Amarachi Iheonunekwu

About the Candidate

AMARACHI IHEONUNEKWU

343-552-0882 / Iheonunekwu.amarachi@gmail.com

 

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

 

·     Certified Community Service Worker and Global Health professional with over 8 years of experience in working with high need individuals and communities in government and non-for-profit settings.

·     Proven expertise in policy research, health promotion, outreach works, community development and health advocacy.

·     Strong verbal and written communication skills including active listening skills, presentation, facilitation, and report writing.

·     Excellent interpersonal skills and cross-cultural competency including the ability to work effectively within a team and develop partnerships and stakeholder engagement.

·     Strong knowledge of various community organizations and social related services supporting high priority neighbourhoods including housing, settlement, schools, social assistance, and primary health services.

·     Experience with MS Office software, database applications knowledge of virtual video conferencing tools (e.g., Zoom, WebEx, Team, etc.), canvas and survey monkey.

·     Proficient in oral and written English language, Igbo language and with basic Knowledge of oral and written Spanish.

 

 

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

 

Support Worker

John Howard Society of Ottawa                                                                                                                                                               Sep. 2021 – Present

 

·  Conduct intake and risk assessment for teen girls and young women in a residential setting and support in designing clients care plans according to needs.

·  Meet with clients to discuss needs, emotional concerns and provide emotional supports.

·  Assist clients to source for and access social related services in the communities including employment resources, housing supports food assistance and primary health services.

·  Support in program planning and delivery and helping clients to participate in programs.

·  Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to provide efficient collateral supports for clients.

·  Prepare case notes and manage the case logbook.

·  Attend and engage in regular team and external meetings, supervision sessions, and performance and development review process.

 

Outreach Worker

Sound Care Wellness, Ottawa (Volunteer)                                                                                                                                              June 2021 – Present

 

·  Conduct intake assessment and wellness checks for African and black immigrant communities and provide supports, referrals and follow-ups as needed.

·  Support in planning and preparation of workshops, programs, and recreational activities for beneficiaries of various ages and co-facilitate virtual and in-person group sessions of up to 15 participants.

·  Conduct research on community health promotion topics and social-related services and prepare infographics and posters for coping mechanism and positive lifestyle awareness.

·  Contributed to 80% increment to project funding by researching and drafting grant proposals and supporting documents based on funding requirements.

·  Attend and engage in team and external planning and review meetings.

 

Program Assistant

Lafiya Wealth Initiative, Nigeria                                                                   Jan. 2019 – Present

·  Contributed to 100% increment to projects funding by researching and drafting grant proposals and supporting documents based on funding requirements.

·   Engaged in social media activities for promoting and monitoring of trends for programs and events reaching potentially 2,300,000 persons.

·   Created evidence based key messages for flyers and posters used for online and offline advocacy and awareness campaigns.

·   Consulted with local government representatives to understand community needs and strategize response plans.

 

 

Legislative / Technical Assistant on Health Matters

House of Representatives, Nigeria,                                                                                    2016 – 2020

 

·  Researched health policies, laws, and regulations; delivered analysis reports and recommendations to team members and supervisors in support of the Committee’s agendas.

·   Prepared proposals that produced donations of money and resources towards the execution of medical outreach programs to over 3,000 constituents.

·   Wrote projects and programs outcome reports for relevant stakeholders and partners.

·   Facilitated communications between the Committee and internal and external stakeholders.

·   Supported in planning of conferences and workshops in collaboration with relevant agencies and organizations and acted as liaison between the committee and other agencies.

 

Health Officer (Volunteer)

Nigerian Red Cross Society, Nigeria                                                                       2012 – 2016

·  Supported in planning, implementing, and monitoring of maternal, newborn and child health outreach programs.

·  Monitored and evaluated programs during implementation and collated data from field volunteers for analysis before reporting.

·  Supported and co-facilitated focused group discussions (FGDs) as part of participatory community intervention work to improve mother-child care.
·  Worked closely with partner agencies and Local Government Area teams to plan and attend review meeting for performance evaluation, harmonization, and improvement recommendations for better coverage.

 

 

EDUCATION

·  M.Sc., Global Health, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

·  Post Grad. Diploma, Global Health, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

·  Diploma, Addictions & Community Service Worker, Willis College Ottawa, ON.

 

TRAININGS AND certifications

·  CPR & First Aid, Canadian Red Cross

·  Psychological First Aid (Selfcare & Care for Others), Canadian Red Cross.

·  Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, Living Works, Canada.

·  National Vocational Qualification Level 3 – Health and Social Care, London Training College, U.K.