ABOUT WHOLE WOMAN NETWORK
Whole Woman Network, WWN, is an Advocacy, Empowerment and Leadership Social Enterprise founded by two Nigerian Canadian women, Diana Barikor-Wiwa and Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido, while both were undertaking their Masters degree programs at the University of Toronto, Canada and Manchester Business school, University of Manchester, UK, respectively.
WWN was initially started as an informal Networking group for a few African women in the diaspora. The objectives were simply to provide a safe space to thrive; hold one another accountable on their various goals and dreams, to motivate and share peer-to-peer support and strategies on living a healthy lifestyle (‘Business-Financial-Spiritual-Leisure-Health-Work-Life’ integration).
As the membership base expanded to include all BIPOC demographics, the group soon morphed into a registered social enterprise on December 4, 2010 with a formal launch event at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. The organization’s head office is still currently based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. However, several programs are also delivered in different countries in Africa.
WWN is a membership based organization and the membership fees are paid on an annual, rolling calendar basis. WWN training, coaching, consulting services, programs, projects are delivered via several channels. They include: collaborative projects partnerships with different value partners (Individuals, Corporate entities, Not-for-profit groups, Cooperatives, and Government agencies); certification trainings, personal development seminars, webinars, workshops, keynotes, creative and fun networking opportunities and inspirational learning sessions, all facilitated by our network of dynamic professional subject matter experts (SME). Presently, WWN membership base extends to over eleven (11) countries across Africa, Caribbean and North America.
WWN runs a sustainable social enterprise model, in which at least fifty percent (50%) of the organization’s profits are reinvested back into projects and programs that enhance equity, social justice and socio-economic freedoms, with a special focus on BIPOC women and girls.
Our Proprietary Programs and Services:
i) SEED4Her Initiative – Sustainable Education and Empowerment Development programs for young girls in secondary schools and universities. (It includes a unique ‘Signature Style’ program, Leadership, Empowerment and Community Development trainings).
ii) FLOW: Financial Literacy for Women – A holistic approach to understanding money and the financial environment, build resilience and create sustainable economic empowerment for individuals, households and communities.
iii) POETRY4Change – An initiative that uses the power of poetry, spoken word and creative writing to create awareness about issues in the society and thus effect change. It empowers the youths (especially girls), to develop communication skills by finding, embracing and using their voices.
iv) Lifestyle Loan Program (LLP) and Peer-2-Peer Loans – Making your money work for you by applying common-sense to money-sense! A focus on creating sustainable economic empowerment for women by directly providing community-based, peer-2-peer loans to fund business expenses, skill acquisition training and other lifestyle needs. We currently offer two streams: Whole Woman Network Lending Circle for members based in Canada ($500 to $5000), and Nwanyibuife Peer-to-Peer Loans for members based in Africa and the Carribean (The range varies).
vi) WWN Life Transformation and Business Coaching Programs –
i. “UN-Locking Your HeART of Leadership”
ii. “90-Days to a Happier, Healthier, Sexier, Sassier, Wealthier & Whole YOU”
WWN coaching programs uses an integrated approach which is broadly divided into two streams:
i. Business Coaching Programs (Holistic Business Strategy Sessions, Personal, Business Development, Coaching on how to access Capital & Business Coaching);
ii. Leadership Coaching Programs (Personal Development & Transformation, Relationship Building, Community Development and Social Responsibility), thus building up a ‘Whole WoMan’. Our Leadership programs are a fusion of top mind-body tools and unique indigenous and proprietary frames: #BridgingTheIntegrityGap and #TRACE and #ABCD Community Development models.
At Whole Woman Network, we take a unique approach to Training and Coaching. Our programs are based on: Universal principles, Indigenous African cultural values and sciences, Strategic Intervention (SI) Principles, Science (Behavioural and Neuro-Sciences), Top Industry Leadership Principles and Frames and Plain Old Common Sense!
Our unique approach is results-driven and based on measurable deliverables. It focuses more on sustainable behavioural re-patterning and ACTIONABLE steps! We aim to provide our members, clients and value-partners, with a compelling ‘call-to-action’ on issues affecting their overall well-being by empowering them with tools to gain mastery over ALL facets of their lives.
Programs are delivered through customized one-on-one and/or group experiential coaching sessions, via online and offline (on-site, face-to-face) channels. We believe that no matter what your income level and background are, it is everyone’s Fundamental ‘WoMan’ Right to live an empowered, joyful, whole, authentic and fulfilling life, and transform their communities!
WWN platforms, coaching and training programs are tour guides on a journey to co-create empowered individuals, families and communities. WWN is committed to delivering sustainable leadership coaching, training and consulting programs that enhance excellence by unlocking untapped Human Potential. Our goal is to engage, educate & empower WoMen and Youths, especially girls in under-served communities, to become influential leaders and catalysts of transformation in their immediate and expanded environments.
WWN Timelines
December of 2010: The first of many WWN Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCA) aka “Esusu” groups was formed.
January of 2011: WWN started the “The Healthy Lifestyle Clubs”. The inaugural session was held at the Richmond Hill Public Library. And subsequent monthly sessions were held at the Meeting Room located in Loblaws (Bayview & High Tech Road), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. The program includes the Healthy steps walking clubs and nutrition sessions facilitated by a team of subject matter experts (Doctors, Nutritionists, Fitness Experts etc).
July of 2011: WWN started the ‘Inspired Reading’ book club series and provided over 2000 copies of romance novels and motivational books (sourced from individuals, libraries and thrift stores in Canada), at discounted rates, to women in Lagos, Nigeria and Monrovia, Liberia. This enabled them to kick-start sustainable business ventures as mobile book sellers/vendors, offering affordable fee-based book loaner programs in their communities.
January of 2012: WWN introduced their acclaimed Financial Literacy and Esusu* Saving Programs for women and ingeniously delivered these workshops directly in the homes of their target population, using the popular home party model employed by successful direct sales companies.
July of 2012: A few months after successfully running sessions and batches of their Financial Literacy and Esusu* Saving Programs respectively, they launched their Lifestyle Loans Programs for women (LLP).
January of 2013: WWN got its first Angel Investor and there are currently 13 Angel Investors.
July of 2013: WWN began a phased expansion of its group coaching and training programs.
January of 2014: WWN launched the first group real estate investment club for its members.
January of 2015: WWN obtained its first private-partnership grant and completed its first series of international leadership trainings for 500 women and girls.
April of 2015: (On International Poetry Day), WWN launched Poetry4Change initiative and a radio show on 105.9 FM The Region, “FLOETRY by JulietKego”, anchored by one of the co-founders.
From its inception till date: WWN has continued to develop a series of proprietary leadership frames, blueprints and training programs using an evidence-based and culturally informed approach. The focus is to provide a collaborative platform and act as bridge-catalyst by engaging, educating & empowering women leaders (in particular, women of African and Caribbean descent, at home and in the diaspora), to live with purpose, passion and power and, transform their communities!
Our Vision
Creating a Hub for Visionary Women and Youth Leaders in the Global North and South to cooperate, and enhance our socio-economic well-being, dignity, rights and freedom, while dismantling systemic inequalities and institutional barriers.
Our Mission
By year 2050, to engage, educate and empower at least one million African Canadian Women and Youth, and equip them to become Transformational, Resilient, Ethical, Entrepreneurial, Sustainability-conscious Leaders in their communities & countries.
Resilient Individuals ➤ Empowered Families ➤ Sustainable Communities
➤ Stronger Institutions ➤ Transformational Leaders ➤ Healthier & Safer Planet.
OUR MODEL
Resilient Individuals ➤ Empowered Families ➤ Sustainable Communities
➤ Stronger Institutions ➤ Transformational Leaders ➤ Healthier & Safer Planet
WWN runs a sustainable social enterprise model; at least fifty percent (50%) of the organization’s profits are reinvested back into projects and programs that create sustainable social change, especially for women and girls.
An Integrated, Collaborative and Holistic Approach that centres both Indigeneous Wisdom and Contemporary Knowledge – We provide a bridge between our members in the global North and South, and a safe space for them to collaborate across multi-disciplinary fields to co-create innovative, ecological and culturally attuned solutions for challenges in their communities;
Train-the-Trainer Model– Strategically empowering leaders to empower and raise other leaders in their immediate circles of influence. This ensures a continuos pipeline of community leaders invested in sustainability and scalability of programs and projects;
Asset-Based Community Development Model (ABCD) – A unique glocal and grassroots approach which enhances project ownership, agency, dignity and accountability in community development. Each community focuses on its core comparative advantages, assets and resources.
Frameworks: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs2030); Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
Black Feminist Theory & Intersectional Lens addressing trifecta of systemic Racism, Patriarchy, Classism
#NoOneLeftBehind – Justice, Equity, Empathy, Diversity, Dignity, Inclusion, Belonging, Accessibility
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
These are some additional core related principles that form the cornerstone of our Social Enterprise Model and guide all of WWN’s Projects, Training Courses, Collaborations and Community Engagements:
- Power of Community and CoCreation
The idea that leadership is primarily a partnership and that we are all interconnected in our communities; a ‘values-exchange’ between the leaders and the led (the citizens). It highlights the power of an awakened, informed, empowered, courageous, resourceful and aware citizenry to create sustainable and transformational change in society. - Bridging The Integrity Gap
Based on the work of Dr. Tad and Dr. Arianna James – The precept that within every individual there exists an integrity gap and that the more we become aware, take responsibility, become accountable and narrow these gaps, the more we can become transformational leaders within our circles of influence, by being exemplary curious, disciplined, authentic and whole. - 5 P’s of Empowered Living: Power, Passion, Purpose, Profit and Path
- Our unique Transformational Leadership model captured by WWN’s proprietary Values Hierarchy Quadrant [Concepts included: Emotional, Intellectual and Experiential Intelligence Quotients, Understanding the ‘DOING’ and ‘BEING’ axis of transformational personal leadership, the relationship between values hierarchy and unlocking leadership potentials, the concept of leadership as service and using the arts (Poetry/the humanities) and STEM to create societal change].
WWN BLOG
Our Values
WHOLENESS
❝To drop into being means to recognize your interconnectedness with all life, and with being itself. Your very nature is being part of larger and larger spheres of wholeness.❞ — Jon Kabat-Zinn
INTEGRITY
❝We learned about honesty and integrity - that the truth matters...that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square.❞ — Michelle Obama
ACCOUNTABILITY
❝Accountability and self-responsibility are critical to our success in personal, professional and public life. However, we often look for those character traits in others, rather than inculcating them in ourselves.❞ ― Vishwas Chavan
COMMUNITY & CO-CREATIVITY
❝The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. Compassion and courage co-create positive change.❞ — Coretta Scott King
COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE & EQUITY
❝“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.❞ — Aristotle
GRATITUDE & PASSION FOR LIFE
❝Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.❞ —Melody Beattie
