It is our pleasure to announce that President Joseph R. Biden has honored our Founder and President, Dr. Charity Ezenwa-Onuaku with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest community achievement award presented by the President of the United States. Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku received the award at the reception held in Houston, Texas on the 2023 World Humanitarian Day, August 19, 2023.
The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2003 by President George W. Bush’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The goal of the award is to recognize the service and civic contributions of Americans to their communities nationwide. The award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku’s Community Service
Over the years, Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku has devoted her time, skills, and resources to creating and implementing financial literacy programs for WealthyGen. She delivers these programs in person at various locations in the DMV area; and virtually, empowering many people across the globe.
Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku designed the Financial Empowerment for Young Adults (FEYA) which has empowered many high school seniors through the Innovation Scholarship Program of the Office of Prince George’s County Council Member-at-Large. Additionally, her partnership with Sitar Arts Center delivered a notable FEYA program for the Bloomberg Internship Program. She is truly building a financially savvy, financially included, and financially empowered generation of young adults.
In addition, Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku also dedicates her time and resources to helping women gain power in their families and communities. She performs financial counseling services and hosts financial education workshops. Through these, she has helped many women get on the path to living financially well and achieving sustainable growth.
Impacts in Africa
Although Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku is based in the United States, her impact extends beyond the United States and reaches Africa. She has provided better lives for many widows in Africa through WealthyGen’s signature Women Empowerment Project (WE Project). This program is for widows who live in poor households with little children who are at risk of being withdrawn from school for non-payment of tuition.
So far, through the WE Project, she has set up businesses for over fifty (50) widows in Nigeria and still counting. Through the program, we open savings accounts for the widows; and train them in financial literacy and success skills. The training equips them with the skills to successfully run their new businesses and earn a sustainable income. We do all these at no cost to the widows.
To fund these projects, Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku has dedicated to putting aside a portion of her salary every pay period. Once the savings are substantive, she will add them to the donations from individuals and use them to empower the widows.
Her goal is that no widow should stay without earning her income and no child should drop out of school for lack of tuition simply because the widowed mother has no livelihood.
In her closing statement at the award reception, Dr. Ezenwa-Onuaku said: “I want to thank you for recognizing our work. This award is only charging me to do more. Above all, we will continue to help people live financially well and achieve sustainable growth”.
