REGINA — As a child, Victor Ejike dreamed of working in health care with the goal to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. “I grew up seeing people around me die from the disease. That sparked something in me,” he says.
That passion still guides him today as a registered nurse and the founder and CEO of Afro Tribes, a thriving non-profit community organization offering programs for children, seniors and families across Regina.
His journey, both personal and professional, is a story of dedication, empathy and an unshakeable belief that community can be built anywhere.
Before moving to Canada in 2017, Ejike was a pharmaceutical sales manager. After relocating across the world with his family and caring for his nine-month-old son while his wife completed a master’s degree in computer science, he transitioned into a job in banking. When the COVID‑19 pandemic hit, he realized it was time to pursue the lifelong calling he’d carried since childhood. He enrolled in the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program, offered jointly by Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina.
He describes nursing as the perfect fit for who he is. “I go out each day hoping to make someone smile,” he says. “To help them when they need it most.”
One course, CNUR 401: Population Health and Community Partnerships, was particularly influential on Ejike’s nursing career and non-profit work. The fourth-year course teaches students about advocating for change and addressing health and social disparities. During this course students integrate primary health care concepts with nursing theory and practice, preparing them to work in diverse community health and development settings.
“I had the privilege of teaching Victor and observing his genuine engagement with community nursing,” says Jayne Naylen Horbach, an instructor for CNUR 401. “Throughout the term, he demonstrated a growing compassion and commitment to social justice. His passion is driven by a commitment to advocating for meaningful change.”
“Victor was a highly engaged student who consistently focused on how he could make a positive impact in his community,” says Carrie Allen, one of his SCBScN instructors. “He was drawn to a holistic approach to community health. While he was a student I watched him grow into a strong emerging leader in nursing.”
During another fourth-year course called Focused Practice, Ejike completed a preceptorship at the Regina Community Clinic. “That experience inspired me to do more. It helped me see how my skills could contribute outside the hospital,” he says. The experience shaped much of what would become Afro Tribes.
While still a student, Ejike and his wife Amarachi, started Afro Tribes to meet a very practical need. They couldn’t find a summer care program for their son and realized many other families faced the same challenge. Their solution, a six-week summer camp, became the organization’s flagship program and the beginning of a growing community.
Ejike credits both his nursing education and his practicum with the Regina Community Clinic for shaping Afro Tribes’ community-focused approach. “SCBScN was a great program. I’m still in contact with my instructors,” he says. “They helped shape the nurse and person I’ve become.”
Ejike graduated in 2024 and now works in the Adolescent Psych Unit at Regina General Hospital and Medicine Unit at Pasqua Hospital. When he isn’t nursing, he’s focused on Afro Tribes.
Since 2021, Afro Tribes has expanded significantly, adding seniors’ programs, a music festival, Mammy Market, mental health programs and Love Jazz, a Black History Month celebration of music and culture.
“When I come into a space, I want to make people part of my tribe,” he says. “I want to see them thriving and connecting. Community thrives where people dedicate themselves to building it.”
Ejike says many people talk about leaving Regina for larger centres because they believe the culture is better elsewhere, but he remains committed to building community here.
“I’m a driven person,” he says. “Afro Tribes doesn’t feel like work. This is my passion.”
“Nursing and community work go hand in hand,” he says. “I was born with empathy in my DNA. Compassion comes naturally to me. Nursing and Afro Tribes give me the opportunity to use my personality, my critical thinking and my heart to help people.”
Whether he’s offering comfort to a patient or creating a space where families feel welcome, Ejike continues to pursue the dream he had as a child — to make life better for others. In doing so, he’s building more than a career or an organization. He’s building the very thing he believes every person needs: a tribe.
