Harvard Alumni for Global Women's Empowerment

This event took place on December 3rd, 2022. You can find a recording of the event on our YouTube Channel.

On December 3rd, GlobalWE Connect will hold the fourth event in its Women’s Empowerment Fireside Chat Series featuring Special Needs Initiative for Growth and its Founding Executive Director, Racheal Inegbedion.
 

Launched in 2021, the Fireside Chat Series features dialogues with senior leaders of organizations serving women and girls worldwide and the challenges and opportunities they encounter in a rapidly-changing world. The first three events in this series featured BRAC and BRAC USA, Women for Women International, and CAMFED USA. 
 

About Special Needs Initiative for Growth 

Special Needs Initiative for Growth is a civil society organization/NGO in Nigeria that provides empowerment tools, resources and programs for children, early adults, young adults and aged persons with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, visual impairment and autism spectrum disorders. Special Needs Initiative for Growth proffers education technology, rehabilitative technologies, policy communications, advocacy, mentorship, capacity building, health support services, career development and entrepreneurship to promote and sustain the social and economic wellbeing and rights of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. 
 

The event will be held via Zoom on Saturday, December 3rd at 12 pm ET. 
 

Registration is free, with a suggested donation of $10 to support GlobalWE programming.

 
GlobalWE Connect is an initiative that connects Harvard University alumni with organizations leading the way globally for women’s empowerment in the arts, social services, education, health, economic development, entrepreneurship, policy, STEM, and other fields. GlobalWE Connect provides a forum for discussion with these organizations and hosts a Women’s Empowerment Expo, which enables these organizations to engage with Harvard University alumni and students as well as professors, staff, and other members of the Harvard University community who seek internship, volunteer, mentorship, career exploration, and charitable giving opportunities.

Meet our Speaker

Racheal Inegbedion

Founding Executive Director, Special Needs Initiative for Growth

Racheal Inegbedion has 9 years of experience in Disability Advocacy, Policy and Youth & Development issues. Currently, Racheal is the Founding Executive Director of the Special Needs Initiative For Growth (SNIG), a non-Governmental organisation focused on empowering persons with disabilities through the provision of resources and practical programs for living a meaningful life. She connects persons with disabilities with demand driven ICT tools and resources so that they can access inclusive education and then employment opportunities. She is an Ashoka young change maker and a  2021 Mandela Washington Fellow Alumna, a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by the International Research & Exchanges Board. Racheal's organization was awarded for the best innovative practice in employment and ICT for persons with disabilities by the Zero Project.

Racheal is a Global Exchange on Religion in Society Fellow by the European Union External Action. She was recognised by the United Nations Secretary-General Envoy on Youth as one of the 10 young leaders inspired to change the world during the COVID-19 crisis. Racheal has been featured on the technology news of the Voice of America and Google Chrome as a “Google Leaptaker” for using STEM and Robotics to empower youths with disabilities in Africa. Lastly, Racheal is undergoing her Msc. Sustainable Development at the University of St. Andrews Scotland. Her goal in the next few years is to  proffer her expertise on a multilateral level at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs under the office of the Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility where she will be promoting the rights of

Persons with Disabilities at a larger scale.

Meet our Moderator
Ariette Escobar 

Education Professional

Ariette Escobar has worked in education, investment banking, college admissions, and is a multilingual private translator and tutor with differing levels of proficiency in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, and French. She double majored and received her BA from College of the Holy Cross in French, Sociology/Anthropology with a concentration in International Studies and received an MBA from the University of Scranton. She received a certificate in International Security from Harvard’s Extension School and recently finished a Masters Degree in International Relations. She worked at East Stroudsburg University as a Professional Tutor for six years before moving to Brazil on a global assignment. She enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures and has been able to visit over 40 different countries. She now works as educator in the Stroudsburg School District. She is a native New Yorker currently residing in Pennsylvania with her husband and three children.