SaLonePikin

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sierra Leone 2008 Pledge Campaign extended Until November 2010 - Support Sierra Leone today

Due to my travel schedule, I have extended the 2008 Pledge to November 30, 2010. That means you have 2 full years to lend your support to the cause!!!! As you can see below, we have collected several school supplies and more than $2,500 in cash. My goal is collect at least $10,000. In the December issue of Elle magazine, there is an excellent article on "Hope Diamonds" and various philanthropic efforts in Sierra Leone by celebrities and others in the international community. The article notes that $16.10 can pay the tuition for one child for the entire year. We have collected over $2,500..... Imagine how many lives we can change if we collect $10,000. I have hope that we will meet our goal by November 30, 2010, and I will continue to do my part to garner support. A big thank you to all those wonderful folks who have pledged so far!!!!

Take the 2008 Pledge ---
Pledgees so far----- As of May 2008. Will be updated soon with additional pledgee information.

Cecilia J. - Box of pens and pencils
Da Man Himself A.K.A. Ibrahim Dabo - $12
Ishmael Dabo - $12
Renee Baker from Renee Baker Designs - $30
Stan - $2
Anonymous (30 individuals) - $110, 8 packs of pens.
Christophe Guibert de Bruet, Esq. - $12
Joyce Koo, Esq. - $12
Mary Brown, Esq. - $100
Randolph Shingler, Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor - $100
Miatta Dabo, Esq. - $250
Boutique Mix - $2000
Angela Holland, Esq. - $12
Delia Patterson, Esq. - $12
Bryon Wasserman, Esq. - $12
Sarah Gans - $12
Sherika Jones - $12
Basil Henderson - $12
Teresa Bernhardt- $12
Chandran Iyler, Esq. - $12
Tilshop Girl - $30
Pastor Bai Sesay $20
Daniel of Daniel's Counter
Mountain Girl from Mountaingirl's Musings
Abbey from Random Thoughtsof Life - School Supplies, Clothing, Cards
Jack Figura
SDSue from sdsiouxlakotaconnections.blogspot.com
Sierra Express Media Newspaper

It is wonderful that one of the main priorities of our new government is to tackle the pervasive corruption that has damaged Sa Lone. I applaud this priority and know that it will increase accountability of civil servants to the people. We must not, however, forget to implement changes in agencies responsible for instituting reform for the children. We can fight corruption all we want, but if we don't take care of the children, repair the extensive damage done to them, and provide a safe environment for them to heal, we will merely be "chasing our tails." The children are the leaders of the future. We must ensure that when the time comes they are able to be leaders that can carry our great nation into the future. We need to promote education and health reform for our children. These are not privileges - they are rights. Voting is a privilege. Education, food, health, safety and shelter are Rights!!!!!!

We don't want the needs of the children to be lost in the "big" agenda. Let's face it, if we fix today and leave tomorrow still broken, then there really is no future. The present government will not be around in 30 years - those kids, the ones who need our help right now, will be running Sa Lone in 30 years. Let us start now before its too late. We don't want history repeating itself. Let's take a look at where the children have been over the last decade and in the following weeks, decide on how to move forward. [Click here for stories that will inspire you to pledge].

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 15th, 2009, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and non-perishable goods and donate them to one or more lucky schools.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2009 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2010-2011 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school(s). I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!! At the end of this month, I'll do a post on the logistics of this pledge. Please remember, we are not sending cash home. We are buying school supplies, uniforms/clothes, basic necessities and non-perishable food items with the money we collect. Common, join us for a good cause. Today I rounded up 7 individual colleagues of mine who have each agreed to donate a dollar a month in 2008 and 2009. This brings my individual pledge total to 32 individuals. You can do it!! Support the children. They need us now, more than ever. Education is vital to sustain continued economic and social reform anywhere in the world.

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

When our children are not in school, the rebels will find something for them to do. You have seen pictures of our kids carrying guys. Our kids being trained to become child soldiers. Our kids being taught how to steal, rape and kill. A picture speaks a thousand words.

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

Let us do what we can to prevent rebels from hacking off the limbs of innocent babies!!! Be the voice of these innocent children. Help educate them. Help feed them. Help Clothe them. Just Help Please!!! Please take Pledge Poll [located on the left side of this blog].

HOW THE PLEDGE PROCESS WORKS - The Campaign started on 1/1/2008 and will end on 11/30/09.

1. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating that you will participate in the Pledge Campaign. Please take the Pledge Participation Poll located to the left of this blog.

2. When you successfully recruit new pledge members, please send an update via email to me or the comments section so that we can all celebrate your success. You may keep all the pledge $$ or send them to me if you prefer. If you do send me your pledge money or any supplies, please leave a comment stating you have done so. That way I am accountable to you and other participants. Indicate what supplies you sent to me or the amount of cash/checks you sent to me. We are operating under the honor system and I trust that we will all do the right thing.

3. It is up to you to inform of us of your monthly pledge amounts (any amount per month works. If people just want donate a lump sum, that's fine too).

4. It is ok if some people just want to donate school supplies, clothes, book bags or shoes. You may keep all the supplies until the end of the campaign or send them to me if you prefer.

5. We are operating under the honor system. I expect that you will collect and honestly account for all the donations/contributions you collect. If you find that this honor system does not work for you, please, please either buy school supplies immediately so that you don't have idle cash lying around or contact me to send me the money/items.

6. Please check in via the comments section or email me periodically so that we can all keep track of our progress.

7. Throughout the year, I will inform you of which schools or organizations will benefit from this campaign.

8. At the end of the year, all the supplies and other materials will be shipped to Sa Lone. All of you will have a say in where your money goes. We will make those decisions around September 2009.

9. The shipping and delivery costs will be sponsored by Boutique MIX.

10. I am always eager to hear your comments via this blog or at my email address at SaLonePikin123@hotmail.com.

11. My biggest thanks and gratitude go to Sierra Express Media in Sierra Leone for posting this Sa Lone Pikin blog on their website in an effort to raise awareness about the campaign. Thanks to "borborh" for supporting this message!!!

12. In mid 2010, Boutique Mix will sponsor a 24 month calendar for 2011-2012 as part of the fund-raising campaign. I will update the blog periodically with progress (including pictures) of the photo shoot and other events. I will let you know when the calendar becomes available for sale. The calendar is part of the 2009 campaign to raise money to create a scholarship fund for one deserving student at the University of Sierra Leone, and to help revamp the University Library.

13. My deepest gratitude to everyone for participating and/or spreading the word.

14. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Three Sierra Leone RUF Leaders found guilty of Crimes against Humanity

The Special Court annonunced that three former Sierra Leone RUF leaders have been found guilty of crimes against humanity and other war crimes. CNN reports that: Former RUF "interim leader" Issa Hassan Sesay, former RUF commander Morris Kallon and former RUF chief of security Augustine Gbao each faced 18 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, recruiting and using child soldiers, and attacking U.N. peacekeepers. Sesay and Kallon each were found guilty on 16 counts, while Gbao was found guilty on 14, Human Rights Watch senior Africa researcher Corinne Dufka said. It was not immediately clear which charges they were convicted of. Read entire story at cnn.com.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Salma Hayek shows that it truly takes a village to raise a child in Sierra Leone

During a UNICEF trip to Sierra Leone, Salma Hayek nursed a hungry baby upon learning that his mother was unable to produce breast milk. Hayek told USA Today that "[t]he baby was perfectly healthy, but the mother did not have any milk..." "He was very hungry - I was weaning my daughter Valentina, but I still had a lot of milk, so I breastfed the baby." She added - "You should have seen his eyes," she said. "When he felt the nourishment, he immediately stopped crying."

Though some may not approve of Hayek's actions, I truly applaud her compassion and generousity. I also commend Hayek for her dedication to assisting UNICEF to help mothers and their tots in their fight against tetanus. With our country having the highest mortality rate in the world, Hayek is doing her little bit to ensure that one in five children in Sierra Leone do not die before their fifth birthday.

Kudos to Hayek!!!!

Photo/ABC News.

Monday, January 12, 2009

2008-2009 Pledge Campaign extended until November 2010

2008 Pledge

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you!!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Knowledge is Power - World Aids Day

Today is World AIDS Day!!!

Knowledge is Half the Battle!!!

In Africa and around the world, the Aids epidemic is killing millions of people. Women and Children in Africa do not have the resources found in the West. Let us spread the word and do what we can to stop this killer in its tracks!!!! Please do not forget to take the 2008-2009 Pledge. You too can make a difference!!!!

Google News World leaders call for action on World AIDS Day

PARIS (AFP) — Activists and global leaders used World AIDS Day Saturday to warn against complacency in fighting the disease and called on governments to fill a multi-billion-dollar funding gap.

"We have made tangible and remarkable progress on all these fronts. But we must do more," United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a message for World AIDS Day.

The highlight of events across the globe was a concert in Johannesburg organised by Nelson Mandela's 46664 AIDS campaign group, named after his prison number from his 27 years in jail during South Africa's apartheid regime.

An estimated 50,000 people attended the concert of local and foreign artists, ranging from Peter Gabriel to Ludacris, broadcast to millions around the world.

Mandela himself put in a rare appearance, and the crowd erupted in screams before falling silent as the 89-year-old urged people to stand up and take the fight against AIDS into their own hands.

"It is still alarming that for every person who receives treatment there are four others who are newly infected," said the nobel laureate, after slowly walking to the podium with the aid of his wife and a walking stick.

"Yes, big ambitious plans are needed to deal with the epidemic. But what really matters are small acts of kindness ... such as protecting yourself," he said.

South Africa has the world's worst rate of HIV, according to recent UN statistics, with around 5.5 million people infected out of a population of 48 million.

But while sub-Saharan Africa has been hard hit, other African nations have registered successes.

Mali's HIV infection rate dropped from 1.7 percent in 2001 to 1.3 percent last year, an official from the state's national council against AIDS said.

Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988 there has been progress in levelling off the percentage of the world's population living with HIV and AIDS from a peak in the late 1990s, the UN AIDS programme UNAIDS said last month.

The tally of new infections fell to an estimated 2.5 million in 2007, from 3.0 million in the late 1990s, it added.

Efforts to bring anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to sub-Saharan Africa, where more than two-thirds of those with HIV/AIDS live, were now bearing fruit, it said.

But with 33.2 million people around the world estimated to be living with AIDS and 2.1 million deaths in 2007, campaigners warned there was still a long way to go.

"Despite substantial progress against AIDS worldwide, we are still losing ground," said James Shelton of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in a commentary in the medical journal The Lancet on Saturday.

Treatment was still only available to about 10 percent of those in need, he said, while in developing countries, "the number of new infections continues to dwarf the numbers who start antiretroviral therapy in developing countries."

One of the biggest areas of concern was funding.

In Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza said international aid to fight the disease had decreased there, and if the situation continued, donors would "be contributing to a genocide". Burundi has an infection rate of about 3.5 percent.

According to the UN, there is currently an eight-billion-dollar (five-billion-euro) shortfall in resources to fight AIDS.

To meet the Group of Eight (G8) goal of providing universal access to ARVs by 2010, 42 billion dollars will be needed. So far, only 15.4 billion is in the kitty.

US President George W. Bush marked the day by repeating his call on US lawmakers to double support for anti-AIDS programmes to 30 billion dollars over five years.

Chinese President Hu Jintao was on front pages of state newspapers shaking the hand of a woman HIV carrier the day after the UN warned that up to 50 million Chinese were at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

Elsewhere in China, UNAIDS and the China Red Cross Foundation have organised a "Great AIDS Walk" on the Great Wall for Sunday to raise awareness.

In Australia, campaigners warned that complacency after earlier success in fighting HIV/AIDS risked giving rise to a new wave of infections.

"This is the moment it all could go astray. This is the moment when it can become a pandemic," said AIDS awareness educator Vince Lovegrove.

Indonesia -- which the UN says has Asia's fastest growing HIV epidemic -- marked the day with the launch of its first national campaign to promote the use of condoms.

And in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, several dozen AIDS activists observed a minute of silence to remember the 12,000 Ukrainians who have died of AIDS in two decades.

Some stood with their mouths taped to protest what they say is the government's silence about Ukraine's growing HIV and AIDS problem.

During the first 10 months of the year, close to 14,500 new HIV cases were reported, prompting UN AIDS officials to warn that Ukraine's HIV epidemic was the most severe in Europe.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the country's leading HIV research hospital and called the battle against AIDS "absolutely fundamental".

In Rome, some pharmacies were handing out free condoms.

In Stockholm, bishops of the Protestant Church of Sweden called on religious leaders around the world to promote the use of condoms.

Keep the Promise

Ribbon

Giving Women Power

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Shine on Sierra Leone

Yesterday, the Women’s Coalition for Empowerment and Opportunities held a fabulous fundraiser to benefit the Shine on Sierra Leone foundation. The Shine on Sierra Leone foundation (SoSL) is an organization founded by Tiffany Persons, that provides education and support to children in Sierra Leone. In the December issue of Elle magazine, there is an excellent article on "Hope Diamonds" and various philanthropic efforts in Sierra Leone by various celebrities and business owners, including Tiffany Persons and her friends and more information on SoSL. It is heartwarming to see people working together to shine the light on these innocent and hopeful children in Sierra Leone.

Tiffany Persons and Selita Banks at the Women's Coalition for Empowerment and Opportunities Fundraiser to Benefit SoSL.

picture source

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

2008 Pledge Campaign - Extended to November 30, 2009

Due to my travel schedule, I have extended the 2008 Pledge to November 30, 2009. That means you have another full year to lend your support to the cause!!!! As you can see below, we have collected several school supplies and more than $2,500 in cash. My goal is collect at least $10,000. In the December issue of Elle magazine, there is an excellent article on "Hope Diamonds" and various philanthropic efforts in Sierra Leone by celebrities and others in the international community. The article notes that $16.10 can pay the tuition for one child for the entire year. We have collected over $2,500..... Imagine how many lives we can change if we collect $10,000. I have hope that we will meet our goal by November 30, 2009, and I will continue to do my part to garner support. A big thank you to all those wonderful folks who have pledged so far!!!!

2008 Pledge

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

HOW THE PLEDGE PROCESS WORKS - The Campaign started on 1/1/2008 and will end on 11/30/09.

1. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating that you will participate in the Pledge Campaign. Please take the Pledge Participation Poll located to the left of this blog.

2. When you successfully recruit new pledge members, please send an update via email to me or the comments section so that we can all celebrate your success. You may keep all the pledge $$ or send them to me if you prefer. If you do send me your pledge money or any supplies, please leave a comment stating you have done so. That way I am accountable to you and other participants. Indicate what supplies you sent to me or the amount of cash/checks you sent to me. We are operating under the honor system and I trust that we will all do the right thing.

3. It is up to you to inform of us of your monthly pledge amounts (any amount per month works. If people just want donate a lump sum, that's fine too).

4. It is ok if some people just want to donate school supplies, clothes, book bags or shoes. You may keep all the supplies until the end of the campaign or send them to me if you prefer.

5. We are operating under the honor system. I expect that you will collect and honestly account for all the donations/contributions you collect. If you find that this honor system does not work for you, please, please either buy school supplies immediately so that you don't have idle cash lying around or contact me to send me the money/items.

6. Please check in via the comments section or email me periodically so that we can all keep track of our progress.

7. Throughout the year, I will inform you of which schools or organizations will benefit from this campaign.

8. At the end of the year, all the supplies and other materials will be shipped to Sa Lone. All of you will have a say in where your money goes. We will make those decisions around September 2009.

9. The shipping and delivery costs will be sponsored by Boutique MIX.

10. I am always eager to hear your comments via this blog or at my email address at SaLonePikin123@hotmail.com.

11. My biggest thanks and gratitude go to Sierra Express Media in Sierra Leone for posting this Sa Lone Pikin blog on their website in an effort to raise awareness about the campaign. Thanks to "borborh" for supporting this message!!!

12. In mid 2009, Boutique Mix will sponsor a 24 month calendar for 2010-2011 as part of the fund-raising campaign. I will update the blog periodically with progress (including pictures) of the photo shoot and other events. I will let you know when the calendar becomes available for sale. The calendar is part of the 2009 campaign to raise money to create a scholarship fund for one deserving student at the University of Sierra Leone, and to help revamp the University Library.

13. My deepest gratitude to everyone for participating and/or spreading the word.

14. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Understanding Genocide - Vermont Law School

In Early October, I participated in a panel discussion on Understanding Genocide. The Genocide Conference was hosted by the fabulous, socially conscious and truly wonderful law students at Vermont Law School. We discussed various issues affecting countries that have been affected by Genocide. I spoke about the civil war in Sierra Leone, the rampant use of Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone and other war torn countries and the ways in which we can heal by applying the tools of restorative justice.

As always these events are usually therapeutic for me and allow me to reflect on how lucky I am and pray for those who perished during the civil war in Sierra Leone. It also emphasized the importance of our duty to give back to our communities and our mandate to enrich the lives of the children who have lost everyone and everything.

As we round up 2008, we should continue to grade our efforts--- what have we done? what can we do better? how can we effectuate positive change in Sierra Leone? As promised I will continue to strive to rebuild Sierra Leone one child at a time through this blog and through humanitarian work with different organizations and hopefully, with Vermont Law School. Below are some pictures from the Understanding Genocide Conference.

Hopefully you will join me and Boutique Mix in the 2008 Pledge Campaign to rebuild Sierra Leone and impoverished Africa, one innocent child at a time.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hello From Africa!!!

Hello Good People!!! I'm still in South Africa, but wanted to post some pix from my recent sojourns. I've been in South Africa and Namibia this past month for my day job. As most of you know, I'm a trial lawyer, and I am working on a case here in South Africa for a while. Don't know when I'll be back - probably a few more weeks, but I'm definitely stocking up on Africana goodies for Boutique Mix. In the meantime, don't forget to stop by Boutique Mix and take advantage of the latest sales. Please don't forget about our 2008 Rebuilding Siera Leone Pledge Campaign. It ends on November 30, 2008!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Africa Day in the Diaspora

Today has been a fun day for Boutique Mix. Before my interview with SARFM Radio, Boutique Mix participated in "Africa Day in the Diaspora."

May 24 is celebrated as "Africa Day in the Diaspora." In honor of Africa Day, Real Time Africa hosted a wonderful, cultural enriching event in Washington DC.

Real Time Africa is an assembly of individuals, organizations and interest groups hailing from the diverse countries, communities and cultures that make up Africa and her Diaspora. Click here to Learn More about Real Time Africa.

Check out some pictures from the Event!!

Buzz and Press - Interview with Pamela Stitch of SARFM Radio in New York

Hiya Fellow Fashionistas!!!!! I just completed an hour-long radio interview with Pamela Stitch of SARFM Radio in New York. Pamela is proudly African and is a complete supporter of African Arts and Music. Her love for African Music led her to work with Southern African Radio Station (www.sarfmradio.com) about 2.5 years ago, where she won best Radio Presenter for the Year 2006. Check out Pamela's African Loft Page right here.

We discussed fashion, fashion, more fashion, social entrepreneurism, fair trade, community development, eco-friendly fashion, Kiva, philanthropy, and micro-financing. We also discussed Boutique Mix's 2008 Pledge Campaign to rebuild Sierra Leone and impoverished Africa, one innocent child at a time. Thanks to Pamela and everyone at SARFM for all their fabulous support!!!!

SARFM(otherwise Known as the Heartbeat of Africa in New York) is an internet based radio station that broadcasts 24 hours from New York City. It was started in April 2005 with the goal of providing radio programming similar to that found in their homeland to millions of Africans in the Diasporas. Chaka Ngwenya is a popular Radio personality from Africa and is the Founder and CEO of SARFM. After analyzing public information regarding radio programming in New York city as well as the influx of support from the African American, Caribbean and Spanish community [they] have restructured [their] programming to meet the needs of a broader demographic.

Visit SARFM Right Here!!

Pamela's Picture Source

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Rebuilding Africa by investing in our Women & Children; Help via Kiva Loan Programs

As a proud African Woman, I am honored to write this tribute to African Women all over the World. Enjoy the poems too, and remember that these poems and this tribute apply to ALL women, not just African women. Hopefully you will join MiMi and Boutique Mix in the 2008 Pledge Campaign to rebuild Sierra Leone and impoverished Africa, one innocent child at a time.

Who is the African Woman? The African woman is the salt of Africa. As we move forward together in economic reform and development, we must recognize that African Women will play vital roles in rebuilding and reshaping whats left of the ashes. From entrepreneurial endeavors to leadership roles in government, African Women are at the frontline of post-conflict revitalization.

During the 2003 International Women's Day Celebration in New York, Kofi Anan noted that the important role of women in the family - "study after study has shown that there is no effective strategy in which women do not play a central role. When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately; families are healthier and better fed; their income, savings and reinvestment go up. And what is true of families is also true of communities and, in the long run, of whole countries...."

Nothing heals the wounds of wars. Nothing but HOPE (and I'm sure a lot of other things you can think of). It is imperative that we equip these women with skills to rebuild our lives. Kiva is one of many organizations that aims to improve the lives of women around the world.

I'm not speaking of the sophisticated sassy African diva who has traveled the continent, written three books, speaks four languages and lives in a beautiful home on the French Rivera. (I applaud her tenacity and hard work and hope to be her when I grow up...). I'm speaking of the rural African woman who works on the farm or sits at the market from dusk till dawn struggling to feed her family. Despite the brutalities of a difficult post-war socio-economic and political world she's up at the cackle of the rooster to work for her family. With one remaining limb (the other was hacked off during the war) and no one-figure jobs (let alone six-figures), she goes on and succeeds!!! What keeps the African Woman going is HOPE. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today. Hope that her children will be happy, healthy and fed.

No food. No clothing. No homes. This is not the African Dream. Wars keep the women from planting and harvesting. Wars destroy homes, hospitals, banks and schools. It's a vicious cycle of replanting, rebuilding, reshaping, reconstructing.......... and then more wars.......... then more rebuilding and all the others "re's." As we travel around the world, we learn more about others and so much more about ourselves. We learn especially that we are one in the world, no different from each other. Just diverse in our backgrounds and unequal in economic and social hierarchies. We all have the same dreams of a better life for us, for our children, for our families. For those of us African Children who live in the west, some of us have lost touch with the realities that afflict us.

We are not different because we live in the West. We try to, but are not independent of the women and children that live on the Continent. We are just extensions of where we came from. Subsets of our own roots.

Reducing Poverty is not limited to the ONE Campaign or Oprah. It is up to all of us!!! Please join me for the 2008 Pledge campaign. Let me tell you a little about the African Woman.

Who is the African Woman? by MiMi

The African Woman is a survivor
She is an educator and a scholar
A diplomat and ambassador
A protective mother
A loyal daughter
A fierce and courageous leader

The African Woman is a heroine
She is a loving wife and partner
An ambitious visionary
A successful entrepreneur
A warm and caring friend
A champion for freedom and equality

The African Woman is a role model
She is a nurturer and a healer
A rebel against mass genocide and oppression
A human rights activist
A passionate child advocate
A lobbyist for reconciliation and reconstruction

The African Woman is remarkable
She is a force to be reckoned with
An honest and diligent politician
A calm in the midst of the storm
A peace seeker
A catalyst for change and progress

The Traits of an African Woman by MiMi

If strength is beauty she'd be drop dead gorgeous
If faith is wealth she'd be filthy rich
If perseverance is water she'd be an ocean
If patience is rain she'd be a storm
If humility is a flood she'd be a tsunami
If love is an animal she'd be a zoo
If dedication is food she'd never be hungry
If courage is a book she'd be a library
If determination is a country she'd be a continent
If resilience is a tree she'd be a forest
If loyalty is a disease she'd be an epidemic
If passion is a flower she'd be a rose garden

I am excited to announce that MiMi and Boutique Mix are proud sponsors of entrepreneurs via the Kiva loan Program. Click here to learn how you can register to sponsor entrepreneurs via Kiva. African women play an important role in rebuilding nations destroyed by war. For this to happen they need our prayers and financial support. Visit Micro loan Opportunities and Micro Credit Programs to learn more about similar opportunities.

We hope to encourage African women to know their strengths, to believe in themselves and to be financially secure as they struggle to rebuild a broken society.

The Beauty of An African Woman

The beauty of an African woman

is not in the span of her hips

nor in the size of her waist

It is not in the width of her lips

nor the length of her legs

It is not in the breadth of her nose

nor in the cuteness of her toes

It is not in the texture of her hair

nor in the length of her neck

It is not in the color of her eyes

nor in the number on the scale

The beauty of an African woman

lies in her strength

In the way she carries herself

In her love for family

In her struggle for equality

In her quest for justice

In the way she loves her man

In the way she cradles her child

In the way she prays to her Lord

The African Woman is a beacon of strength

If strength was beauty, the African Woman would be drop dead gorgeous.

by Mimi (dedicated to my mother for raising three wonderful children and giving the gift of a good education to all her students).

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Malaria - Still one of the biggest killers in Sierra Leone

A few months ago I blogged about UNICEF's finding that Sierra Leone has the highest child mortality in the world. This is sad and heartbreaking, not only because the main cause of this is poverty, but one of the leading reasons - Malaria - is both preventable and treatable. Read the post on UNICEF's findings right here.

The story below is excerpted from Doctors Without Borders.

In Sierra Leone, malaria is rife. It is the biggest killer of children under five and causes a massive burden on families and the country’s barely functioning health system.

Malaria is preventable, detectable and treatable. Rapid Diagnostic Tests make diagnosis simple and effective, even in hard to reach rural settings. Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), a treatment that works in just three days, is supposedly available for free to under five year olds and pregnant women from the Ministry of Health. So why are so many people still dying from malaria in Sierra Leone?

“People are very poor and even if the ACT treatment is given free to pregnant women and under five year olds in the Ministry of Health clinics, people still cannot afford the registration fees, the doctor’s consultation, the cost of other drugs that they might need, etc.” says Willemieke van den Broek, Head of Mission for MSF in Sierra Leone.

“Another problem is that transport and roads are very bad and people often have to walk several miles to reach a rural health post or clinic. Some villages are completely cut off during the rainy season”. MSF is tackling this with a new community malaria programme, currently being piloted in Bo and Pujehun districts. Two people from each community are chosen to be Community Health Volunteers. They are trained by MSF in how to diagnose and treat uncomplicated cases of malaria, using Rapid Diagnostic Tests and ACT treatment.

With the training and a community health kit, the volunteers are able to diagnose and treat uncomplicated malaria cases in children under five and pregnant women, the two groups most at risk.

Please Take the 2008 Pledge - We are on Our Way!!!

Take the 2008 Pledge - Updated

Pledgees so far-----

Cecilia J. - Box of pens and pencils
Da Man Himself A.K.A. Ibrahim Dabo - $12
Ishmael Dabo - $12
Renee Baker from Renee Baker Designs - $30
Stan - $2
Anonymous (30 individuals) - $110, 8 packs of pens.
Christophe Guibert de Bruet, Esq. - $12
Joyce Koo, Esq. - $12
Mary Brown, Esq. - $100
Randolph Shingler, Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor - $100
Miatta Dabo, Esq. - $250
Boutique Mix - $2000
Angela Holland, Esq. - $12
Delia Patterson, Esq. - $12
Bryon Wasserman, Esq. - $12
Sarah Gans - $12
Sherika Jones - $12
Basil Henderson - $12
Teresa Bernhardt- $12
Chandran Iyler, Esq. - $12
Tilshop Girl - $30
Pastor Bai Sesay $20
Daniel of Daniel's Counter
Mountain Girl from Mountaingirl's Musings
Abbey from Random Thoughtsof Life - School Supplies, Clothing, Cards
Jack Figura
SDSue from sdsiouxlakotaconnections.blogspot.com
Sierra Express Media Newspaper

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 31st, 2008, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and non-perishable goods and donate them to one or more lucky schools.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2008 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2009-2010 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school(s). I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!! At the end of this month, I'll do a post on the logistics of this pledge. Please remember, we are not sending cash home. We are buying school supplies, uniforms/clothes, basic necessities and non-perishable food items with the money we collect. Common, join us for a good cause. Today I rounded up 7 individual colleagues of mine who have each agreed to donate a dollar a month in 2008. This brings my individual pledge total to 32 individuals. You can do it!! Support the children. They need us now, more than ever. Education is vital to sustain continued economic and social reform anywhere in the world.

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

HOW THE PLEDGE PROCESS WORKS - The Campaign started on 1/1/2008 and will end on 11/30/08.

1. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating that you will participate in the Pledge Campaign. Please take the Pledge Participation Poll located to the left of this blog.

2. When you successfully recruit new pledge members, please send an update via email to me or the comments section so that we can all celebrate your success. You may keep all the pledge $$ or send them to me if you prefer. If you do send me your pledge money or any supplies, please leave a comment stating you have done so. That way I am accountable to you and other participants. Indicate what supplies you sent to me or the amount of cash/checks you sent to me. We are operating under the honor system and I trust that we will all do the right thing.

3. It is up to you to inform of us of your monthly pledge amounts (any amount per month works. If people just want donate a lump sum, that's fine too).

4. It is ok if some people just want to donate school supplies, clothes, book bags or shoes. You may keep all the supplies until the end of the campaign or send them to me if you prefer.

5. We are operating under the honor system. I expect that you will collect and honestly account for all the donations/contributions you collect. If you find that this honor system does not work for you, please, please either buy school supplies immediately so that you don't have idle cash lying around or contact me to send me the money/items.

6. Please check in via the comments section or email me periodically so that we can all keep track of our progress.

7. Throughout the year, I will inform you of which schools or organizations will benefit from this campaign.

8. At the end of the year, all the supplies and other materials will be shipped to Sa Lone. All of you will have a say in where your money goes. We will make those decisions around August 2008.

9. The shipping and delivery costs will be sponsored by Boutique MIX.

10. I am always eager to hear your comments via this blog or at my email address at SaLonePikin123@hotmail.com.

11. My biggest thanks and gratitude go to Sierra Express Media in Sierra Leone for posting this Sa Lone Pikin blog on their website in an effort to raise awareness about the campaign. Thanks to "borborh" for supporting this message!!!

12. In mid 2008, Boutique Mix will sponsor a 24 month calendar for 2009-2010 as part of the fund-raising campaign. I will update the blog periodically with progress (including pictures) of the photo shoot and other events. I will let you know when the calendar becomes available for sale. The calendar is part of the 2009 campaign to raise money to create a scholarship fund for one deserving student at the University of Sierra Leone, and to help revamp the University Library.

13. My deepest gratitude to everyone for participating and/or spreading the word.

14. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you!!

Charles Taylor, Please Show Us the Money

As millions suffered from all the ravages of war and everything that comes with it, notorious human rights extortionist and war crimes criminal -- charles taylor-- was hoarding enough cash to feed all of Africa.

Radio Netherlands is reporting that Charles Taylor has been accused of hiding five billion dollars in two secret bank accounts in the United States. The allegation has been made by the chief prosecutor of the special Sierra Leone tribunal in an interview with the BBC. Mr Taylor, who is facing trial in The Hague on war crimes charges, is thought to have enriched himself by selling weapons to Sierra Leone in exchange for blood diamonds. Sierra Leone was the scene of a bloody civil war between 1991 and 2001.

The prosecutor claims he has evidence proving that Mr Taylor has more secret banks outside the United States. Mr Taylor has denied any wrongdoing, vowing to return any uncovered money to the Liberian people. The United Nations have frozen all of Mr Taylor's possessions.

What do you think should happen to all this cash?

Story Source - Radio Netherlands
Picture Source
Charles Taylor

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Boutique Mix Mother's Day Sale

Shop for you!

Shop for Mom!

Shop for anyone on your list!

10% off all items in the Store plus Free Ground Shipping!!

Sale ends May 14, 2008!!!

Shop the Boutique Mix Mother's Day Sale Right Here.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Some Progress in Kenya's Political Arena

Excerpted from CNN

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Kenya swore in a new Cabinet on Thursday of more than 90 people, which one Kenyan official described as "a big burden on a poverty-stricken country."

The ceremony capped months of violence in which about 1,000 people died following last year's disputed elections. The Cabinet is split 50-50 between former bitter enemies from opposing parties. After a power-sharing compromise, opposition leader Raila Odinga was sworn in as prime minister, the first person to hold that office since Jomo Kenyatta held it briefly after independence in 1963. Mwai Kibaki remains president.

Under a political agreement signed February 28, Cabinet positions were to be distributed equally, but the two sides disagreed on how they would be divided. Though the opposition called for a lean Cabinet, the final number, in an accord reached Saturday, is 40 ministers and 52 assistant ministers.

The Cabinet has been roundly criticized by civil society groups for being too big and too expensive. "The Cabinet is extremely huge and a big burden on a poverty-stricken country to carry," Hassan Omar Hassan, a commissioner on Kenya's National Commission for Human Rights, told CNN. "Though there are those (who) surrendered to the fact that our nation was almost threatened with destruction and disintegration, then it might be a worthwhile price to pay."

The new government includes several new ministries, including portfolios for industrialization, planning and Nairobi metropolitan development. Kibaki said there also will be a Ministry of Northern Kenya. Kenya's disputed December 27 election between Kibaki and Odinga sparked weeks of chaos. The incumbent Kibaki narrowly won amid allegations that the vote was rigged.

The United Nations estimates that the violence killed about 1,000 people and drove another 300,000 from their homes.The U.S. State Department -- which had pushed both sides to reach an agreement -- praised the deal. "We commend the president and prime minister-designate for once again making the courageous decisions necessary to move the nation forward," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a written statement. "Formation of the cabinet is an important step along the road toward full implementation of the political accord."

picture source

Boutique Mix Buzz and Press - Interviews

I am excited and delighted to note that Boutique Mix has already garnered some additional buzz. Last week I got an interview request from the fabulous Jacinta of Apresenta Concept. I was excited and honored for the request.

Check out my interview with Jacinta right here and enjoy all of Jacinta's sassy fashion/glamour tips. And if you're looking for a stylist, then you'll love Apresenta Concept.

Previous Interview

And if you missed my interview with the splendid April of the Young and Splendidly Broke Blog, you can read it right here.

Don't forget to check out the Boutique Mix Fashion Blog for Fashion/Glamour Tips, Sales & Specials, and Designer Profiles!!!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP Boutique Mix!!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Earth Day - Washington DC Events + Gypsy 05

April 22 may be Earth Day around the World, but in Washington DC, festivities kick off tommorrow, April 20th. U.S. events, produced by Green Apple Festival, will include A-list musicians and actors, environmental and community leaders, and dozens of exhibits on April 20, right before Earth Day.

2008 Earth Day Network/Green Apple Festival Free Line-up -WASHINGTON DC "Earth Day 2008 on the National Mall"

Rock out with Jordin Sparks, O.A.R., The Roots & Friends, Will I Am, Gov’t Mule, Toots and the Maytals, Thievery Corporation, DJ Cerphe from 94.7 The Globe, Warren Haynes, Umphreys McGee, DC Boys Choir, CityDance Ensemble, Urban Impact - A Joy of Motion Hip Hop Youth Company, Douge E. Fresh, Talib Kweli, Ne-Yo, Chrisette Michele, Edward Norton and more.... On April 20th, walk, bike, row or take public transportation to the National Mall in Washington, DC for a day-long event for the entire family.

MiMi and Boutique Mix's Earth Day Commitment

This year, I'm doing my best to make a committed effort to doing less damage to the environment. I am ashamed to say that prior to the last two years I recycled only sporadically, didn't turn lights off and used water and other natural resources very ineffciently. I am committed to doing much better. I am also elated to say that I used a compost toilet for the first time last month while attending the Vermont Law School Environmental Solutions Conference. I was asked to speak on "The Role of the International Lawyer on the Global Environment." It was an exciting event and I have been invited back to speak at a Genocide Conference, also hosted by the Vermont Law School in October of this year.

Here's a brief summary of the Enviromental Law Conference event, exerpted from the Law School Website.

SOUTH ROYALTON, VT – More than 250 law students from 28 law schools turned out for the National Association of Environmental Law Societies’ 2008 conference, “Picking up the Pieces: Reclaiming Global Environmental Leadership,” proudly hosted this year by Vermont Law School. Highlights of the conference, which ran from March 20-22, included a keynote address delivered by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and a reunion dinner featuring Richard Ayres and John Adams, two of the founders of the Natural Resources Defense Council who humorously recalled their experiences launching the NRDC in the early 1970s.

The three-day conference included two dozen panels and workshops that examined today’s environmental challenges and strategies for the future. Speaking on topics such as climate change, water scarcity, habitat destruction and China’s environmental degradation, more than 60 presenters took part in the conference, which was held at the campuses of the University of Vermont and Vermont Law School.

Back to the compost toilet. That was definitely an experience. For those of you who've never heard of a compost toilet, here's a brief description - Compost toilets are toilets which use little or no water and treat toilet wastes on-site for reuse as valuable compost. They work by providing a enclosed environment for the natural process of aerobic decomposition. The same type of environment on forest floors which decomposes wildlife droppings and converts them into valuable nutrients for the vegetation to use. Advantages - They reduce water storage or supply costs, possibility of a rebate for community sewage charges, production of compost, in many systems the ability to compost vegetable peelings and garden trimmings with toilet wastes.

A correctly installed and operating composting toilet will not smell at all because there is a positive suction of air through the toilet at all times. In fact, there should be less smell than a conventional toilet. hey will only “clog up” if the systems are overloaded. In most cases, they will easily tolerate the shock loadings of larger gatherings than normal. They will compost anything organic.

As I said - very very interesting, indeed. I don't see myself getting one of these, but I will use use them in lieu of conventional toilets when I visit Vermont Law School.

Shop Boutique Mix for Eco-Friendly Style!!

Gypsy 05 Organic Maxi Long Dress - Nothing makes you feel more like a goddess than an eco-friendly, sexy, jersey organic maxi dress. This stunner passes both the casual and elegant evening look Feel like a star in this jersey organic maxi dress. This floor-length, unlined dress features a deep V-shaped neckline with twisted straps Made from organic fabrics, natural dyes, and produced in a solar-powered factory. Elastic band around the bustline of the dress. Also available in White. Click here to buy your eco-friendly maxi dress!!

Join Hayden and Kristin in saving the enviroment. This fabulous Gypsy 05 French Rose Organic Hoodie (Red) is made from bamboo-derived fabric, low impact dyes and a 90% organic printing process. Great addition to any eco-chic wardrobe. Click here to buy your hoodie!!

Going Green has never looked so fab!! Rock this “Good planets are hard to find” t-shirt with your favorite jeans or slacks. This tee is made using organic fabrics, natural dyes, and a 90% organic printing process. Look good while saving the environment!!! Also available in Dust. Click here to buy this tee for your guy!!

Red Bamboo Stunner. This large elegant “eye-catcher” is hand made from eco-friendly bamboo, jute and seagrass. It has an inside drawstring closure, cell phone pocket and an additional zippered pocket. Comes with a dust cover. Click here to buy yours!!

Sweet Mama Africa. Throw out that plastic bag and pick up one of these Africa design woven cloth bags. Dimensions: 15" X 15". Click here to buy yours!!

African Safari. Large Safari Jute Bag & Large Africa-Map Jute Bag. Fabulous large and sturdy bags hand-made and woven from jute cloth, with wood handles. Choose one or both of these fun and fashionable bags. Dimensions: 19" X 18". Safari/Map photos appear on both sides. Click here to buy your African Safari!!

Click here to learn more about Earth Day - Washington DC Events.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Africa Celebrates U2

Check out Africa Celebrates U2 - featuring African Artists celebrating Bono's philanthropic efforts!!!!

In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 features brand-new covers of classic U2 songs by Grammy Award-winning and up-and-coming African artists including Angelique Kidjo, Les Nubians, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Vieux Farka Touré, Vusi Mahlasela and the Soweto Gospel Choir. The album was inspired by Bono's direct philanthropic impact via the launch of the ONE campaign and (RED), and his poignant outspoken public commentary on the immediate financial needs facing Africa. In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is a revolutionary tribute to one of the world's best-loved bands. Deluxe packaging includes detailed info on the home countries of the artists, and info on nonprofit organizations that are making a difference.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

2008 Pledge Update - We are on our Way!!!

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 31st, 2008, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and non-perishable goods and donate them to one or more lucky schools.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2008 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2009-2010 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school(s). I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!! At the end of this month, I'll do a post on the logistics of this pledge. Please remember, we are not sending cash home. We are buying school supplies, uniforms/clothes, basic necessities and non-perishable food items with the money we collect. Common, join us for a good cause. Today I rounded up 7 individual colleagues of mine who have each agreed to donate a dollar a month in 2008. This brings my individual pledge total to 32 individuals. You can do it!! Support the children. They need us now, more than ever. Education is vital to sustain continued economic and social reform anywhere in the world.

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you!!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Tax Reprieve Sweepstakes - (February 10 - March 31)

Leave a comment anywhere on this blog or Online Daters Annonymous and you will automatically be entered into Boutique Mix's Tax Reprieve Sweepstakes to win one tote (ARV $30).............. Winner will be picked at 11.59 Est on March 31st. Goodluck!!!! Open to All. To see pictures of the previous prizes or to claim your prize, please go to Valentine's Day Sweepstakes Prizes.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Now Playing - A Walk to Beautiful

A Walk to Beautiful, a feature length documentary showcasing the story of five Ethopian Women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity, is now playing in select movie theaters around the country. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. The trials they endure -- and their attempts to rebuild their lives -- tell a universal story of hope, courage, and transformation.

A Walk to Beautiful is slated for broadcast on the acclaimed series NOVA on PBS in May 2008. Please click here for more information

Picture source

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

SUPER TUESDAY SO FAR as of 1 am est

I don't know about you, but this has been one of the most exciting tuesday's EVER!!!! Here's where the candidates stand so far..........according to msn.com. I'm pretty sure the numbers will change significantly in the coming hours. So far, Obama has won 12 states, Clinton 8, and McCain, well, should I even go on? LOL......... Here's where they stand with delegates so far ----

TOP DEMOCRATS -2,025 delegates needed
Candidate Delegates*
Hillary Clinton 249
Barack Obama 128

TOP REPUBLICANS - 1,191 delegates needed
Candidate Delegates*
John McCain 378
Mitt Romney 127
Mike Huckabee 91
Ron Paul 4

Clinton
Obama
romney&McCain

Valentine's Day Sweepstakes Winners

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED THIS CONTEST!!!

Drumroll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations to everyone. I hope you enjoy your winnings. Please send your P.O.Box address or other mailing address to boutique-mix@hotmail.com and I will mail your prizes off this weekend. I will post pictures of the prizes on saturday before mailing them out. Enjoy!!!! STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CONTEST COMING SOON FROM BOUTIQUE MIX!!!!

Giftbaskets
1. Kreativemix Site = Knikki from Popularly Unpopular
2. Rebuilding Sa Lone Site = Stman109 (Jan 7 12.54am entry time)

MiMi Necklaces
3. Kreativemix Site = Sunshine Mama (Jan 19 9.06pm entry time)
4. Online Daters Annonymous site = Bogueflower (Jan 29 5.28 entry time)

Fashion Necklaces
5. Kreativemix site = Lesha (Jan 7 11.14am entry time)
6. Rebuilding Sa Lone= Meesh-o-matic

New additional Prizes - Fashion Necklaces
7. Kreativemix site = Annonymous (Jan 11 11.32pm entry time)
8. Kreativemix site = Kari (Jan 22 12.52 am)
9. Kreativemix site = amberrose95 2.23am entry time)
10.Kreativemix site = Jess from Foster Communications

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Valentine's Day Sweepstakes - January 5 - February 5

THE VALENTINE'S DAY SWEEPSTAKES ENDS AT 11.59 PM ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH!!! GOOD LUCK!!!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Hope for Peace in Kenya!!!

Finally, Progress!!!!!!!! Baby steps, but steps, nonetheless - in the right direction.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga met Thursday for the first time since last month's bitterly disputed election, under the auspices of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"Today, we have taken the first vital steps in resolving the electoral dispute and conflict that has ravaged this country for nearly a month now," said Odinga, who shook hands with Kibaki following Thursday's meeting. Government officials told CNN they are not willing to negotiate the legitimacy of Kibaki's presidency -- which is at the center of the electoral dispute -- and said that the opposition must take up that issue with Kenya's courts.

That position was reiterated by Kibaki's brief statement following his meeting with Odinga: "After being sworn in as your duly elected president of Kenya, I will personally lead our country in promoting unity, tolerance, peace, and harmony among Kenyans." The one-hour meeting was intended to "break the ice," Kenya's Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula had said earlier. The three men were alone in the room, without any aides, in an effort "to show we support genuine dialogue," Wetangula said.

Annan arrived in Kenya on Tuesday to help resolve the dispute that has resulted in widespread ethnic violence, although some say tensions had been simmering long before the December 27 vote. More than 500 people have been killed in the violence that followed the election in which Kibaki kept his post. Odinga, the Orange Democratic Movement candidate for president, and his supporters claim the election was rigged, and international observers noted some irregularities in the voting.

After the vote, supporters of Kibaki, a member of the Kikuyu tribe, battled with supporters of Odinga, a member of the Luo tribe, in bloody street fights that often involved machetes.

Story & Picture Source - cnn.com

Thursday, January 24, 2008

2008 Pledge Update - Gabrielle Made Me Cry!!!!!

In a good way - Happy Tears!!! I just opened two boxes of clothes, story books and school supplies received from Abbey and Gabrielle (all the way from Australia) and Gabrielle included a beautiful card (handmade by 8th grader Gabrielle) addressed to me and one addressed to the kids.

I will not open the one addressed to the kids, but mine definitely made me cry - tears of joy and appreciation for wonderful people like you who have joined me (a stranger in blogosphere) on this wonderful journey to change the lives of innocent children they may never meet. Gabrielle states in pertinent part, "i know how important education is so i hope all this helps." IT does Gabrielle. All of it helps!!!! Thanks so much for being an angel to these kids!!!! And Abbey, love and light, right back at ya!!!

I have to say, this has made my day. And for all of you who have donated cash and school supplies, I"m touched and thankful to EVERYONE!!! I will post an inventory of all the items sent later.

picturesource

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Sierra Leone Has the Highest Child Mortality Rate in the World (Plus David Beckham's Visit to Sa Lone on behalf of UNICEF)

A UNICEF report out today drives home the purpose, significance and importance of the Sa Lone Pikin 2008 Pledge Campaign. PLEASE Click RIGHT HERE to learn how you too can participate in this Campaign.

GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) -- A newborn in Sierra Leone has the lowest chance in the world of surviving until age 5, and the prospects are almost as bad for children in Angola and Afghanistan, according to a U.N. report released Tuesday. In 2006, nearly 9.7 million children died worldwide before their fifth birthdays, mostly from preventable causes such as diarrhea, malaria or malnutrition, the U.N. Children's Fund said in its annual report.

More than 26,000 children under 5 die each day on average. But progress has been made in a number of regions and strengthening local health services holds great promise for reducing the child mortality rate, said the document, "The State of the World's Children 2008."

In 2006, the latest year for which statistics were available, Sierra Leone had the highest child mortality rate, with 270 deaths per 1,000 births. Angola was second with 260 deaths, followed by Afghanistan with 257. The rate worldwide in 2006, in contrast, was 72 deaths per 1,000 births. The average rate in industrialized countries was six deaths per 1,000 births. "The loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable, especially when many of these deaths are preventable," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman.

Sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate has dropped only 14 percent since 1990, is the region of greatest concern, the report said. It is home to 28 of the 30 countries with the highest child mortality rates. Simple health care measures, such as vaccinations, insecticide-treated bed nets and vitamin supplements, would prevent many of the deaths, the report said.

"We know exactly what works," said Angela Hawke of UNICEF, referring to strategies the agency has been promoting for some time. "But we need to make sure that these kinds of services are integrated at the most local level, in the villages where children live," she said, adding that governments and health experts should design the best solutions for each community.

"We want to make sure that there are local health services that really work with properly staffed health centers ... and there's a proper national health plan," Hawke told The Associated Press. Sierra Leone, where a civil war raged from 1991 to 2002, is unable to offer sufficient health services to its citizens, like many war-torn countries such as Angola and Afghanistan, the report said.

Although the under-5 mortality rate has been reduced by 23 percent since 1990, progress must be sped up to reach a U.N. goal of decreasing the 1990 rate by two-thirds before 2015. The current rate must still be halved to meet the target, the report said. Considerable progress has been made in a number of regions. In East Asia and the Pacific, central and eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, child mortality has been cut roughly in half since 1990, to below 30 deaths per 1,000 births, the report said.

Nearly one-third of the 50 least developed countries, including the Maldives, East Timor, Nepal and Malawi, have reduced child mortality rates by at least 40 percent since 1990. In Mexico, a program aimed at engaging the poorest families provides financial rewards to parents who bring their children regularly to health clinics. The child mortality rate there has been reduced by 34 percent since 1990.

Sub-Saharan Africa, too, has its bright spots. Mozambique, for example, has seen a 41 percent drop in child mortality after the government and aid agencies trained community educators to teach the country's rural population about cheap health practices, such as breast-feeding, oral rehydration therapy and mosquito nets. The report mainly relied on data drawn from studies by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the U.N. Population Division.

And one of my favorite men is visiting Sa Lone today, to bring awareness to this very issue!!! Go David!!!

Here's what David had to say ---

"We can't turn a blind eye to the tens of thousands of young children who die every day in the developing world mostly from causes that are preventable. In Sierra Leone, one in four children dies before reaching their fifth birthday. It's shocking and tragic, especially when the solutions are simple - things like vaccinations against measles or using a mosquito net to reduce the chance of getting malaria. Saving these children's lives is a top priority for UNICEF and as an ambassador I hope I can help to draw attention to this issue across the world. Surely there is no reward more precious than saving the life of a child? Their futures remain in our hands."

Learn more about UNICEF.

USMagazinePhotoofDavidBeckham
cutephotoofdb
JustJaredphoto

Story excerpted from CNN.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream - How do we carry on his Legacy?

Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream. What is your dream? Are you living his dream? Or your dream? Or are you engulfed in a nightmare? As you read the words in his speech, ask yourself what you are doing to embrace Martin's legacy?

What contributions are you making to your family, your friends, your community, your country? What are you doing with the freedom that your civil rights leaders fought so hard to attain? Or maybe you're not yet free???? I'm sure that we all have differing opinions on what this speech means to us, but we can all agree that we owe Martin Luther King, Jr. the duty to live his legacy!!!!

As we read this speech, we must remember that this is not a "dream," but a call to action. A call to action in a dignified, peaceful, articulate and eloquent way. A directive to live full, rich lives, grateful for the sacrifices others made so we can be where we are today, have what we have today, work where we work today, eat where we work today, read, write and ride public transportion (and sit whereever we want).

We now have a duty to honor this legacy by doing what we can to change lives - educating our children, working for peace, providing financial resources to women around the world who need help starting out, working for social and economic reform, working for peace so that others can have the basic dream of food, shelter, clothing, clean water and the right to vote. We don't have to make a speech at the Lincoln Memorial to make a difference or carry on the legacy - Charity begins at Home!!!! I thank all of you who have taken the 2008 pledge to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. You are carrying on the legacy!!!!

What will you do to carry on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream in 2008? You too, have a dream that [insert your dream/directive/legacy].

Below is an excerpt of one of the most powerful speeches in the history of the United States.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last

Excerpted from Americanrhetoric.com
Picture Source
Picture Source

Monday, January 14, 2008

2008 Pledge Update - We are on a Roll!!!!!

Here is a list of folks/institutions that have taken the pledge so far. I know several folks who plan to pledge, but have not yet decided what they want to pledge. I will post their information as soon as they let me know. I will update this list at the end of every month. [Please let me know in the comments section if I have left your name off this list or if you want your name off the list]. Thanks and God Bless!!!!

Nadja, I am looking into the maxi-pad donations. I saw something about this on TV and have read about it in a few magazines. I've gotten several boxes to send to these girls that so desperately need them. We may collect them through this campaign and send to the girls. They are in East Africa, I believe, but I know girls/women all over Africa do need them. I know from personal experience that not all these girls can afford to buy them, and sometimes they just don't even have access to this. It is indeed a luxury. I will post information on where to send them if you would like to donate them to the appropriate agency sooner, rather than later. Thanks and God Bless!!! I have attached a link on the maxi-pad issue at the bottom of this post!!!

Da Man Himself A.K.A. Ibrahim Dabo - $12
Ishmael Dabo - $12
Renee Baker from Renee Baker Designs - $30 (NEW)
Stan - $2
Anonymous (30 individuals) - $110, 8 packs of bic pens.
Christophe Guibert de Bruet, Esq. - $12
Joyce Koo, Esq. - $12
Mary Brown, Esq. - $100
Randolph Shingler, Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor - $100
Miatta Dabo, Esq. - $250
Boutique Mix - $2000
Angela Holland, Esq. - $12
Delia Patterson, Esq. - $12
Bryon Wasserman, Esq. - $12
Sarah Gans - $12
Sherika Jones - $12
Basil Henderson - $12
Teresa Bernhardt- $12
Chandran Iyler, Esq. - $12
Tilshop Girl - $30
Pastor Bai Sesay $20
Daniel of Daniel's Counter
Mountain Girl from Mountaingirl's Musings
Abbey from Random Thoughtsof Life
Jack Figura
SDSue from sdsiouxlakotaconnections.blogspot.com
Sierra Express Media Newspaper

Take the 2008 Pledge - Updated (See earlier post for stories that will inspire you to pledge)

We don't want the needs of the children to be lost in the "big" agenda. Let's face it, if we fix today and leave tomorrow still broken, then there really is no future. The present government will not be around in 30 years - those kids, the ones who need our help right now, will be running Sa Lone in 30 years. Let us start now before its too late. We don't want history repeating itself. Let's take a look at where the children have been over the last decade and in the following weeks, decide on how to move forward. [I am enclosing a series of poignant and heartbreaking stories that should fuel our need for reform. Things have obviously improved since the time these stories were printed, but we need to remember where we've been so that we don't forget where we need to go - Included in the earlier post below].

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 31st, 2008, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and non-perishable goods and donate them to one or more lucky schools.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2008 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2009-2010 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school(s). I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!! At the end of this month, I'll do a post on the logistics of this pledge. Please remember, we are not sending cash home. We are buying school supplies, uniforms/clothes, basic necessities and non-perishable food items with the money we collect. Common, join us for a good cause. Today I rounded up 7 individual colleagues of mine who have each agreed to donate a dollar a month in 2008. This brings my individual pledge total to 32 individuals. You can do it!! Support the children. They need us now, more than ever. Education is vital to sustain continued economic and social reform anywhere in the world.

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

HOW THE PLEDGE PROCESS WORKS - The Campaign starts on 1/1/2008 and ends on 11/30/08. You may start now if you want to :-)

1. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating that you will participate in the Pledge Campaign. Please take the Pledge Participation Poll located to the left of this blog.

2. When you successfully recruit new pledge members, please send an update via email to me or the comments section so that we can all celebrate your success. You may keep all the pledge $$ or send them to me if you prefer. If you do send me your pledge money or any supplies, please leave a comment stating you have done so. That way I am accountable to you and other participants. Indicate what supplies you sent to me or the amount of cash/checks you sent to me. We are operating under the honor system and I trust that we will all do the right thing.

3. It is up to you to inform of us of your monthly pledge amounts (any amount per month works. If people just want donate a lump sum, that's fine too).

4. It is ok if some people just want to donate school supplies, clothes, book bags or shoes. You may keep all the supplies until the end of the campaign or send them to me if you prefer.

5. We are operating under the honor system. I expect that you will collect and honestly account for all the donations/contributions you collect. If you find that this honor system does not work for you, please, please either buy school supplies immediately so that you don't have idle cash lying around or contact me to send me the money/items.

6. Please check in via the comments section or email me periodically so that we can all keep track of our progress.

7. Throughout the year, I will inform you of which schools or organizations will benefit from this campaign.

8. At the end of the year, all the supplies and other materials will be shipped to Sa Lone. All of you will have a say in where your money goes. We will make those decisions around August 2008.

9. The shipping and delivery costs will be sponsored by Boutique MIX.

10. I am always eager to hear your comments via this blog or at my email address at SaLonePikin123@hotmail.com.

11. My biggest thanks and gratitude go to Sierra Express Media in Sierra Leone for posting this Sa Lone Pikin blog on their website in an effort to raise awareness about the campaign. Thanks to "borborh" for supporting this message!!!

12. In Early 2008, Boutique Mix will sponsor a 24 month calendar for 2009-2010 as part of the fund-raising campaign. I will update the blog periodically with progress (including pictures) of the photo shoot and other events. I will let you know when the calendar becomes available for sale. The calendar is part of the 2009 campaign to raise money to create a scholarship fund for one deserving student at the University of Sierra Leone, and to help revamp the University Library. Part of this money will also be used to donate to Kiva for micro loan funding.

13. My deepest gratitude to everyone for participating and/or spreading the word.

14. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

15. Please make a note of the names of all contributors so that we may list their names on the blog at the end of this campaign. We have a full year to go. We hope to keep the passion and momentum going throughout the year. Thanks for all your help and support!! You Rock!!!

Here is a helpful NY Times article on the MAXI-PAD ISSUE.

November 12, 2007 - A Not-So-Simple Plan to Keep African Girls in School
By CLAUDIA H. DEUTSCH

THEY call it the Map of Africa.

It is a cute name for an acute problem: the stains that African girls often endure when they are menstruating and the rags or camel’s skin they use for protection fail. “Girls who can’t manage their period stay home, and that is affecting their education,” said Michelle J. Vaeth, communications director for FemCare, the Procter & Gamble unit that makes Always pads and Tampax tampons.

So FemCare is tackling the problem head-on. In March, it inaugurated Protecting Futures, a program to first build bathrooms, then educate teachers and finally distribute free pads, in hopes of keeping African girls in school. Protecting Futures is not FemCare’s first foray into Africa. For two years, it has been working with the Girl Child Network, a nonprofit, to give its pads to schoolgirls in Kenya, and it is compiling data to quantify the effect that the program has had on attendance.

Yet skeptics abound. Esther Duflo, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that absentee rates are the same for boys and girls in much of Africa, and that programs like providing free uniforms and books seem to increase attendance. “What’s keeping children from school is the costs of attending,” she said.

But studies by the Forum for African Women Educationalists, a nongovernmental organization, seem to support FemCare’s hypothesis. “Girls will stay home rather than be embarrassed,” said Faith Macharia, the national director of the forum’s Kenya chapter. She said the studies showed that “cumulatively, they can lose a whole month of schooling each year.”

Protecting Futures, which started its first venture with two schools in Namibia, is the latest entry in Live, Learn and Thrive, Procter’s three-year-old program in which managers of many brands find ways to better the lot of children in poor countries.

Its Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program has been providing sachets of its Pur water-purifying powder at cost throughout Africa. Its Safeguard soap has provided the product as well as hygiene education to children in Pakistan and China. Pampers has teamed with Unicef on a promotion in which it donated a dose of tetanus vaccine in Africa for every package of diapers sold in Britain.

Protecting Futures may be the most complicated project Procter has undertaken yet. FemCare cannot distribute pads unless the girls have private places to change them — so it is building bathrooms. The girls need clean water for hygiene, so in one school it is piping water from two miles away. It built dormitories at a school heavily attended by children from nomadic tribes.

It also needs to find ways to dispose of the pads, in some cases for practical reasons, in other cases for cultural ones. In some parts of Africa, people believe that one’s blood can be used to cast a spell, so girls would fear leaving bloodied pads exposed. Procter will probably install small, sealed incinerators near the new bathrooms, and train teachers to burn the pads.

Procter also plans to send nurses or doctors to the schools four times a year to troubleshoot health problems, provide health education and distribute pads. The Protecting Futures staff is working with local groups to teach girls more about puberty, even when that means training male teachers to address a subject that is often considered off limits.

“Discussions about sexual maturation are just not commonplace in African society,” said Ms. Macharia of the forum. “The parents hope the teachers do it, the teachers hope the parents do it, and the girls wind up thinking that menstruation is associated with doing something wrong.”

Protecting Futures knew it would face problems carrying out its projects. Gregory S. Allgood, director of the children’s drinking-water program, has been working in African communities for several years, and enlisted some of his own contacts among philanthropic and government groups there to help the new program. (They pointed out the blood-spell connection.) And he made sure that the FemCare people sought the aid of local leaders in schools.

“In Kenya alone, you need 20 partners,” he said. “The culture in rural areas is different from Nairobi, which is again different from the north, where so many of the Somali women are.” In Kenya, FemCare is working with the Ministry of Education, tribal leaders, Unicef and Ms. Macharia’s group. It is also working with Hero, a school-based campaign that the United Nations Association of the United States of America, a nonprofit group, runs to assist children in AIDS-ravaged parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Yet Protecting Futures has run into snags beyond the hurdles it had anticipated. FemCare got into a mini-brouhaha with a council in Namibia when it neglected to register the location of its workers’ camp site. Protecting Futures is on hold there until the issue is resolved. Meanwhile, it has sped up its program to introduce puberty education in South Africa.

“We’ve made a five-year commitment to expand this program in Africa,” said Ms. Vaeth of FemCare. “So from a long-range timing standpoint, we aren’t missing a beat.” The question, of course, is what’s in it for Procter? A great deal, marketing experts say. For one, girls who use free pads today can turn into paying customers when they grow out of the school programs. They could persuade their mothers and aunts to use the products.

“When you need to change a culture, it’s good strategy to start with the younger generation,” said Jill Avery, an assistant professor of marketing at the Simmons School of Management.

And the program sits well with the Kenyan government, which has cut tariffs on Procter’s sanitary pads. Lisa Jones Christensen, an assistant professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, who is familiar with Procter’s philanthropy programs, says that Procter receives special treatment when its containers hit Kenya’s docks.

“No one is saying, ‘Just unload the pads, leave the boxes of Tide,’ ” she said. “This program is giving P&G a license to operate in Africa for all its products.” There is a payback in the developed world, too. “The idea of keeping an African girl in school resonates strongly with our consumers,” Ms. Vaeth said.

children 1 children 2 children 3 children 4 children 5 children 6 children 7 children 8 children 9

Thank you!!

New Times Article & Picture Source

Friday, January 11, 2008

African Queen Video - 2Face Idibia

Tribute to ALL Women around the World!!! Enjoy the video!!! Since this song automatically comes on when you log into the blog, you may want to click on the image so that you can watch it directly on youtube.

Lyrics

yeah, yeah, you are my african queen, oooh lord, oooh lord

just like the sun, lights up the earth, you light up my life
the only one, I've ever seen with a smile so bright
and just yesterday, you came around my way
and changed my whole scenery with your astonishing beauty

ah, you coulda make a brother sing,
you ordinary thing, a supernatural being,

I know you are just brighter than the moon
Brighter than the star, I love you just the way you are.

CHORUS
and you are my African Queen, the girl of my dreams.
you take me where I've never been
you make my heart go ting-a-ling-a-ling, oh ahh
you are my African Queen, the girl of my dreams
and you remind me of a thing
and that is the African beauty yahhh

yahh oooo you are my african queen, oh lord, oo lord hmm
out of a million you stand as one
the outstanding one
I look into your eyes, girl what I see is paradise,

yeah you captivated my soul, now everyday I want you more o o oo
How can I deny this feeling I'm feeling inside
ey oh no one can never take your place,
can never take your space,
thats a fact I cannot erase

and you, you are the one that makes me smile
make me float like a boat upon the nile.

oooo ooooo yaahhh yahhh oooo

you are my african queen and I know, oh yes I know hhn
you are my african queen and I know, see I know
See I know what I am feeling in my heart and in my soul
oh I know that it is love
And I know that this love was surely sent from up above
Cause you're the only one I think of

you are my african queen
and I know that this means that you're the only one that I will serve
I'll give you my heart, my love, my body and my money
Every other thing you think of
Who could think of anything better than you
Who could think of ever hurting you

Sacrifice my all, I'll give it all to you
cause you ar my african queen
for REAL

So black, so beautiful
I love you, I love you, I love you, munyemo, I love you, I love you, I love
you, munyemo, I love you, I love you, ooohhh yeah, my African Queen, I
love you, I love you.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Sweet Justice at the Hague for Charles Taylor?

Sa Lone and Liberia Rejoice!!! On Monday, January 7, 2008, Charles Taylor will finally go on trial for his crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone and Liberia!!!! Let's all hope for some justice!!! Read more about Charles Taylor's Reign of Terror in Sierra Leone and Liberia, his exile, escape and ultimate arrest, right here.

Taylor in Court
Taylor
Taylor With Weapon

Valentine's Day Sweepstakes - January 5 - February 5

THE VALENTINE'S DAY SWEEPSTAKES ENDS AT 11.59 PM ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH!!! GOOD LUCK!!!

Leave a comment anywhere on this blog or Kreative Mix and you will automatically be entered into Boutique Mix's Valentine's Day Sweepstakes to win one of two MiMi gift baskets (price ranges $45-$55) or a MiMi Design Necklace (price range $55-$60).

I will post pictures of the actual items prior to announcing the 3 sassy winners!!!! This sweepstakes is open to all readers!!

Sweepstakes Pictures

Kenya Kenya Kenya

This Week in Kenya

What a week it has been for Kenya and the United States. Barack Obama won the Iowa Primaries while his father's homeland erupted in more violence. Great for Obama. What will happen in Kenya? Condoleeza Rice is doing her best to monitor the situation. Obama, test-drive your foreign policy credibility. The world is watching you.

Obama issued the following statement -

"Despite irregularities in the vote tabulation, now is not the time to throw that strong democracy away. Now is a time for President Kibaki, opposition leader Odinga, and all of Kenya's leaders to call for calm, to come together, and to start a political process to address peacefully the controversies that divide them[.]"

What Kenya needs now is action. This situation is not tied to Kenya alone. This will have a devastating impact on its neighbors in Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burindi.

Please Please Please don't misunderstand this post!!!!! No one is asking Obama to solve the Kenya crisis. No one is asking Hilary Clinton or Mike Huckabee to solve the Kenya crisis. No one is even asking Bush to do it. All the "humanitarian world" is asking is that African leaders learn accountability to, responsibility for, and genuine interest in the people who elect them. Put humanity before greed and ego. I understand that this is easier said than done, but what good will it do for another country to embark on a mindless genocide and economic destabilization - this is where we are headed. Leaders, Please stand up and Lead!!!!!

Kenya in the News during the First Week of 2008!!! Happy New Year? Probably Not!!!

Kenya’s embattled President Mwai Kibaki is appealing for calm after announcing his readiness to hold talks with Raila Odinga of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to end the escalating violence. Kibaki’s announcement followed calls by some concerned citizens and the Kenyan media to end the ongoing political crisis after last week’s disputed elections. But Raila Odinga has dismissed Kibaki’s call saying he would only join an interim government, which would oversee a re-run of the presidential election. Read more from VOA.

Post-election violence in Kenya has crippled the delivery of fuel to Rwanda, forcing authorities to institute petroleum rationing. Rwandans who depend upon their cars for business say they fear a continuation of the crisis may have devastating economic consequences. Rwanda imports most of its petroleum from the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, but ethnic clashes have blocked roads across Kenya following the nation's hotly contested Presidential election. Read more from VOA.

Kenya’s main opposition party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), is calling for new elections as a way of ending days of post-election violence. Hundreds of people have been killed. Among those watching developments in Kenya is Barack Muluka, a columnist with the East African Standard Newspaper. He’s currently in Western Kenya, near the Ugandan border, unable to travel to Nairobi for fear of violence. He spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about whether to post-election violence came as a surprise.

“No, I’m not surprised at the current state of affairs. To start with I think the political opposition, and particularly the ODM, invested a lot emotionally in the elections. It became quite clear very early at the outset that the race was going to be between President Kabaki’s Party of National Unity and Raila Odinga’s ODM. And both sides invested a lot of emotion and hope. And therefore when the results were announced, my take on this is that whoever was going to win the other side was going to end up (with) the kind of emotional outpouring and perhaps display of violence that we are witnessing in the country today,” he says. Read more from VOA.

The Kenyan government says it will accept a re-run of last week's disputed presidential election, if a court orders a new vote. A spokesman for President Mwai Kibaki, Alfred Mutua, made the comment to reporters in Nairobi Friday. He spoke after the opposition Orange Democratic Movement called for new elections to end days of deadly unrest that has killed more than 300 people.

Opposition leaders accuse the government of rigging last Thursday's election to ensure Mr. Kibaki's re-election. A United Nations spokeswoman says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke with both the president and opposition leader Raila Odinga Friday and appealed for a return to calm and normalcy. He called for both leaders to resolve their differences through dialogue. The U.N. says the unrest that followed the election has now displaced 250,000 people within Kenya. Read more from VOA.

The World Bank is warning that post-election unrest in Kenya is threatening east Africa's largest economy and could wipe out impressive gains the country has achieved in recent years. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, widespread violence, triggered by allegations of vote-rigging in last Thursday's hotly-contested elections, has disrupted transportation and closed businesses, creating food and fuel shortages in Kenya. The Kenyan government estimates that it has lost more than $60 million in revenue since Sunday, when the capital and other parts of the country exploded in political and tribal violence over the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.

Mr. Kibaki, a member of Kenya's dominant ethnic Kikuyu tribe, was declared the winner of an election that was too close to call before the December 27 vote. The opposition, led by Raila Odinga, an ethnic Luo who has the support of many other tribes, charged the election was rigged. International observers have also questioned the final tally. Battles between protesters and police and ethnic clashes have killed more than 300 people in Nairobi, the Rift Valley, and the coastal town of Mombasa and have paralyzed the country. Read more from VOA.

Kenya Politicians
Obama Wins Iowa
Kenyans Fleeing to Safety
President Kibaki
Displaced Kenyans

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

2008 Pledge Update

Dear Friends - Happy New Year to each of you!!! Today is the official start of our 2008 Pledge Campaign. I am counting on you to help raise awareness for the campaign and help raise funds/school supplies/clothes for the children. I look forward to a wonderful year of fundraising, perseverance, generosity and good cheer. I thank you for all your help and wish you all the best for 2008. May all your hopes and dreams come true and may God take you places you never even dreamed!!!!

To date (1/1/08), 49 individuals have pledged a combined total of $1,492. How is your pledge campaign going??? Please don't forget to spread the word. You can make a difference!!!!!

If you haven't already done so, please read all about the 2008 Pledge Campaign in the posts below. I have provided information on how the campaign works and other pertinent details. If you don't know where to find these posts, please scroll down to the "labels" section and click on 2008 Pledge or 2008 Pledge Update.

C'mon, lets roll!!! "Make Your Mark" in the life of a child today :-)

Picture of Schoolkids2 schoolkids1

I"ve been tagged by Nneoma!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, I have been tagged for the second time within a month. (see previous tag post at Kreativemix). This time the culprit is Nneoma at pyoowata.

Well, here we go. I'm supposed to report 7 random facts about myself and then tag others and report it on their blogs so that they know they've been tagged. The taggees then read my meme, post their tagged memes on their blogs and then, tag others.

Here are my 7 random tidbits

1. I love gummi bears and gummi worms. I eat a pack every weekday as part of my breakfast. On weekends, I get gummi withdrawals and snap at everyone in my path.

2. I am addicted to british fashion and gossip magazines. I travel a lot for work and on fridays I buy all the gossip rags and read them at the airport. I leave them on the plane or on the train for the flight attendants or train conductors (are they called train conductors?).........kind of like their secret gossip santa :-).....or is that i'm just a slob and forget to pick up my trash a.k.a. magazines when i get off??.......hmmmm.

3. I admire Angelina Jolie (she's living part of my life).......

4. I watch Murder She Wrote and Columbo reruns EVERY time they come on TV (when I'm home - everytime). If they come on at the same time on different channels, I switch between the two shows and I get pissed off if they don't alternate commercial breaks.

5. I want Oprah to adopt me (as a daughter or a pet), or in the alternative, make one of my crafts one of her favorite things!!!

6. I am scared to pieces and quite nervous about opening my online boutique this year.

7. I have never tasted coffee.

Bonus memes -

I'm secretly dating David Beckham, Idris Elba and Benjamin Brat....shhh.

I'd love to raise $100,000 for the 2008 Pledge Campaign :-)

I tag Renee at reneebaker, Abbey at Random Thoughts of Life, SD Sue at sdsiouxslakotaconnections and Daniel at Daniel's Counter. Go check out their tag memes!!!

2008 Pledge Update

To date (1/1/08), 48 individuals have pledged a combined total of $1,480. How is your pledge campaign going??? Please don't forget to spread the word. You can make a difference!!!!!

If you haven't already done so, please read all about the 2008 Pledge Campaign in the posts below. I have provided information on how the campaign works and other pertinent details.

C'mon, lets roll!!!

Monday, December 31, 2007

RIP Benazir Bhutto

A woman who truly embodied strength, courage, beauty, perseverance, dedication and love for her people. May we be inspired (if we so choose) by her strength and perseverance!!!! May she Rest in Peace!!

Source

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Happy Holidays to Everyone!!

Be Generous!!!! Be Happy!!!! Be Cheerful!!!! Be Grateful!!!! Be Thankful!!!! Be Joyful!!!! Be Safe!!!!

Compliments of the Season from Boutique Mix!!!!!!!

Holiday Picture

Boutique Mix Accessories by MiMi

Friday, December 21, 2007

2008 Pledge Update

To date (12/20/07), 42 individuals have pledged a combined total of $1,220. How is your pledge campaign going??? Please don't forget to spread the word. You can make a difference!!!!! If you haven't already done so, please read about the 2008 Pledge Campaign in the posts below.

BBC Breaking News - Explosions Rock Sierra Leone

Read more of this developing story at BBC News

Deadly explosions rock Freetown

Three huge explosions have rocked the centre of the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, eyewitnesses say. At least 17 bodies had been recovered, said the deputy head of the firefighting service. Human body parts litter the road outside the building, while people are crying and wailing, says a BBC correspondent at the scene. The blasts happened in a shop in Free Street, the heart of the capital. The cause is not yet clear. The BBC's Umara Fofana says the metal doors on the ground floor of the four-storey building have been blown off. He says the building is still standing but there are several large cracks in the walls. Huge crowds have gathered outside the building, which is normally used as a clothes shop. Our correspondent says there are also big crowds at the main government hospital, where previously closed wards have been opened up to cope with the extra casualties.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Off to a good start - Zero Tolerance for Corruption

Cocorioko Newspaper is reporting that President Koroma has launched an investigation into allegations of corruption and economic sabotage by former elected officials.

Click here for more on this developing story in Sa Lone.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Please Take the 2008 Pledge (Updated) plus Information on How the Process Works

Take the 2008 Pledge - Updated (See earlier post for stories that will inspire you to pledge)

We don't want the needs of the children to be lost in the "big" agenda. Let's face it, if we fix today and leave tomorrow still broken, then there really is no future. The present government will not be around in 30 years - those kids, the ones who need our help right now, will be running Sa Lone in 30 years. Let us start now before its too late. We don't want history repeating itself. Let's take a look at where the children have been over the last decade and in the following weeks, decide on how to move forward. [I am enclosing a series of poignant and heartbreaking stories that should fuel our need for reform. Things have obviously improved since the time these stories were printed, but we need to remember where we've been so that we don't forget where we need to go - Included in the earlier post below].

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 31st, 2008, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and non-perishable goods and donate them to one or more lucky schools.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2008 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2009-2010 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school(s). I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!! At the end of this month, I'll do a post on the logistics of this pledge. Please remember, we are not sending cash home. We are buying school supplies, uniforms/clothes, basic necessities and non-perishable food items with the money we collect. Common, join us for a good cause. Today I rounded up 7 individual colleagues of mine who have each agreed to donate a dollar a month in 2008. This brings my individual pledge total to 32 individuals. You can do it!! Support the children. They need us now, more than ever. Education is vital to sustain continued economic and social reform anywhere in the world.

As a proud graduate of an HBCU, I can proudly tell you that "A Mind is a Terrible thing to Waste."

We don't want that. We don't need that. They don't deserve that!!! Give them hope!! Give them dreams!! Give them inspiration!!! Give them ambition!!! Empower them to become leaders of tomorrow.

HOW THE PLEDGE PROCESS WORKS - The Campaign starts on 1/1/2008 and ends on 11/30/08. You may start now if you want to :-)

1. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post indicating that you will participate in the Pledge Campaign. Please take the Pledge Participation Poll located to the left of this blog.

2. When you successfully recruit new pledge members, please send an update via email to me or the comments section so that we can all celebrate your success. You may keep all the pledge $$ or send them to me if you prefer. If you do send me your pledge money or any supplies, please leave a comment stating you have done so. That way I am accountable to you and other participants. Indicate what supplies you sent to me or the amount of cash/checks you sent to me. We are operating under the honor system and I trust that we will all do the right thing.

3. It is up to you to inform of us of your monthly pledge amounts (any amount per month works. If people just want donate a lump sum, that's fine too).

4. It is ok if some people just want to donate school supplies, clothes, book bags or shoes. You may keep all the supplies until the end of the campaign or send them to me if you prefer.

5. We are operating under the honor system. I expect that you will collect and honestly account for all the donations/contributions you collect. If you find that this honor system does not work for you, please, please either buy school supplies immediately so that you don't have idle cash lying around or contact me to send me the money/items.

6. Please check in via the comments section or email me periodically so that we can all keep track of our progress.

7. Throughout the year, I will inform you of which schools or organizations will benefit from this campaign.

8. At the end of the year, all the supplies and other materials will be shipped to Sa Lone. All of you will have a say in where your money goes. We will make those decisions around August 2008.

9. The shipping and delivery costs will be sponsored by Boutique MIX.

10. I am always eager to hear your comments via this blog or at my email address at SaLonePikin123@hotmail.com.

11. My biggest thanks and gratitude go to Sierra Express Media in Sierra Leone for posting this Sa Lone Pikin blog on their website in an effort to raise awareness about the campaign. Thanks to "borborh" for supporting this message!!!

12. In Early 2008, Boutique Mix will sponsor a 24 month calendar for 2009-2010 as part of the fund-raising campaign. I will update the blog periodically with progress (including pictures) of the photo shoot and other events. I will let you know when the calendar becomes available for sale. The calendar is part of the 2009 campaign to raise money to create a scholarship fund for one deserving student at the University of Sierra Leone, and to help revamp the University Library.

13. My deepest gratitude to everyone for participating and/or spreading the word.

14. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

children 1 children 2 children 3 children 4 children 5 children 6 children 7 children 8 children 9

Thank you!!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Mass Graves Found in Liberia on the border of Sierra Leone and Guinea

CNN reported a few minutes ago that officials have found mass graves in Liberia, believed to hold the remains of victims that were killed during Liberia's 14 year civil war. The graves are located in Lofa county on the border of Sierra Leone and Guinea, with the smallest grave holding approximately 78 bodies and the largest, approximately 500 bodies.

You can read the rest of this developing story Right Here

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Made in [Africa??][China]

Draw Your Own Conclusions

BBC and other World News Agencies report that "Chinese migrants are following in the footsteps of European settlers, by seeking their fortunes in Africa."

"There's no harm in allowing farmers to leave the country to become farm owners [in Africa]"
Li Ruogu, China's Export-Import Bank head

"At first, people were not willing to go to Africa because it's too hot, there are diseases and there are wars."
Liu Jianjun, China-Africa Business Council

"There's not the sense that the streets are paved with gold but, for people who cannot find work, Africa is a realistic opportunity."
Chris Alden, SAIIA

Experts say China is not yet a major player in African agriculture, but it is changing other economic sectors. Chris Alden, of the South African Institute of International Affairs, says the Chinese are beginning to have a big influence in retailing.

"Chinese migrants or former labourers on construction sites are opening shops, using their contacts to get cheap goods from China," he says. As an example, he cites the provincial town of Huambo in central Angola, which had no Chinese shops seven years ago.

Five years ago there were five and now there are more than 20, says Mr Alden, who has just written a book called China in Africa. Unsurprisingly, many Chinese migrants themselves say the chance to earn more money is the main motive for leaving their country.

Chinese worker Lu Shaoqing, who is helping to build sports stadiums in Angola, says he left his wife and seven-year-old daughter in Beijing for a number of reasons.

"I came here because I wanted to see Africa, and Angola is under reconstruction at the moment so I came to help with that," he says. But he admits the 700-odd Chinese workers in his company have the chance to earn up to three times as much as back home in China.

Another BBC story reports that "[t]he Chinese insist they are not interested in dominating Africa."

Instead China says it seeks a "harmonious world", an evolution of its Cold War search for "peaceful co-existence", and it wants to coax African countries along the path towards development.

Instead of top-down aid projects, Chinese companies seek profits in Africa as they bequeath the continent a new infrastructure - one that will more than likely be used to increase trade with China. "China consistently respects and supports African countries," Yan Xiao Gang, China's economic attache in Ethiopia, told the BBC.

"It never imposes its own will on African countries, nor interferes in the domestic affairs of African countries." Ethiopian officials speak of "owning" their country's development, but do admit that major contracts usually go to Chinese firms because of their ability to keep costs down.

Many Chinese firms employ large numbers of local workers but wages remain low. However, there is evidence that workers are learning new skills because of the availability of Chinese-funded work. Taking advantage of low labour costs, the Chinese are also building factories across Africa.

Observers say Beijing appears ready for the long haul in Africa. "For China to become a major power, it needs to continue its double-digit economic growth of recent years. For this it needs energy and markets," Prof M Venkataraman of the University of Addis Ababa told the BBC.

Those markets are proving receptive, and trade with the continent is famously booming - up to $40bn in 2004, a tenfold increase in under a decade.

Yet most African countries now have a growing trade deficit with China, in spite of favourable tax-free trading agreements. Ethiopian exports to China reached $132m (£63m) in 2006, a figure dwarfed by the value of Chinese imports of $432m (£206m).

"It is not clear what the long-term effect of the Chinese projects will be," said Mr Venkataraman. "But the facts are very clear - there are going to be benefits to both sides. China is going to remain in this continent for a very long time."

BBC Excerpt 1
BBC Excerpt 2 and Map
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Monday, December 3, 2007

I do not hail from the Poorest Country in the World - Please Don't Forget to Take the 2008 Pledge

A month ago, a friend asked me how it feels to hail from the poorest country in the world. I told him that I do not hail from the poorest country in the world. I told him that I am a proud daughter of a country rich in history, natural resources, tradition and love. I told him that I was born in Freetown, a city built upon the cornerstone of freedom, a land surrounded by Lion Mountains, beautiful beaches and the Atlantic Ocean.

I hail from a country that is full of brotherly and sisterly love. A country where family comes first. A country where my cousins are my sisters and brothers. A country where my aunts and uncles are my parents. A place where your extended family is your nuclear family.

I hail from a country full of so many diverse tribes and dialects. A country tied to Senegal, Guinea and Liberia, not because of the Mano River, but because of the generosity of our people. I come from a land of diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, aluminum and a multitude of other natural resources.

I told him “I know not the land you speak of.” The memories I carry deep in my heart are pure and joyful. They are not those of death and destruction. I hail from a country where the people will do what it takes to rebuild our nation. I hail from a country where the events of the last decade do not make us bitter. I hail from a country where we do not wallow in self-pity. I hail from a country where we change our disappointments into fabulous changes!!!

I hail from a country where the children our greatest asset. I come from a country where “giving” is not limited to the holiday season. My friend knows now that Sierra Leone is not the poorest country in the world. My friend has pledged $5 a month for 2008!!! What have you done?

I am assuming that my friend got his "poorest country in the world" information from the UN Development Index article reprinted below.

Iceland best place to live, Africa worst - UN
Tue Nov 27, 2007 7:00am EST

BRASILIA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Iceland has overtaken Norway as the world's most desirable country to live in, according to an annual U.N. table published on Tuesday that again puts AIDS-afflicted sub-Saharan African states at the bottom.

Rich free-market countries dominate the top places, with Iceland, Norway, Australia, Canada and Ireland the first five but the United States slipping to 12th place from eighth last year in the U.N. Human Development Index.

But the index, blending 2005 figures for life expectancy, educational levels and real per capita income, finds that all 22 countries falling into its "low human development" category are in sub-Saharan Africa, with Sierra Leone last.

In 10 of these countries, two children in five will not reach the age of 40, said the compilers at the U.N. Development Program. Last year's report said HIV/AIDS had had a "catastrophic effect" on life expectancy in the region.

The index ranks 175 U.N. member countries plus Hong Kong and the Palestinian territories. It does not include 17 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, because of inadequate data.

Norway had held top spot for six years but was edged into second place by Iceland this year because of new life expectancy estimates and updated figures for gross domestic product, or GDP, the report said.

U.N. officials played down the significance of minor short-term shifts in the rankings including the slide in the U.S. position. They said if subsequent data for the year in question been available for last year's report, the United States would have been in 10th, not eighth place.

The United States scores high on real per capita GDP, which at $41,890 is second only to that of Luxembourg ($60,228), but less well on life expectancy -- joint last in the top 26 countries, along with Denmark and South Korea, at 77.9 years.

Japanese have the longest life expectancy -- 82.3 years -- and Zambians the lowest, at 40.5.

The report said most countries had seen their human development index rise over the last 30 years, but in 16 it was lower than in 1990, and in three -- the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe -- lower than in 1975.

Per capita GDP is 45 times higher in Iceland than in Sierra Leone.

The United Nations has published its human development index every year since 1990. (Writing by Patrick Worsnip at the United Nations, editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Pictures
UN Chart

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Stop Violence Against [Sa Lone] Women

Help Fight Gender Violence.

Gender violence, an often “non-talked-about” issue in Sa Lone continues to destroy the dignity and erode the strength of our mothers, aunts, sisters and daughters. Some men still believe that their women are chattel, to be disrespected at their whim.

To those men out there who partake in this disgusting act of “wifely corporal punishment,” my question to you is WHY???? What gives you the right to abuse your wife? She is not your slave and you are not an animal (wishful thinking on my part, perhaps?).

We have suffered enough pain and destruction over the last ten years. We are making progress. Let us behave like the civilized society that we are. Let us stop the cycle of abuse. Do not do to your wife what you will never do to your Mother (again, wishful thinking that you actually do respect your mother).

Let’s be clear. I am not singling out Sa Lone men. There are men all over the world who engage in “wifely corporal punishment.” I am not limiting my disgust to Sa Lone men. I am certain that the majority of men, including, Sa Lone men do not disrespect their wives in this manner. It is hopefully limited to one percent of men. Sa Lone women have been through enough physical and sexual violence and degradation at the hands of the rebels. Enough is enough. They don’t need to fear their husbands too. For you husbands that engage in this disrespectful activity, it doesn’t garner you any respect. It merely reduces you the level of a beast who has to show his power by means of physical force. You make the choice – Beast or Husband. You can put the label on yourself. If the shoe fits, please put it on and keep walking!!!

One of my favorite Human Rights Organization is EQUALITY NOW. Equality Now works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world through the mobilization of public pressure. Issues of concern to Equality Now include: RAPE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, TRAFFICKING, FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION and GENDER DISCRIMINATION.

Click Here to join the “global fight to end human rights violations against women and girls by becoming a member of the Women’s Action Network. Through the Women’s Action Network, you can transform collective outrage into strategic action. Women's Actions issued by Equality Now will give you information about human rights violations against women as well as letter-writing recommendations to express your concern over these violations.”

The story below is reprinted from IRIN

FREETOWN, 26 November 2007 (IRIN) - Musu, 23, does not want more children. She has trouble feeding the three she already has. She has paid for this decision with regular beatings and rape by her 45-year-old husband. “The man was beating me every day, forcing me to give sex every day,” Musu told IRIN from the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, where she is staying with a distant relative after fleeing her husband. “He wanted me to have more children. He beat me and beat me. I’m tired.” Musu said the local chief disregarded her pleas about abuse by the man she was forced to marry at age 16. She has not gone to the police “because I don’t have any money… They always ask for money”.

Despite recent laws aimed at boosting women’s legal status in Sierra Leone, powerlessness in the face of violence remains an everyday fact of life for countless women like Musu. In a 1 November report Amnesty International said the legacy of the “unimaginable brutality” against women during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war feeds violence against them today.

During the war, some 250,000 women and girls – about a third of the female population – were brutally raped, tortured and kept as sex slaves, the report said. "Rape is the only war violation that continues to today," Amnesty's Sierra Leone researcher Tania Bernath told IRIN.While experts in Sierra Leone say women are increasingly coming forth to report rape and domestic violence to the police, such crimes are rampant and usually go unpunished. That is partly for lack of resources for pursuing offenders, but mostly it is custom, rights advocates say. Musu said she reported her situation but was shunned. “Whenever you talk to the chief he will say ‘the man is always right’,” she told IRIN. “That’s the custom.” It remains the prevailing attitude, according to Jamesina King, chairperson of Sierra Leone’s Human Rights Commission.

“It’s typical,” she said of the chief’s reaction to Musu. The rights commission was recently in the north to educate communities about violence against women, and members found that many people are still unaware of women’s rights or disregard their grievances. Before running away to Freetown, Musu had fled several times to her parents’ home near where she lived with her husband – in the northern town of Kabala some 170km from the capital – but they reprimanded her and persuaded her to return home. “It’s definitely a man’s world; it’s definitely a chief’s world,” Amnesty's Bernath said. She said that chiefs have considerable power and those eager to help bolster women’s rights are scarce.

Even in cases where a chief considers domestic violence or sexual assault charges, the approach is generally to mediate in what is considered a family dispute. “There is still this idea that cases should be kept in the family,” Bernath said. In its recent report Amnesty said this only feeds the problem. “Mediation in rape cases contributes to impunity and facilitates state evasion of the obligation to ensure that violence against women is prosecuted.” Sierra Leone is a signatory to a number of international conventions including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The gender bill passed in July was hailed as giving women unprecedented rights. But Sierra Leone has a long way to go before laws on paper translate into changes in women’s status. Sierra Leone is one of many countries around the world observing 16 days of activism, beginning on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women until 10 December, International Human Rights Day. Rights advocates say Sierra Leone is making some progress. Just the fact that communities are talking about violence against women as a problem to be addressed is a significant step forward, the Human Rights Commission's King said.

FREETOWN, 26 November 2007 (IRIN) [Musu in her own words]

At age 16 Musu was forced to marry a man twice her age. Seven years later, she has three children she can barely feed and scars from regular beatings by her husband.

She would often go to her parents’ home after “the quarrels”, but they only persuaded her to return to her husband. About six months ago she fled to the capital, Freetown.

“They forced me to marry this man. I did not want this man.

“He would take alcohol and he was beating me every day, forcing me to give sex every day. Sometimes he beat me with his hands, sometimes with a cane made of wood.

"The children [ages two, three and six] sometimes see the beatings, but they are too young to understand and know.

“The man wants me to give more children. He says, ‘I will beat you – you don’t want to have sex, you don’t want to have another child.’ Sometimes he beats me on my face. He accuses me of having another man.

“But I don’t want another child. Even the three children I have, to raise them is very difficult. My man is not working.

“The six-year-old child has never been to school because there is no money. The money I make selling vegetables in the market is barely enough for our food.

“I reported [the beatings] to the local chief, but he does nothing. Whenever you talk to the chief he will say, ‘the man is always right’. That’s the custom.

“I will just accept it. It’s not correct but I don’t have anything to do. It’s unfair.

“I don’t go to the police because I don’t have any money. If you go to the police they ask for money.

"I ran away to the city to start a business. When I came I looked for the human rights people to tell them my situation.

“Many women face the same situation. But no one is there to help us. The police need to threaten [my husband] so I will be equal.

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Fighting AIDS in Africa and Around the World

Today is World AIDS Day!!!

Knowledge is Half the Battle!!!

In Africa and around the world, the Aids epidemic is killing millions of people. Women and Children in Africa do not have the resources found in the West. Let us spread the word and do what we can to stop this killer in its tracks!!!! Don't forget to take the 2008 Pledge Poll below. You too can make a difference!!!!

Google News World leaders call for action on World AIDS Day

PARIS (AFP) — Activists and global leaders used World AIDS Day Saturday to warn against complacency in fighting the disease and called on governments to fill a multi-billion-dollar funding gap.

"We have made tangible and remarkable progress on all these fronts. But we must do more," United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a message for World AIDS Day.

The highlight of events across the globe was a concert in Johannesburg organised by Nelson Mandela's 46664 AIDS campaign group, named after his prison number from his 27 years in jail during South Africa's apartheid regime.

An estimated 50,000 people attended the concert of local and foreign artists, ranging from Peter Gabriel to Ludacris, broadcast to millions around the world.

Mandela himself put in a rare appearance, and the crowd erupted in screams before falling silent as the 89-year-old urged people to stand up and take the fight against AIDS into their own hands.

"It is still alarming that for every person who receives treatment there are four others who are newly infected," said the nobel laureate, after slowly walking to the podium with the aid of his wife and a walking stick.

"Yes, big ambitious plans are needed to deal with the epidemic. But what really matters are small acts of kindness ... such as protecting yourself," he said.

South Africa has the world's worst rate of HIV, according to recent UN statistics, with around 5.5 million people infected out of a population of 48 million.

But while sub-Saharan Africa has been hard hit, other African nations have registered successes.

Mali's HIV infection rate dropped from 1.7 percent in 2001 to 1.3 percent last year, an official from the state's national council against AIDS said.

Since the first World AIDS Day in 1988 there has been progress in levelling off the percentage of the world's population living with HIV and AIDS from a peak in the late 1990s, the UN AIDS programme UNAIDS said last month.

The tally of new infections fell to an estimated 2.5 million in 2007, from 3.0 million in the late 1990s, it added.

Efforts to bring anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to sub-Saharan Africa, where more than two-thirds of those with HIV/AIDS live, were now bearing fruit, it said.

But with 33.2 million people around the world estimated to be living with AIDS and 2.1 million deaths in 2007, campaigners warned there was still a long way to go.

"Despite substantial progress against AIDS worldwide, we are still losing ground," said James Shelton of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in a commentary in the medical journal The Lancet on Saturday.

Treatment was still only available to about 10 percent of those in need, he said, while in developing countries, "the number of new infections continues to dwarf the numbers who start antiretroviral therapy in developing countries."

One of the biggest areas of concern was funding.

In Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza said international aid to fight the disease had decreased there, and if the situation continued, donors would "be contributing to a genocide". Burundi has an infection rate of about 3.5 percent.

According to the UN, there is currently an eight-billion-dollar (five-billion-euro) shortfall in resources to fight AIDS.

To meet the Group of Eight (G8) goal of providing universal access to ARVs by 2010, 42 billion dollars will be needed. So far, only 15.4 billion is in the kitty.

US President George W. Bush marked the day by repeating his call on US lawmakers to double support for anti-AIDS programmes to 30 billion dollars over five years.

Chinese President Hu Jintao was on front pages of state newspapers shaking the hand of a woman HIV carrier the day after the UN warned that up to 50 million Chinese were at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

Elsewhere in China, UNAIDS and the China Red Cross Foundation have organised a "Great AIDS Walk" on the Great Wall for Sunday to raise awareness.

In Australia, campaigners warned that complacency after earlier success in fighting HIV/AIDS risked giving rise to a new wave of infections.

"This is the moment it all could go astray. This is the moment when it can become a pandemic," said AIDS awareness educator Vince Lovegrove.

Indonesia -- which the UN says has Asia's fastest growing HIV epidemic -- marked the day with the launch of its first national campaign to promote the use of condoms.

And in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, several dozen AIDS activists observed a minute of silence to remember the 12,000 Ukrainians who have died of AIDS in two decades.

Some stood with their mouths taped to protest what they say is the government's silence about Ukraine's growing HIV and AIDS problem.

During the first 10 months of the year, close to 14,500 new HIV cases were reported, prompting UN AIDS officials to warn that Ukraine's HIV epidemic was the most severe in Europe.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the country's leading HIV research hospital and called the battle against AIDS "absolutely fundamental".

In Rome, some pharmacies were handing out free condoms.

In Stockholm, bishops of the Protestant Church of Sweden called on religious leaders around the world to promote the use of condoms.

Keep the Promise

Ribbon

Giving Women Power

Friday, November 30, 2007

Will You Vote for a Female President?? Poll

Stay and celebrate with me.......

Thanks to EVERYONE who voted!!! With 23 votes in, 82 percent of you say you'll vote for a worthy female president based on merit!!!

Uncork the wine, savor the chocolate and lets rebuild Sa Lone together:-):-)

Please take the 2008 Pledge Poll!!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Take the 2008 Pledge - Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

We don't want the needs of the children to be lost in the "big" agenda. Let's face it, if we fix today and leave tomorrow still broken, then there really is no future. The present government will not be around in 30 years - those kids, the ones who need our help right now, will be running Sa Lone in 30 years. Let us start now before its too late. We don't want history repeating itself. Let's take a look at where the children have been over the last decade and in the following weeks, decide on how to move forward. I am enclosing a series of poignant and heartbreaking stories that should fuel our need for reform. Things have obviously improved since the time these stories were printed, but we need to remember where we've been so that we don't forget where we need to go.

2008 Pledge

Please note that there is no criticism of the government here. This is a task for all Sa Lone folk. We can all do our little part to facilitate progress for the children. For those of us outside of the diaspora, sponsor a child, adopt a school and do a book drive, send pens or pencils, buy ten pairs of shoes and send for ten lucky boys or girls at a school of your choice (you can even go to payless for this). Ask each and every one of your friends and/or colleagues to donate one dollar (US) or one pound (UK) or one euro (Europe) a month for twelve months and on December 31st, 2008, buy school supplies and/or clothing, and donate those supplies to a worthy organization or school of your choice.

Ask for 50 cents a month if a dollar is too much. Ask your friends to donate all their old clothes or shoes so that you can send it to a trusted individual or organization that can distribute it to those who truly need it. Pledge to make 2008 a year of change for rebuilding Sa Lone - one innocent child at at time. Just sending pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons or whatever you can afford for one child makes a difference!!! My friends and I are putting together a 2009 Calendar. We hope you support us and buy them next year. We will use the money to buy school supplies/uniforms for children at a deserving school. I will have more details later!!!!

If you want to take the pledge, please let me know in the comments section below and update us on your monthly progress. We will support and encourage you all the way!!!!

BBC Report - Children working in Sierra Leone mines

Child labour problems remain unsolved in post-war Sierra Leone, where thousands of youngsters continue to work in mines.

During Sierra Leone's 10 year civil war, children were used as combatants and labourers in the diamond mines of Koidu in the north-eastern district of Kono.

With the war over, government's efforts to get them out of the mines and back into schools are proving to be painfully slow.

No-one seems to know the exact number of children working at the diamond mines in Koidu, because with every passing day, more youngsters drift into these mines.

Blessings

Undoubtedly, the children number several thousands, and many of them get the blessing of their parents, who have come to see them as breadwinners of the impoverished families. Over the past few days, I have been visiting the mine sites here and what I see is incredible. The children aged between seven and 16 go to the mines as early as 0800 and work through to 1800. They do hard labour, like digging in soil and gravel, before sifting with a pan for gemstones and shifting heavy mud believed to contain diamonds.

Hired

A boy aged nine who gave his name as Abou Bangura, and whom I spoke to at the mines site told me that he and his brother, who is 14, work for their father, who is disabled. Abou has never been to school and he told me that he is not at all interested in school. Other children, some of them former combatants, some orphans and street children, are hired by adults to do their dirty work for them. The ministry of gender and children affairs, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, World Vision and Aim Sierra Leone, have registered 1,200 child miners, with the aim of taking them out of the mines.

About 50 of them have been placed in schools, but a huge number of the children are still slaving away in the mines, raising concern among children's advocate in the country. Teachers in the schools where the children have been enrolled are also worried that without any attractive incentives, the youngsters may be tempted to return to the mines.

VOA Report - Street Children of Sierra Leone Lead Brutal, Dangerous Life

In Sierra Leone, one of several West African countries recently devastated by civil war, aid organizations are trying to save children from prostitution or forced labor.

A decade of conflict has made poverty in Sierra Leone so bad that many families cannot afford to take care of their children. Over 1,500 children live on the streets in Freetown alone, making a living doing odd jobs. They are the children most in danger of violence and sexual abuse.

At a truck park in the eastern part of the capital, many children come to sleep in the empty shells of cars. Prostitutes and drug addicts also come there, and so do aid workers from the organization Action for Children in Conflict (ACC). The organization offers them temporary shelter in the small town of Makeni, hundreds of kilometers away from the dangers of Freetown.

Eight-year-old Hannah Masany was found in the parking lot. She had been out on the streets since she was six. Hannah's father was killed during the war, and her mother could not afford to look after her.

Hannah said that she was not afraid on the streets, as older street children helped take care of her. But many girls as young as Hannah will have sex with men in order to earn enough money to eat.

"People come along -- it is a kind of enterprise which has just developed recently, it's a very quick way of getting money," says ACC Senior Councilor John B. Koroma. "So people come out and meet some of these children in the street, because they will not have people to take care of them, they make them promises that ‘I will pay school fees for you, I will do this and do that.’ So they collect these children at the end of the day, they move them out of the country, to use them as child labor and other things."

Other risks for children on the street are drugs and alcohol, which they use in hopes of providing some relief from the hardship in their lives.

15-year-old Ansumana Kobba was also found in the truck park. He had been out on the street for four months. Ansumana's parents were killed during the war. He was sent to live with his uncle, but left when he was forced to go to work and was not sent to school.

Ansumana says he made money carrying things for people, but spent most of it on gambling and the local palm wine called Poy. Although he is glad to be off the street and in school, Ansumana says he is unable to face going back to his uncle or other members of his family. He says he would like to be put in a foster home.

The children cannot stay at the center indefinitely, and many of them will be sent back to members of their family.

Most go back to the same situation they left behind, including physical and sexual abuse. Although ACC will monitor the kids for a few months, there is no guarantee they will remain with their families.

Donald Robert Shaw, who works with the United Nations childrens' organization UNICEF, says that the number of street kids will not decrease until the underlying causes that make children leave in the first place are addressed.

“Our partners' anecdotal information suggests that the number is increasing as the levels of poverty and vulnerability are significant," said Mr. Shaw, "that either push children onto the streets or children end up leaving homes to find better economic livelihoods out of impoverished families.”

UNICEF is working with the Sierra Leonean government to bring children back into the educational system, so children are not exposed to dangers on the streets. Most importantly, it is mounting campaigns against physical and sexual abuse of children. But attitudes are difficult to change.

IPS - SIERRA LEONE-CHILDREN: Young, Armed and Dangerous

FREETOWN -- Since the military coup in May, hundreds of child soldiers have fled from camps for demobilised fighters and are back on the streets armed with AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades.

It is a common sight to see the child soldiers patrolling the streets in major cities throughout Sierra Leone, bringing renewed fears that children are being drawn once again into armed conflict.

According to some reports, the children are being armed by the new military junta, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and its allies, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) now known as the People's Army, to fight the local hunters militia, the Kamajors.

The Kamajors, who fought alongside government troops against the RUF during the civil conflict, have vowed to march on Freetown, the capital, to oust the junta and re-instate President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah.

There have been reports of fighting in the Southern District of Bo between the combined forces of the AFRC/RUF and the Kamajors. Hundreds of child soldiers are reportedly among the AFRC/RUF fighters.

Many of the children had been placed in camps for demobilised soldiers following the November 1996 Peace Accord signed between the ousted government of President Kabbah and the RUF rebels.

According to one weekly newspaper report here, ''more than 60 percent of (a group of) 1000 fighters'' screened by the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Resettlement Committee before the May 25 coup were children.

Thousands of child soldiers had been demobilised and encamped at Jui, about 30 kilometres east of Freetown, where they were receiving technical and vocational training in a programme sponsored by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

Referring to the flight of the children back into the conflict, Thomas Sesay, a counselling officer at the Jui camp said: ''This is unfortunate because we had succeeded in transforming most of these kids and had reintegrated them into society.''

Sierra Leone has one of the world's worse records for recruiting children as soldiers. Between 1992 and 1996, the period of the worst fighting between the government forces and the RUF, an estimated 4,500 children were forced to fight on both sides.

Children were abducted and forced to commit various atrocities. Some were ordered to torture and murder their own relatives, before being taken to other villages to slaughter others.

UNICEF, an international advocacy organisation for children's rights, has repeatedly called on the Sierra Leonean authorities to stop using children as soldiers. ''UNICEF calls on all warring sides to put an end to the use of children as combattants and to incorporate provisions for their physical and emotional welfare in a future peace settlement,'' Carol Bellamy, UNICEF's Executive Director said at the height of the conflict.

''Children should have no part in war. By making them agents of civil conflict and depriving them of their childhood, the vicious cycle of violence is perpetuated,'' she added. ''Child soldiers are a symptom of the wider problem, the complete neglect of a whole generation...''

Thousands of children have been orphaned by the Sierra Leonean conflict, making them vulnerable for recruitment. According to some estimates, 8000 children were separated from their families or orphaned by the civil unrest.

The chair of the Civil Liberties Congress, lawyer Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, said this trend must be reversed as a matter of urgency.

''We cannot wait until the situation gets worse. These kids have the temptation of drugs and money and many have lost their parents,'' Tejan-Sie said. ''It is high time someone tells these soldiers and rebels to stop recruiting innocent kids.''

According to sociologist Kama Bangura of the University of Sierra Leone, children are not just affected by being forced to carry a gun. The war, he said, has disrupted their lives in many ways.

''Children will be hardest hit by the gradual collapse of basic services,'' Bangura said. ''Food distribution has been disrupted, immunisation campaigns have been halted, leaving children susceptible to epidemics of measles, typhoid and whooping cough.''

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

My name is Salone Pikin and.......

70%

“Civilization is a process… whose purpose is to combine single human individuals, and after that families, then races, peoples, and nations, into one great unity, the unity of mankind.” —Sigmund Freud

“Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. We attain unity only through variety. Differences must be integrated, not annihilated…” —M.P. Follett

“I’m a human being before I am a race, a religion, and an occupation.” —Kris Parker, a.k.a. KRS-ONE

“Mankind will endure when the world appreciates the logic of diversity.” —Indira Gandhi

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Sa Lone Cooking

Picture Source

Yuna know say Thanksgiving dee cam jisnoh!!! Yuna dee cook for yuna fambuldem en padidem. Well, nor worry oh, Sassy dee gee yuna all dee recipes yuna need for yuna celebrationdem

Jollof rice
Jollof rice is a national dish served in nearly all ceremonies across the country - at weddings, funerals and social gatherings. It is a common dish on restaurant menus.

Ingredients for 10 servings
1,25 litre (5 cups) of rice
onions
1.3 kg (approx. 3 pounds) meat
1 piece chicken
3 tins of tomato paste
1 litre (4 cups) of groundnut oil
season vegetables
6 beef cubes
salt and pepper to taste
seed tomatoes
bay leaves

Preparing the Stew
Season the chicken and meat.
Pour the oil into an empty pot and heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and meat, and deep-fry, then set aside.
Blend the pepper, onions and seed tomatoes, then fry with the soup cubes.
Add the fried chicken, meat and a small amount of water, season, and add salt to taste. Cook until all the water is absorbed, then set aside to cool.

Preparing the Rice
Wash the rice, season and leave until all water is absorbed.
Boil water with small quantity of stew. Pour in rice, tomato paste, bay leaves and salt, cook until all water is absorbed.
Serve the rice and stew separately, with boiled vegetables (cabbage, carrot, peas).

Other websites featuring Sa Lone Recipes

1. Meat Stew, Egusi Soup, Chicken Stew, Groundnut Stew, Spinach Plasas and Binch Akara

2. Banga Soup, Okra Soup, Palmnut Soup, Abala, Cassava leaves, Okra leaves, Oleleh

3. Fried Plantains

4. African Vegetable Soup

5. Kanyah

Enjoy yuna holiday season!!!

Battling Corruption in Sa Lone

Reprinted from VOA
Sierra Leone's President Says Fighting Corruption is Priority -By Naomi Schwarz, Dakar, 14 November 2007

Sierra Leone's recently elected president, Ernest Koroma, will be formally inaugurated on Thursday, with eight West African heads of state expected to be in attendance. Mr. Koroma has been in office since September, and reaction to his early anti-corruption efforts are already surfacing. Naomi Schwarz has more on the story from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.

On Thursday, Sierra Leone's former president, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah will hand over the presidential staff to new president, Ernest Koroma, in a ceremony marking the democratic transfer of power. It is the first transfer of power since Sierra Leone's civil war ended in 2002, and observers have called the election and its aftermath a test for Sierra Leone's re-emerging democracy. Viktor Foh, secretary-general of Mr. Koroma's political party, the All People's Congress, says the mood in Freetown is already festive.

"People are coming. Already Freetown is full and as I talk to you, people are arriving. Heads of state are arriving. We are in a very festive mood," he said. But Foh says, the ceremony is merely a formality. Mr. Koroma was actually sworn into office in September. The official festivities were postponed because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims are not supposed to celebrate. In Mr. Koroma's first two months in office, he has made strong statements about fighting corruption. Corruption Watchdog Transparency International ranks Sierra Leone among the world's most corrupt countries.

As a first step, Foh says Mr. Koroma audited the entire government to identify problems. He says the report showed there were many areas to improve. "The last government was very much corrupt," he explained. "Every ministry audited has proven to be very corrupt. So our country is behind because of corruption." In Dakar, Human Rights Watch's Corinne Dufka, said corruption and bad governance are long-standing issues in Sierra Leone.

"It didn't come out of nowhere, Sierra Leone's armed conflict, it was the result of decades of corruption and mismanagement of the country's vast natural resources and so it is key that President Koroma has identified some of these key issues which have been bedeviling the Sierra Leonean people for many, many years. But is now time that he has to take concrete actions to begin addressing some of these problems," she said.

Human Rights Watch Wednesday sent an open letter to Mr. Koroma urging him to make good on his promises against corruption and other problems in the government. Dufka says she is encouraged by Mr. Koroma's steps so far. He has appointed several well-respected civil society leaders to important posts, including the Anti-Corruption Commission..
But Dufka says Mr. Koroma needs to strengthen the commission by extending its power beyond investigating crimes to also prosecuting them.

Reparation Rights for Sexual Violence Survivors

Sierra Leone Getting reparations right for survivors of sexual violence

Excerpted from Amnesty International

Six years after the end of the conflict in Sierra Leone, little has been done to ensure that survivors of sexual violence receive justice, acknowledgement of their suffering, or full, meaningful and effective reparations. The unimaginable brutality of violations committed against up to a third of Sierra Leone’s mostly rural women and girls has been well documented; however the government has failed to effectively address the physical, psychological and economic impact of these crimes on the survivors. Without justice, recognition of the crimes or effective programmes to ensure their rehabilitation, without help to rebuild their lives or steps being taken to ensure that they are protected from future crimes, the suffering of the women and girls continues.

Amnesty International interviewed women and girls who have employed many strategies to survive, both during the conflict and in its aftermath. For them, sexual violence was not a single event but a violation that has continued in the absence of comprehensive measures to deal with it. Along with the sexual violence, many identified themselves as former ‘rebel wives’, which also contributed to isolation and exclusion. As a result, many have had difficultly accessing food, shelter, work and healthcare. The continuing discrimination they have faced has impeded their reintegration into the community.

These women and girls expressed a desire for justice and meaningful reparations not out of revenge but simply to enable them to become economically independent and begin to re-establish their lives free from fear, stigma and discrimination.

A reparations programme recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in its 2004 report includes specific measures for victims of sexual abuse. This provides the government with new opportunities to ensure that victims can finally begin to address the damage that has been done to them. Lessons learned from efforts at reintegration reveal that the needs of women and girls have not been adequately met.(2) These lessons must be incorporated into the reparations programme, which requires the active participation of its beneficiaries if it is going to be designed to meet their needs.

In order to address the complex social and individual impact of sexual abuse, the reparations must be provided in a context that seeks to prevent future violence, addresses the deep-seated discrimination against women, promotes equality and improves women’s status.

All victims and survivors of crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws are entitled to justice and reparations. This report focuses specifically on reparations for survivors of sexual abuse, which mainly affects women and girls from rural areas in Sierra Leone. Amnesty International examines the social and individual effects of sexual violence, the failure of the government to provide measures to address its impact, including justice and reparations, and the need for the government to implement a comprehensive and effective reparations programme to get reparations right for victims of sexual violence.

Read the full story at Amnesty International.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Homesick for the Beautiful Beaches in Sa Lone

Check out these wonderful photographs, courtsey of Peter C. Anderson. These pictures remind us of the beauty of our country; a beauty that no civil war can erase, a beauty that will last till the end of time.

Learn about The Sa Lone Fifty Fifty Group

The Fifty Fifty Group promotes itself as "a non-partisan campaign for more women in politics and public life through training and advocacy."

The objectives of the Fifty Fifty Group include:

To advocate that barriers against women going into politics be removed.
To change people's perception of women in politics.
To increase women's participation in democratic politics and other decision making bodies.
To provide advice and encouragement that will enable women to participate in politics without fear.
To lobby for the Zipper system of representation in politics- i.e.- one man one woman.
To make women's candidature attractive to political parties and voters.
To sensitise women about the importance of standing for parliament and local council and make a difference in the lives of Sierra Leoneans.
To empower women through training in skills that would enable them to enter the political arena and other decision-making position with confidence.
To develop and maintain a database of women professionals.

Membership
Membership of The Fifty Fifty Group is open to all concerned women and supportive men. The group has various activities including the training of women and men in campaigning, lobbying and public speaking skills.

Membership benefits include:
training in campaign, presentation and other relevant skills including the internet
information
media campaign
civic education on the electoral process
gender balance in current legislation

To learn more about this fabulous and progressive group, please click here!!!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Is Sa Lone ready for a female president?

Liberia has distinguished itself as the first African country to elect a female president.

Hilary Clinton is campaigning to become the first female president of the United States. Is Sierra Leone ready to take the leap? Are we ready to put the task of rebuilding our nation in the hands of women?

There are several well-educated, hard working, smart, capable, fearless women in our nation who will make excellent leaders. Women make up 52% of the population. Do you think this should be reflected in election of our government officials? You decide.

Obviously we have to take baby steps. We must learn to walk before we can fly. First, we must make an effort to appoint more women to the government. Female leadership is vital to rebuilding our nation.

Let's look at the stats. How are we doing now? How have we done in the past? You decide.

Previous Regime

Alhaji Dr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, President
Mr. Solomon E. Berewa, Vice President
Mr. Momodu Koroma, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Co-operation
Mr. John Benjamin, Minister of Finance
Mr. Mohamed B. Daramy, Minister of Development and Economic Planning
Dr. Kadi Sesay, Minister of Trade and Industry
Dr. Prince A. Harding, Minister of Transport and Communications
Mr. Chernoh Jalloh, Minister of Marine Resources
Mrs. Abator Thomas, Minister of Health and Sanitation
Dr. Alpha T. Wurie, Minister of Education, Science and Technology
Alhaji Mohamed Swarray Deen, Minister of Mineral Resources
Mr. Sidike Brima, Minister of Local Government and Community Development
Mr. Okere Adams, Minister of Tourism and Culture
Dr. Alfred Bobson Sesay, Minister of Lands, Housing, Country Planning Forestry and the Environment
Prof. Septimus Kaikai, Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Dr. Caiser J. Boima, Minister of Works, Housing & Technical Maintenance
Mr. Alpha O. Timbo, Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Social Security
Mrs. Shirley Gbujama, Minister of Social welfare, Gender & Children's Affairs
Mr. F.M. Carew, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Mr. Pascal Egbenda, Minister of Internal Affairs
Dr. Dennis Bright, Minister of Youth & Sports
Mr. Lloyd A. During, Minister of Energy and Power
Dr. Sama S. Mondeh, Minister of Agriculture & Food Security
Mr. Eya Mbayo, Minister of Political & Parliamentary Affairs

Current Cabinet

Ernest Bai Koroma, President
Sam Sumana, Vice President
Zainab Hawa Bangura, Minister of Foreign Affairs
David Carew, Minister of Finance and Development
Paulo Conteh, Minister of Defence
Alhaji I.B. Kargbo, Minister of Information and Communications
Abdul Serry Kamal, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
Dr. Soccoh Kabia, Minister of Health
Alhaji Abubakarr Jalloh, Minister of Mineral Resources
John Saab, Minister of Housing and Infrastructural Development
Dr. Sam Sesay, Minister of Agriculture
Dauda Sulaiman Kamara, Minister of Internal Affairs, Local Government and Rural Development
Benjamin O.N. Davies, Minister of Lands, Country Planning & the Environment
Haja Afsatu Kabbah, Minister of Energy and Power
Dr. Moses Moisa-Kapu, Minister of Marine Resources
Musu Kandeh, Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children's Affairs
Hindolo Trye, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Minkailu Mansaray, Minister of Employment and Social Security
Dr. Minkailu Bah, Minister of Education Youths and Sports
Kemoh Sesay, Minister of Transport and Aviation
Alimamy Koroma, Minister of Trade and Industry

Are you satisfied?
Picture source

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Democratic Republic of Sa Lone?

Below is an article written by Kenday S. Kamara. I came across this article on worldpress and thought I'd share it with my Sa Lone folk.

A Return to Prosperity?

In September, Sierra Leone had the opportunity to define its democracy for the first time after 41 years of many miscarriages in its democratic process. The Sept. 8, 2007, run-off elections were a defining moment in Sierra Leone's