When my father died, leaving no will, my family was kicked out of our home by relatives. For many years we were practically homeless. My mum fought for her rightful ownership of our home but eventually gave up. It affected our education, health, feeding, & career choices.

This inspired me to become an engineer and to create housing opportunities for people like my mum.

Despite qualifying to study the course of my choice, I couldn’t afford the fees since my mum was spending most of her hard-earned earnings on rent.

To spare my already overworked mother, I settled for a government-sponsored degree.

Although I never fulfilled my dream, it gave me an intimate passion & desire to help women like my mother, and this led me to found Smart Havens Africa.

Growing up in a family of eight, I knew poverty firsthand. My parents struggled to provide necessities.  Despite their limited income, they prioritized our education, sacrificing their own needs for ours. 

When our living situation became unbearable, my parents sent me to live with our relative, who was better off. However, her life took a turn when she became a single mother struggling to make ends meet. 

To support my new family, I started selling local mats on the streets to cover my school fees and food for my new family. Often, we had to choose between paying rent or school fees, which severely impacted my education.

This challenging experience sparked my entrepreneurial spirit and taught me about the harsh realities of poverty, especially for women-headed households. This enabled me to find Smart Havens Africa to put an end to it because I’ve been through it.