2023 Winner
Ehinor Otaigbe-Amedu
Charity and food bank founder who empowers and supports women in her community.
Ehinor Otaigbe-Amedu is a hero to many. The founder of Wonderfully Made Woman, a Manchester charity that tackles issues from isolation to domestic abuse, the lawyer has helped countless women through her dedication and hard work.
“When I came in contact with Wonderfully Made Woman, she opened my eyes,” said Emem Eze, who says her life has been transformed since meeting Ehinor. “Meeting her was like meeting the light. I was in a very dark place, and now I’ve seen the light.” Ehinor set up her charity 11 years ago and since then has established a powerful network of women in the city.
Her organisation holds a range of confidence-boosting workshops including classes to relieve stress and anxiety, digital skills training and employment support. It also offers the opportunity to make connections through a befriending service for single mums. Ehinor, who grew up in Nigeria before moving to the UK with her family in 2005, experienced her own feelings of low self-esteem after her marriage ended.
Ehinor said: “Being a single mum, there’s a big stigma in my community. That was why I actually set up that charity in my living room 11 years ago, where women come and they talk about issues that they are going through. I remember those days I used to just cry. I could feel their pain.” As of March 2023, Wonderfully Made Women supported 600 women actress Greater Manchester, and during the Covid pandemic, the charity supported more than 2,000 women and their children. They also started the first African food bank in the Greater Manchester area to help support the community in challenging times.
Ehinor added: “To anyone going through any difficult time, whether it’s relationship breakdown or whatever it is, never give up on yourself. Never stay alone. Speak out. Let them know what you’re going through. There is always support for you somewhere. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.”