Michael Ukwuma – Founder of SEVICS , Nigeria

About SEVICS

Society for Empowering Vulnerable Individuals, Communities and Systems (SEVICS) is an organization that is set to provide people-centered interventions that target improved wellbeing and livelihood of the most vulnerable persons in rural Nigerian communities especially young persons and the aged. SEVICS combines participatory learning, advocacy and community development to contribute towards improved social systems using simple, affordable, socially acceptable approaches, technologies and innovations.

Michael Ukwuma is the Founder of SEVICS, a non-profit organization based in Nigeria that works with the youth to build up future generations of Africans and he hosts the SEVICS AFRICA Youtube Channel, Peakie You Podcast that is published across many platforms. He leverages content creation to educate young Africans. Michael is also the HundrED Country Lead for Nigeria and works with other HundrED Ambassadors to promote innovations in Education. He consults with numerous organizations where he contributes to program development, strategic planning, research and training. Notably, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) appointed him as a Coach in their Entrepreneurial development program. 

Michael Ukwuma has eleven (11) years of work experience in the nonprofit sector. He trained as a Human Rights Educator at the Equitas International Center for Human Rights Education in Montreal, Canada. He received a Master’s Degree in Public Health Education from the University of Nigeria and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anatomy from Madonna University, both in Nigeria. In the past 7 years, Michael worked as a Program Officer of the Carmelite Prisoner Interest Organization (CAPIO) where he contributed to twelve projects and raised over two million Euro for Criminal Justice Reforms and Youth Development in Nigeria. He has worked in research funded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), EuropeAid, VOICE, and Misean Cara. Michael has interests in Sexual and Reproductive Health, Youth Empowerment, Fundraising, and Project Development. His dream is to inspire the next generation of Nigerians to be innovative and develop effective leadership skills.

HELPING HIS COMMUNITY COPE DURING THE PANDEMIC

The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic meant that the youth could no longer go to school and stayed confined in their homes. SEVICS organized several virtual training events on various content creation formats including podcasting, YouTube, blogging and time management. They had about 500 students in these training events. Following the training, 46 participants became active content creators. A list of these creators can be found here and are now organized in a group called the Top 100 Creators Group, Michael has continued to provide mentorship for these young people. However, with the easing of lockdown orders imposed by the government, most of the youth are back to school and this intervention is gradually winding down. Besides these, health education and counselling was provided to young persons through the SEVICS twitter page.

IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP

Michael believes that leadership is an invaluable aspect of life. To create a sustainable society, it is important  that leaders emerge, not as individuals to guide others but as co-collaborators working for change. Hence, their work at SEVICS seeks to build leadership skills in young people irrespective of their place of origin, age, gender, social status, religious and political affiliation. He believes that the more leaders we have in Africa, the better coordinated our collective actions can be to engender the development we crave for.