Stephanie Okereke Biography (Career, Endorsements, Achievements)

Stephanie Okereke is a Nigerian actress, film maker and entrepreneur. Also, she is the Chief Executive Director of Extended Hands Foundation, a non-governmental organization which helps facilitate free treatment for women and girls with obstetric fistula. Her natural acting abilities and tenacity has earned her the reputation of one of the best actresses in nollywood.

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Stephanie Okereke Biography

Stephanie Okereke was born on the 2nd of October, I982 in Ngor Okpala, Imo State. She is the sixth child of Mary and (late) Chima Okereke. She had her basic and secondary education in Delta State. Stephanie has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Literary Studies from the University of Calabar, Cross River State.

Career

She pursued her acting career at a tender age since 1997. Her career rocketed ever since she debuted as an actress in the 1997 Nigerian movies, Compromise 2 and Waterloo. She has starred in more than 100 movies and has received several awards and nominations for After a successful debut as a director and producer, she released another hit movie, Dry in 2014. Dry focused on Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) conditions and under aged marriage among young women in Africa. The movie received public recognition’s and awards both locally and internationally. The attention impacted her reputation positively and also gave her recognition as humanitarian.

In 2012, the A-list actress launched a personal blog site, Stephanie Daily to interact with her fans. In her words, “It’s my own personal space for me to interact with the wonderful fans I have been blessed with. It’s called Stephanie Daily for a reason – that means, everyday there’s something new to talk about. So now there’s an actual platform that draws me closer to the people who believe in what I do.”

She Daily, which is a magazine, is a blend of fashion, beauty, inspiration, gist, giveaways for fans and loads of pictures.

In 2015, she started a TV reality show, Make me Fabulous. Make me Fabulous is an unscripted, love filled and one-of- its-kind. The reality show helps to rekindle the spark in marriages from newly-weds to old couples. It takes the couples on transformational journey that give them the chance to connect without distractions.

Endorsements

Stephanie Okereke is a brand ambassador for many organisations including the MINISO Nigeria, Green Valley Oatmeal.

She was a representative of Kanekalon Hair, Diva Pads and Nigerian Young Professional Forum (NYPF).

In 2015, the National Democratic Institute appointed her as the ambassador for Stop Violence against Women in Elections (STOP-VAWIE).

She was named the brand ambassador for Nollycasting, an online casting platform for personnel in various field including commercials, comedy etc.

Achievements

In 2010, Stephanie Okereke joined Hollywood star Meryl Streep, for an exclusive stage reading of the play “Seven” at the Hudson Theatre in New York City as part of the Women in the World Conference, opened by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She also featured in CNN documentary “50 years of Nigerian Independence”.

In 2016, she spoke alongside other world leaders like the First Female U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine K Albright and the Canadian First Lady, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at the #NotTheCost Conference in New York in her capacity as the NDI’s Celebrity Ambassador for the ‘STOP Violence Against Women in Elections’ campaign.

Philanthropy

She is an advocate against injustices such as early child marriage and policies that do not protect girls and women. Using her movie, ‘Dry’ to create awareness about Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), she has since done extensive work on the medical condition.

She started a non-profit foundation, Extended Hands to help women and girls with obstetric fistula. Extended Hands provides free surgeries to heal women and girls with obstetric fistula, support the treatment centers and work closely with the doctors to provide high quality treatment.

Since the foundation was founded, it has made donations to many Fistula Hospitals including Maryam Abacha Fistula Hospital in Sokoto. In partnership with NNPC/SNEPCo, Extended Hands Foundation carried out repair surgeries on women with VVF.

She is also an advocate for victims of human trafficking. In partnership with the international medical humanitarian organization, she visited Italy early this year to create awareness on human trafficking and also gives hope to victims.

Awards and Recognitions

Best Actress at What a Year Awards 2003
Best Actress (English) at Reel Awards 2003
Best Actress of the Year at Reel Awards 2003
Outstanding Actress at Afro-Dublin Awards 2004
Award for Excellence at Film Makers of Nigeria 2004
Best Actress at Afro Hollywood Award 2006
Miriam Makeba Award for Excellence 2007
Beyond the Tears Humanitarian Award 2008
Member of Order of the Federal Republic 2011
Movie with the Best Social Media at Best of Nollywood Awards 2015
Best Protagonist at Bentonville Film Festival 2015
Best Actress in Leading Role at NAFCA 2016
Face of Nollywood (Female) at DALA Awards 2016
Best Supporting Actress at Truth Awards 2017
Distinguished Leadership Award by Dillard University 2018

On a special invitation from the Queen of England, Stephanie Okereke was one of the distinguished guests who attended the 2015 Queens Young Leaders Award in Buckingham Palace where 60 young people across Commonwealth Nations were honored.