A Legacy of Empowerment
Sandra's Legacy
From the earliest EWEV gatherings to a national stage at Voice of America — a look back at the moments that shaped a mission dedicated to women finding their voice.
Sandra Ekpenyong
From the earliest EWEV gatherings to a national stage at Voice of America — a look back at the moments that shaped a mission dedicated to women finding their voice.
Long before EWEV became the organization it is today, it started as gatherings of women determined to be heard — in banquet halls, at panel tables, and in circles of conversation that changed lives.
Since its earliest events, EWEV has centered its work on one belief: that every woman deserves a place at the table to be heard, no matter her background, religion, race, or circumstance.
The organization's first conferences brought women together for panel discussions, live performances, and honest conversation about rebuilding after hardship — laying the foundation for the empowerment work EWEV carries out today under its five tenets: Engage, Empower, Equip, Encourage, and Excel.
What began as a single room of women determined to support one another has grown into a mission that now reaches women across the country and around the world.
EWEV's mission has drawn national media attention for the way it centers survivors' stories of resilience and hope.
CBS4 Miami covered EWEV's conference sponsoring women from local shelters for a day dedicated to practical, realistic tools for rebuilding their lives and finding their voice.
Keynote speaker Kay Mullins of Columbus, Ohio shared her story of surviving a violent attack by her estranged husband — a message of survival and hope that anchored the conference's theme of moving forward after tragedy.
Sandra was invited to Voice of America's Washington, DC studios as a featured panelist for a discussion on the Boko Haram kidnappings of the Chibok schoolgirls in Northern Nigeria and the ongoing effort to bring them home.
Featured Panelist
At the panel table alongside human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe and Dr. Ibrahim O. Salau, Sandra Ekpenyong spoke as the founder of Empowering Women, Empowering Voices, addressing the challenges facing the kidnapped Chibok girls and the women left to carry their communities forward.
Serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
Spearheaded an aggressive campaign for the freedom of the Chibok girls still in captivity, pushing for House passage of a bill condemning Boko Haram.
International human rights lawyer specializing in Africa. His Education After Escape initiative helped ten Chibok schoolgirls who escaped Boko Haram continue their studies in the United States.
President of Zumunta USA, Inc., a non-profit using the strength of the Nigerian Diaspora to improve living conditions in Northern Nigeria.
Moments from Sandra's advocacy and public speaking, captured on video.