Shulamite Ezechi

Growing up as a woman in Nigeria, Shulamite Ezechi faced many personal challenges and struggles in a country where gender-based violence, rape, and female genital mutilation (FGM) are commonplace. Finding the strength to overcome these struggles inspired her to create ANYiSO, an award-winning charity whose goal is to help other women who have grown up in similar conditions and empower them to fulfil their full potential.

In 2009 Shulamite Moved from Nigeria to Glasgow to study at Glasgow Caledonian University. However, in 2015 she made the decision to leave her career in dietetics and human nutrition behind in order to create her charity ANYiSO, which translates to ‘we belong’ in a local dialect from an Igbo tribe in Nigeria.

The charity supports young people, refugees, asylum seekers and women who have faced gender-based violence, rape, abuse, human trafficking and FGM. They help by having a team of staff and volunteers from the local community who assess the women and provide tailored support dependent on their needs. ANYiSO has provided support for over 4000 people so far and was recently recognized with Charity of the Year at the Prestige Awards.

Shulamite says: “You must love those women to be able to support them. The women need emotional support to be able to face their challenges, they need someone to lean on, especially in a foreign country where they do not have family support.”

“My passion is to support people and to make a change” which Shulamite does by being a part of the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on BAME (Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic) Women and Girls. She has also served as a member of the Refugee Women’s Strategy Group and as a board member of North Glasgow Community Food Initiative. As well as this she actively contributes to the review of many policies that affect ethnic minority women and young people.

She describes her career by saying that: “The drive for change inspired me to do what I am doing now. The only fulfillment one can have in life is doing what you are passionate about. I don’t see my passion as a job, I enjoy it and find fulfillment in it. I am so proud of the progress we have made and the people we have been able to support.”