-
A RAINBOW BABY STORY: AS TOLD BY AN AFRICAN QUEEN
A rainbow baby is a baby born after a miscarriage, stillborn, or neonatal death. It is called a rainbow baby because it is like a rainbow after a storm: something beautiful after something scary and dark. Every year, Since 2002 the 9th -15th October is termed Baby Loss Awareness Week . This aims to raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss. How we wish this awareness would transcend borders and bring hope to the many parents who never get the chance to mourn their loss, or celebrate their rainbow babies. Sadly there is a deafening silence surrounding miscarriage in Sub Saharan Africa. Women who were affected by miscarriage crave for shoulders to lean on…
-
WOMEN’S WELLNESS- HERE’S HOW DR. CAROL LABOR TURNED HER BROKEN CHORDS INTO SYMPHONY
Dr. Carol Labor is a mother to four children ages ranging from 14 years to 29 years old. Secondly, she is a survivor of complex trauma , this fuels her passion and her purpose. Professionally, Dr. Carol is a Doctor of Public Health with over 29 years combined professional experience, with 11 years in international development in Sierra Leone, the country of her birth. Dr. Carol left Sierra Leone at the age of five, returning for the first time almost 40 years later. Her professional experience is inclusive of Principal Consultant of the Women’s Wellness Group (a woman-owned minority consulting firm); and Senior Consultant and Permanent Representative to the United…
-
FINALLY, THE BREAST FEEDING TIPS YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
Breast milk is the best nutrition a mother can offer her newborn baby. Breastfeeding offers tremendous health benefits to both a mother and her baby. It is specially designed to cater for all a child’s nutritional needs in the first six months of life. I breast fed my daughter for seven hundred days, which is twenty three months, and during that period we never visited the hospital for any ailment. No money was spent on medications because my breast-milk was her medicine while also building her immune system. Odenke Amos is a lawyer with a background in alternative dispute resolution. This year she celebrated one year of starting…
-
BEING REGINA CLARKSON- UNLEASHING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
It is said that great things come in small packages and that is exceptionally true for Regina Clarkson, a young entrepreneur and a ‘Jill of trades’ . She is the founder and owner of Clarkson Cupcakes, a cupcake business that took Sierra Leone by storm. They are on a hiatus, learning and strategising to re-launch bigger and better in 2020. Since then, she has been actively involved with several start-ups across different industries in fashion, beauty, and cosmetics, consulting education and agriculture. In her free time she hosts shows and leading events in Sierra Leone. Her entrepreneurship spirit was evident right through her formative years. She recounts an experience…
-
NYANDEBO XPERIENCE: MAMA TRAVEL DIARIES
Mama Travel Diaries Exotic Destinations June 2019. Adventurous Parent Join the Travelling Family Club Open to Worldwide Collaborations. MY LIFE AS A TRAVELLING MAMA Dear Stranger, My name is Mahawa. Once upon a time I enjoyed shopping above all things. At least so I thought well till the internet made shopping virtually accessible. Truth is I enjoy reading, and writing in a diary; my hand writing is terrible so I now use an online diary to ponder my thoughts. I gain pleasure from going back to my entries and re-visiting my thoughts. My favourite diary entries were of me at 14 years old. Till date, those entries are…
-
CALL ME DOCTOR- CHEF & THEN WE CAN STEP INTO JALIKA’S KITCHEN
I come from a family of 7, my twin sister and I being the last born. My parents were total opposites in dealing with us, my mom being the strict catholic mom, and Dad always playing the good cop (haha). So I would say we had a very balanced upbringing. We had a comfortable life thanks to sacrifices made by my parents. They always made sure we had what we needed (note: not wanted, neededJ). That influences my values on what is important in life to this day, and I am forever grateful for that. I knew I wanted to be a doctor at age 7, watching the show ER…
-
KAMA ALIEU MALADOR: BRINGS YOU THE ADVENTURES OF A STAY AT HOME MOTHER
If you had told me that I was going to be a stay at home mother when I was younger I would have probably laughed out loud. From as young as my teen years, I knew I wanted to become a lawyer. I was always very argumentative and opinionated then so I knew it would be a great fit. Little did I know that at nineteen, I would be married to a total stranger! Well fifteen years later, here I am a wife and a mother of 4. Life comes at you so fast. Well that has turned out to be the recurring theme song of my life. My husband…
-
NIEMATULAI’S GUIDELINES TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR
‘My mother always looked radiant and beautiful in the kitchen, wearing her ‘Lappa’ (a T-shirt and a head wrap). She reminded me of a ‘Shining Star’. She was always so stunning’. My fondest memory was the day I used my lunch money to buy twelve yards of fabric for her. She sewed for herself and made a beautiful outfit. I was so proud to have contributed to that and that feeling stayed with me for a long time. I feel that pride whenever I am able to lend beauty to others through fashion.” Niematulai is a successful entrepreneur with over twenty years of professional business experience. She has combined her…
-
FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Hands up if you took an okada (commercial motorbike) to work this morning. If its per the usual; the rider must have sped beyond limit. Took sharp turns and could barely wait for you to pay. ‘Passenger duya, try for mi’ When was the last time you waited hours to process one small document, at a large government office? Do you remember that one time, you decided to have faith in the fruit lady? What did she do? Sell you a bag of rotten mangoes! Now let’s get real honest, the reason you hate math’s, barely has anything to do with the subject but its presenter- the teacher. That messenger of…
-
THE IZELIA EXPERIENCE: CELEBRATING AND PROMOTING SIERRA LEONEAN HERITAGE
The IZELIA Experience (TIE) *A 3 Day Gara Tie & Die Fiesta* 5th – 7th April 2019 A beautiful dream became an idea which in turn became a plan. That plan was to be an event that promoted how our past and where we are now as a people can influence and shape what we can be. What better way could there be to do that, other than through how we present ourselves to the world? What better way than through the clothes we wear and how they come to be? The IZELIA Experience celebrates and promotes the true Sierra Leonean heritage using *Gara Tie & Die. The IZELIA Experience…
