Advisory Board

Crystal Chigbu is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and development expert with a degree in biochemistry. She is the founder and Executive Director of The IREDE Foundation and co-founder of The Social Good Company. Crystal and her team have developed a process for providing low-cost prosthetic limbs to child amputees in Nigeria, and the first-ever comic books with superheroes with disabilities in Africa, used to educate children in secondary schools while reducing societal stigmatization in Nigeria and Africa at large. In the past 11 years, she has raised millions of dollars and disbursed these funds towards a thousand prosthetic limbs given across 35 states in Nigeria. She has also reached and educated over 15 million people on disability through the annual Out on a Limb Advocacy Walk, which is held in different locations across the world simultaneously. In addition, as a result of the partnerships forged through Crystal’s leadership, she empowered youth with disabilities through the Leadership Program, equipping them with essential soft skills to ensure their successful integration into the workforce and reducing the percentage of unemployed persons with disabilities. Crystal’s impact transcends the provision of mobility aids and advocacy, as she utilizes her expertise as a certified grief recovery specialist to provide crucial psychosocial support to both the children and their parents, fostering a holistic approach to their integration into society. A firm advocate for inclusive education and budgeting, Crystal has actively engaged in meaningful conversations with government officials at both state and national levels, working tirelessly to secure equal access to quality education for children with disabilities. Her efforts, in collaboration with the Disability Rights Fund, have been instrumental in driving policy changes and fostering a more inclusive educational environment. A trailblazer in her field, Crystal’s work has garnered local and international recognition, with her being featured in international media such as CNN African Voices, BBC, Reuters, and Deutsche Welle. She has won several awards, one of which is the 2023 Active Citizen Award from Budgit, solidifying her position as a leading figure in the social impact space. She is a 2019 ACUMEN West African Fellow, a member of the Nigerian Network of NGOs (NNNGO) and the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), and has authored three books. Crystal also sits on the committee of “Build A World of Play” an initiative of Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI) & LEGO Foundation, that advocates for policy change for inclusion for Children Living with Disabilities, access to the necessary assistive technology, and opportunities to learn through inclusive play and parent support. Crystal helps social enterprises and NGOs start, scale, and sustain their enterprises through training, research, and communication. Crystal Chigbu’s tireless dedication, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to creating a more inclusive society have established her as a thought leader in the disability space, sitting on a number of boards and setting an inspiring example for social entrepreneurs and change-makers worldwide.

She is happily married to Zubby Chigbu, and together they have two children.