-Danjuma-Foundation-Appoints-Thelma-Ekiyor-As-First-Executive-Director -- announces Ekiyor appointed first executive director of TY Danjuma Foundation

https://afrigrants.com/meet-the-ceo/ -- Ekiyor CEO and co-founder of Afrigrants

https://www.concordia.net/community/thelma-ekiyor/ -- Ekiyor managing director SME.NG

https://search.library.brandeis.edu/permalink/f/1skfba6/TN_proquest1095413540 -- Ekiyor as initiator of the Seeker Software International Planned Parent Federation and Afrigrants Advisory Board Member,, quote from Ekiyor

https://risingleader.org/board/thelma-ekiyor/ -- Rising Leadership Foundation, lots of info on Thelma's roles, Ebi Fund, Funding Space, Afrigrants, Market Women's Quick Cash, TYDF, WACSI, WANEP, Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), Global Centre on R2P, ALL ON, Strategic Policy Advisor to UN Women Nigeria, alumna of African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI), Global Civil Society Coalition of Responsibility to Protect, education

https://www.akinamamawaafrika.org/the-african-womens-leadership-institute-awli/ -- AWLI

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/female-devt-un-women-seeks-partnership/ -- Female Devt: UN Women seeks partnership

"In her presentation, Ms Thelma Ekiyor, UN Women Consultant, said that the SDGs provided the private sector with a framework to align its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives to long-term sustainability objectives and goals, such as SDG-5 on gender equality. Ekiyor said that investing in SDG-5 would facilitate the implementation of all the SDGs in Nigeria, which would also advance business and economic goals. “UN Women can provide technical support to private sector entities to guide the implementation and maximise the impact of their CSR initiatives. “That not only increases GDP, but also contributes to building an enabling environment for business and sustainable development,’’ Ekiyor said."

https://search.library.brandeis.edu/permalink/f/1skfba6/TN_oxford10.1093/ijtj/ijs016 -- review essay "The Challenge of Reconciliation in Postconflict African States" -- Ekiyor case study in the second part of book Peace vs Justice

"" Other chapters in this section include a reflection by Thelma Ekiyor on the SLTRC’s efforts at peacebuilding, in which she observes that ‘while the TRC process did not bring peace or reconciliation it provided a platform for Sierra Leoneans to reflect collectively on the past and map out strategies for long-term peacebuilding’ (p. 167). Ekiyor’s position on the SLTRC is consistent with Stovel’s assessment.""

--there are also other reviews of this book available

---Peace versus Justice? The Dilemma of Transitional Justice in Africa, eds. Chandra Lekha Sriram and Suren Pillay. Boydell and Brewer, April 2010, 387pp. ISBN: 9781847010216 – paperback (£19.99).

http://www.learntoquestion.com/seevak/groups/2012/sites/gbowee/history.html -- mentions Ekiyor as co-founder of WIPSEN [this seems like a questionable source]

Written by Ekiyor

http://awdflibrary.org/bitstream/handle/123456789/42/Womens%20Empowerment%20in%20Peacebuilding.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y -- "Women's Empowerment in Peacebuilding"

page 17 about the author

"Female Combatants in West Africa: Progress or Regress?" -- i have a pdf

"The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention: West African Experiences" -- I have a PDF

"Reflecting on the Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation: A Peacebuilding Perspective" -- section in Peace vs Justice? I don't have this

"Implementing the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine in Africa" -- I have a PDF

"Promoting Restorative Justice in Africa's Correctional Facilities" -- I have a PDF (but I don't think this resource will help my article)

Social Media:

- LinkedIn https://ng.linkedin.com/in/thelma-ekiyor-34a484120

- Twitter https://twitter.com/thelmaekiyor?lang=en

Other articles:

https://www-jstor-org.resources.library.brandeis.edu/stable/45038331?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents -- "PEACE AS A GENDERED PROCESS: PERSPECTIVES OF WOMEN DOING PEACEBUILDING IN SOUTH AFRICA"

[link deleted] -- "Statistical Analysis of Women's Perceptions of Politics and Peacebuilding" south africa & Nigeria

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/lib/brandeis-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3039651 -- a book? "Defying Victimhood: Women and Postconflict Peacebuilding" not just Africa

http://www.carriereiling.com/uploads/2/4/7/1/24716753/pragmatic_scepticism_in_implementing_the_women_peace_and_security_agenda.pdf -- "Pragmatic scepticism in implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda" cote d'ivoire

[link deleted] "Women’s Meanings of Peacebuilding in Post-Apartheid South Africa" https://search.library.brandeis.edu/permalink/f/urfvar/BRAND_ALMA21228802210001921 -- a book Ekiyor cites. Brandeis has it but i don't think I can get it "Building Peace in West Africa"

https://www.peacewomen.org/system/files/global_study_submissions/Jacqui%20True_NOREF%20policy%20brief.pdf -- Women, Peace, and Security in post-conflict and peacebuilding contexts

http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.resources.library.brandeis.edu/docview/1449955589?accountid=9703 -- "The meaning and practice of women's empowerment in post-conflict Sierra Leone"

Ekiyor focuses frequently on the role of women in conflict resolution as well as the financial support of women as entrepreneurs.

Role of access to/completion of education within experiences of violence? How is this access gendered? How does absence/distance (for going to school) affect experience & legitimacy?

I'm thinking of how ethnicity and gender and class have shown up repeatedly as intersecting and important parts of identity, and how education is a part of this but also separate from this. // In the Memory of Love, all of the main characters had access to education. Elias's life revolved around the school as teacher, Adrian had completed school and was a professional and this is what enabled him to travel to Sierra Leone, Kai had completed school and was a professional and this gave him the opportunity to leave Sierra Leone, Saffia and Julian were both in school, Nenebah had attended but not completed school. // In Mighty Be Our Powers, Leymah Gboweee often feels intimidated because she did not have the high level of formal education of her coworkers. Thelma Eyikor is explained as her equal but having been to school. Leymah achieves great things, but ultimately does leave Liberia to go to school to be able to further her career. // Half of a Yellow Sun introduces the further complication of local vs abroad education. Kainene and Olanna are treated differently for their abroad university and super private school experiences, than Odenigbo and his friends working at a Nigerian school. Ugwu is written very simply before he obtains some education and becomes a more active character -- I think he's not only written as culturally different, but also written as if less able to think about things, and it frustrates me. // In what I have read so far of the Barefoot Woman, the author has focused a lot on the disparity between her siblings who can go away to school and her sisters stuck at home. She also focuses a lot on the children at the local school, and the constant desire to be best of the class on behalf of both the students and the parents, girls and boys.