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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 

Ijeoma N. Nnamani, MD, PhD, RPh

Founder

IJEOMA N. NNAMANI MD, PhD, RPh

“Having lived in one of the greatest countries in the world and enjoying quality healthcare and 911, emergency services, I have always felt for my country of origin – Nigeria. Nigeria is a country where people die from treatable diseases daily and where people with psychiatric illness are seen walking naked on the road, people laughing at them, their family members and others calling it voodoo, and some pastors casting out demons from the patients.  Aware that it could be me but for the grace of God, I decided to start a nonprofit to address mental health awareness in Nigeria.  However, as a psychiatrist, I have been inspired by many of my patients suffering from both invisible and visible diseases including schizophrenia, bipolar, and major depression to name a few.  Some of my patients with severe illnesses have benefitted from psychiatric rehabilitation services and with their case managers and job coaches are now working and living a life worth living. Their acceptance of their illnesses and zeal to enjoy friends (co-workers) where they work inspired me to start a vocational rehab in my town of origin.  When I ask a patient if he is happy, he answers with enthusiasm. My questions about friends, he answers, my friends at work.  After another patient benefitted from Woodrow Wilson Rehab in Virginia, I went to their website and saw, “Don’t let what you cannot do prevent you from doing what you can”. It was then that I decided to build a vocational rehab that caters to people with all disabilities both visible and invisible”.

 

 

 

Managing Director

DOCHI NWAIGWE

Marketing & Licensing Expert

“This video of the prayer centers in Africa was very hard to watch. I remember leaving Imo state in June 2016 and seeing a man walking around by himself in hand cuffs. Till this day I wonder if he might have escaped from a prayer center. The Vocational Rehabilitation Center is definitely needed, more than one – all over Nigeria and beyond…” 

 

 

 

 

Treasurer

EVANGELIST ESTHER N. UDOH

BA in Banking, ABE/HSE Instructor

“In the learning environment are people who need special care.  They have goals and aspirations, and want to move on with their lives, but are hindered physically and emotionally.  Sometimes, they force their ways to success.  I am assured of victory in God’s word according to 2 Timothy 1:7. God has promised soundness of mind to His people. The Vocational Rehabilitation Center is needed to help individuals meet their goals.”

 

 

 

CHIMDI MEMNOFU CHUKA-OKOSA

Professor of Ophthalmology/ Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

“Mental illness is like any other illness with its diagnostic features. However, unlike glaucoma and malaria, the patients with mental illness are stigmatized and ostracized. The doctors and specialists in psychiatry and mental health need to carry out a lot of outreaches, speak more about its treatment, control etc. The more people  start talking about mental illness/mental health the more awareness will be created, the more enlightened people will become and this illness will be de-mystified. The world will then come to appreciate that a mentally ill person is also created in the image of God, loved by God and greatly valued by God.”

 

 

SANDY THOMAS M.D., Psychiatrist

“Since I was a teenager I wanted to help people who were struggling with depression and various Psychiatric diagnoses. However, I knew little at that time. Since becoming a Psychiatrist I have been blessed to have been working with patients over the past few years, I have been inspired by them. I have heard their experiences and been a part of them enduring their struggles. Humans are both vulnerable and resilient (with the right resources). But we need each other. We need to seek help from those around us and so I believe in Vocational Rehab being one of those resources. There may be no cure for various illnesses but there is the chance to improve quality of life and that is what I truly believe in. We don’t know when we will leave this earth but till then we ought to enjoy our lives as much as we can, no matter the struggles we face. There can be joy amidst the trials, the pain, and the struggles we endure in different ways.”

 

 

GEORGE UGWUEGBU

BSPS, CNMT, RT (CT)

“Throughout my years of working with patients in healthcare, I have been especially moved by my patients with mental illness. In a world with such few resources for mental health, I am committed to being an advocate for these brothers and sisters in Nigeria.”

 

 

IJEOMA MICHELLE OKEREKE

Lawyer and CSR Practitioner, Certified Mediator

“We may not all invent the internet, telephone or the cure for cancer, but we can all make the world a better place, one neighbor at a time. Africa, particularly Nigeria needs a mental health awakening. People should not be shamed nor stigmatized for stating publicly that they suffer mental health challenges and mental health services should not be the preserve of the upper class in society. The Vocational Rehabilitation Centre is the much needed fountain in the desert. With a deep sense of humility and responsibility, I look forward to being a part of a project that should be replicated in every community in Africa.”

 

 

Secretary

IFECHI UGWU

B.A. in Public Policy,  B.A. in French

"I am passionate about legal affairs and how that concerns those affected by mental health conditions on the African continent. Adequate and appropriate access to treatment are important, but the Vocational Rehabilitation Center affords individuals the ability to overcome barriers in order to access,  maintain,  or return to meaningful careers."

 

  

 

TOCHI DIKE

IT Auditor

 

 

CHRISTIANA DIKE

Pharm D.,  Clinical Pharmacist

The Vocational Rehabilitation Center will be an ideal place in many States in Nigeria, where so many families are affected by mental illness. This illness is regarded as a taboo in Nigeria and in most African countries. In 2008, while visiting Nigeria, I remember seeing a man with a group of mentally ill men and women all in chains begging for food or money. The one thing that struck me the most was one of the women was carrying a child of about eight months old. With a place like Chisovn Vocational Rehabilitation Center, many of the children will benefit so much from it. 

 

 

EMEKA OPUTA

B.A. in Economics & Political Science

While working towards completing his degree, Mr. Oputa spent his summers as an intern in Washington D.C. at the International Trade Commission, an independent regulatory government agency, and IPA, a global consulting firm. He comes to Chisovn Inc. with an open mind, heart, and desire for the further development of mental health awareness, research, and advocacy as he has witnessed the effects firsthand.

“A smile or a tear has no nationality; joy and sorrow speak alike to all nations, and they, above all the confusion of tongues, proclaim the brotherhood of man” – Frederick Douglass

 

 

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