Chimmie Gbugu nee Agunwah is the third child out of four children. She originally hails from Mbieri in Imo state, her mum is from Anambra state and she is married into Enugu state. Needless to say, she is full fledged Igbo and is influenced by our many dialects! Chimmie completed most of her education in Imo state Nigeria: Alvan primary school, FGGC Owerri and a 1 year stunt in FUTO. She then went ahead to obtain a Mechanical Engineering degree with a minor in Mathematics within 3.5 years from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Post graduation and an interesting career in corporate America, ExxonMobil, as a project execution and management engineer, Chimmie met her husband Engr. Chiagozie Gbugu. They dated for a couple years, got married and well, procreated another couple years later!
Upon the birth of their kids, it was a given that they would learn and communicate in Igbo, their native language. Chimmie has engaged each child in speaking Igbo since birth and realized that was NOT enough for them to actually fully learn especially being in diaspora. This dilemma led to intense research on the best way to naturally and intentionally teach them Igbo. Unfortunately, the search for high quality Igbo learning resources especially books led to the realization that a void existed both in Nigeria and ‘Abroad’. All purchased books were destroyed within days by her children as they weren’t sturdy.
This led to Chimmie’s consideration to write and self-publish Igbo boardbooks with tear-free pages that can compete with their western storybook counterparts on her children’s bookshelf.
The decision for an engineer with a minor in mathematics to write Igbo children’s boardbooks was not easy but much needed… The project was approached with the same precision and attention that Chimmie dedicates to major global engineering projects. Content and quality were geared towards kids and tested on her most important clients i.e. Kehz and Azah (her children). So far, the response from all other VIP clients (your kids) have confirmed that these board books will help further this mission to Igborize our children!
The goal is for these books, alongside our Virtual Igbo learning program, to be the preferred gifts for Igbo children around the world.
Fun facts about Chimmie:
- Has been to all 6 habitable continents
- Has run a marathon
- Loves to dance
- Speaks basic French
- Is a foodie
- Loves to play tennis
- Teaches Sunday school
