Crystal Chigbu is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, Startup company, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to ...

and a development consultant. She founded The IREDE Foundation after her daughter was born without a

shinbone The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the t ...

. Her foundation provides prosthetics and other walking aids to children 18 and under. Through her foundation, Crystal has provided over 120 prosthetic limbs to over 82 children across 17 states in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Education and career

She is a graduate of

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry. Crystal is a member of the Business and Professional Women of Nigeria, a member of the Nigerian Network of NGOs, and a graduate of the Pan African University's Enterprise Development Centre. She is a graduate of the Acumen fellowship program.

Personal life

Crystal hails from Epe in

Lagos state Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

and married to Zubby Chigbu and they have two children together. Crystal Chigbu's daughter was born without a tibia and a knee cap. As a result, Crystal and her husband labored nonstop to find a solution. Getting their daughter an artificial limb was the smartest idea they'd ever done, and it was from there that the desire to aid other children, particularly those who couldn't afford one, arose.

Crystal and The IREDE Foundation

Crystal founded after working for 12 years as a sales and marketing manager for

Procter and Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/cons ...

. The IREDE Foundation to advocate for young amputees and children with limb disorders, as well as to work closely with specialists and the community to ensure that they are self-sufficient. The foundation seeks to accomplish this by providing prosthetic and orthodontic devices to underprivileged youngsters (ages 2 to 18). It also encourages children and their parents through support groups and helps them reintegrate into the school system following their recovery. The Foundation started precisely 23 August 2012, but the plan began in June 2012.

Awards and recognition

Crystal Chigbu has received several awards for her work including the ''Life Transformation Award'' from Wise Women Awards., The ''Ebony Life TV sponsored Sisterhood Award'' for ''Philanthropist of the year'' (2014) and the ''Naija Diamonds Award'' (2014) sponsored by

Diamond Bank Diamond Bank Plc., was a Nigerian multinational financial service provider. Diamond Bank was acquired by Access Bank in December 2018, and announced to complete the transactions of the merger fully in the first half of 2019. On 1 April 2019, ...

. She has also been nominated for HNWOTY special award.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chigbu, Crystal Living people People from Aba, Nigeria People from Lagos State Nigerian social entrepreneurs Year of birth missing (living people) University of Lagos alumni