Awele Ideal, at 7 months old she was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of her father and her abusive stepmother.

Her stepmother was so abusive towards her, she endured all manner of maltreatments she meted at her. Sometimes she went hungry for days. She would so starve her that she would be seeing death.

Against all odds, driven by her passion for education, Awele obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Delta State University and Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Benin, she was called to the Bar in 2011.

Today, Awele Ideal is an award-winning Lawyer, Mediator, Arbitrator, Child Rights Advocate, and Principal Counsel of Ideal Chambers, a law firm in Asaba, Nigeria.

She is a loving Mother, Golfer, Rotarian and a Farmer.

“I was abandoned by my mother at the age of seven months and started living with my father and stepmother. My stepmother was mean. I endured all manner of maltreatment she meted at me. Sometimes I went hungry for days. She would so starve me that I would be seeing death. On one occasion, I was very hungry that I had to eat our dog’s leftovers food”

“Our neighbor’s son caught me eating the dog’s leftover food and he told his mother who later that evening invited me to her house and asked me if what her son said was true. I was so terrified that I begged her not to tell my step mother, because she will kill me if she knew that I ate the dog’s leftover instead of throwing it away.”

“The woman wept and promised to give me food everyday without my stepmother’s knowledge, a promise she kept till we left the compound. As if starving me was not enough punishment, my Stepmother flogged me mercilessly until I would faint at times. She would also apply pepper in my vagina, eyes, armpit and neck, tie me up and abandon me in one of the toilets for days without food”

“Despite all these experiences, I was very bright academically and was loved and favored by God and people. The only way to escape was to achieve educational success and I did! SHARE TO BLESS SOMEONE!” said Awele Ideal. [Story Source: womenpowerafrica.com]

Women Power Africa (WPA) is an innovative initiative pioneered by Valentine Zoza and Zoza Communications that aims at igniting and promoting Women Empowerment throughout the African continent and the African Diaspora; and inspiring the next generation of African leaders.