Yemisi Onigbinde

I am 39 year old mother of 2 children. I am originally from Nigeria but spent most of my life in England. Haringey is a very diverse community. Many people have a good underling attitude and are involved in care and community work in the borough. For instance, I’ve seen people waking up early in the morning to meet and pray for the social transformation of the borough, Churches collaborating together to take care of the homeless and provide them shelter.

The council works really well with groups and I love the fact that people actually want to do something, rather than sit and complain about the problems. Of course there are lots of challenges, but the charities are really good and proactive. Once they see a problem they immediately start wondering what they can do about it, and that’s what I love most.
Also, there is a huge diversity of cultures, backgrounds, age-groups etc. It’s also a very cosmopolitan area with ample transportation and good access to other parts of London.

I head up an organization called Faith action, which is designed to equip local churches in delivering community social projects. We produce magazines, resources, training, conferencing and lots of advocacy so that Church leaders are equipped to deliver sustainable projects meeting the needs of those seeking their help. This is very important because faith plays a very crucial role in the life. People in need don't go to their local council, but rather to a church or Faith leader regarding their problems. In spite of this however, Church leaders don’t have all the tools and technical information to fully support the needs of people seeking their help so we encourage collaboration with Statutory agencies and other Sectors. William Wilberforce is my life model - the issue of his time was the slave trade and he had the tenacity to do something about it. He used his position and life for a bigger force than himself! Ultimately Jesus Christ is my biggest role model.

What would I suggest to future leaders? Ask God “what your purpose in life is? What problem you were created to solve?” - If you are not of faith, ask yourself: “What you are passionate about?” Once you’ve established that, do something about it! Above all believe in yourself.