tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278731412024-03-13T05:57:33.414+01:00Dis Generation"...a society that cuts itself from its youth severs its lifeline, but a society that engages their interests, enlists their talents and liberates their energies brings hope to the entire world” (Kofi Anan). Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation" (Nelson Mandela).Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.comBlogger651125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-80749431823748641392015-07-04T20:16:00.001+01:002017-08-05T08:41:49.692+01:00New Level!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VYtp08hEoAk/VZghsbxawyI/AAAAAAAAEMk/Yiewgpq6YAU/s1600/we%2Bhave%2Bmoved.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VYtp08hEoAk/VZghsbxawyI/AAAAAAAAEMk/Yiewgpq6YAU/s400/we%2Bhave%2Bmoved.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I started a new blog on <a href="https://medium.com/@jenniferehidiamen" target="_blank">medium</a>.<br />
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One of the first posts on <a href="http://youthmakingchange.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this blog</a> went live on <a href="http://youthmakingchange.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-surrender-show-me-way-channel-route.html"><span id="goog_70125463"></span>July 07, 2006<span id="goog_70125464"></span></a>. The reason for coming on blogger was to muse about anything and everything.<br />
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It soon evolved from being a journal of a young woman looking for her place in the world into an advocacy channel. Between January 2007 and January 2012, articles were cross-posted from "Dis Generation," my weekly youth-focused column in the Nation newspaper, one of Nigeria's national newspapers.<br />
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<i>With 257,083 pageviews - 651 posts, - 70 followers</i>, this blog and I have come a long way...traveled across the globe on free tickets because of the recognition it brought :-)<br />
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Oh well. But we are to keep growing and help others up in the process!<br />
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<a href="http://youthmakingchange.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-surrender-show-me-way-channel-route.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rKkO4FEgmQA/VZgu0oBd53I/AAAAAAAAEM0/UuQTJyKnghI/s320/Blog%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today, July 04 2015, I'm putting a close to this chapter of my life :-), to start something more beautiful, by the grace of God.<br />
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Please keep enjoying all the past articles on here... six hundred and fifty one in all. And the new ones coming on <a href="https://medium.com/@jenniferehidiamen" target="_blank">medium</a>.<br />
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Thank you very much for all these years of keeping a tab on my works. Many thanks to the guest bloggers who occasionally came to my rescue when I had those writer's block...LOL... And YES! Thank you to my family, good friends, mentors and all those who believed in me and gave me a spot to stand on their shoulders. I hope we'll keep inspiring one another.<br />
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<b>Still on blogger</b>: <a href="http://aheartfullofgod.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Faith</a> & <a href="http://ireviewcovertocover.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Books</a>, <a href="http://basicresearchwithjenlee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Research</a> and funny <a href="http://tellashortstory.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">short stories</a>.<br />
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<b>What next? </b>I'm at <a href="https://medium.com/@jenniferehidiamen" target="_blank">CSJ</a> sharpening my ax! Grace to it, grace to it!<br />
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<b>Why? </b>"Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle." Ecclesiastes 10:10 <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+10%3A10&version=MSG" target="_blank">The Message (MSG)</a><br />
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<b>Where to find me:</b><br />
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- Blog on <a href="https://medium.com/@jenniferehidiamen" target="_blank">MEDIUM</a><br />
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- <a href="http://www.ruralreporters.com/" target="_blank">RURAL REPORTERS</a><br />
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- <a href="http://aheartfullofgod.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Faith</a><br />
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- <a href="http://www.voanews.com/author/24213.html" target="_blank">VOA</a><br />
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- <a href="https://twitter.com/disgeneration" target="_blank">TWITTER</a><br />
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- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer.Ehidiamen" target="_blank">FACEBOOK</a><br />
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- OFFLINE - where exciting things still happen :-)<br />
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Shalom!<br />
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JE<br />
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<i>great oaks grow from little acorns</i><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-89370635341763389512015-07-04T18:41:00.001+01:002017-08-05T08:40:54.842+01:0031 - I Give thanks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEmEAgkYTvI/WYV2bj4VbdI/AAAAAAAAEUs/lgbZppox1wEBa9ZYjlca2PNgERqwvu2hQCLcBGAs/s1600/facephase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="530" height="245" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jEmEAgkYTvI/WYV2bj4VbdI/AAAAAAAAEUs/lgbZppox1wEBa9ZYjlca2PNgERqwvu2hQCLcBGAs/s320/facephase.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="s1"><i>If you refuse to tell ur story or share your testimony, others will do it for you. And most times, they don't tell it right! So always testify!!!</i></span></blockquote>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>I give thanks:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for God's mercy, </span></div>
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<span class="s1">extravagant grace and love! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for light.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for my lovely family,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">and good friends.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for wisdom.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for every boy, girl,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">man and woman,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Who invested in me,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">and gave me a lift.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for the Klines.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for my Pastor,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">the Church and gospel of Christ.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for the valleys that</span></div>
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<span class="s1">has helped me grow stronger.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for Nigeria.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/csj16"><span class="s2">#CSJ16</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for heartfelt love,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">cheerful laughter and safe travels.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for provision and</span></div>
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<span class="s1">protection so divine!</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for beauty,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">and patience.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for talent, </span></div>
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<span class="s1">opportunities and favour.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for you.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">May you always find a reason</span></div>
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<span class="s1">to give thanks too.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">I'm thankful for the best,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">which is to come.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-77600824420823202352015-05-30T18:34:00.001+01:002015-05-30T18:34:42.577+01:00Tech and 2015 Elections in Nigeria<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u8DO4-AbkDE/VWn0s-oIauI/AAAAAAAAEIs/0uJLaTMx7gQ/s1600/tech-782578.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u8DO4-AbkDE/VWn0s-oIauI/AAAAAAAAEIs/0uJLaTMx7gQ/s320/tech-782578.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6154719419341236962" /></a></p><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div>The recorded success of the 2015 elections have paved the way for future development of disruptive apps that will continue to re-define governance and foster citizens participation in Nigeria.<br><br>Is the country's socio-political ecosystem ready to maximize the opportunity, beyond political rhetoric? <div><br></div><div>Read my take on tech and 2015 Nigeria elections:</div><div><br></div><div>- <a href="http://apj.fas.harvard.edu/leveraging-technology-in-the-nigerian-elections/">Harvard Africa Policy Journal</a></div><div><br></div><div>- <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/smartphones-election-nigeria-youth/2790941.html">VOA News</a></div><div><br></div><div>Moving forward, Nigeria!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-36222058639528451432015-05-29T16:59:00.001+01:002015-05-29T16:59:43.507+01:00On Our Road To Change: Give Room For Others To Fail...Forward!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNsqDuhe4h8/VWiM8CX5OLI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/diw94R6SiQQ/s1600/Screenshot_2015-05-29-15-27-12-1-783508.png"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pNsqDuhe4h8/VWiM8CX5OLI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/diw94R6SiQQ/s320/Screenshot_2015-05-29-15-27-12-1-783508.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6154323853858912434" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vrlsUvyfM_I/VWiM8-ZW48I/AAAAAAAAEIc/85rbsrMHk_w/s1600/Screenshot_2015-05-29-15-28-00-1-786879.png"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vrlsUvyfM_I/VWiM8-ZW48I/AAAAAAAAEIc/85rbsrMHk_w/s320/Screenshot_2015-05-29-15-28-00-1-786879.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6154323869971178434" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">On my way to work the other day, I boarded one of the red BRT (Lagbus) to CMS. If you are familiar with this route, you will notice that there is a new development in their modus operandi. To cut the long story short, we now have new air-conditioned Lag buses. Commuters pay a few naira extra for the comfort (the fare for non air conditioned buses are cheaper).</p> <p dir="ltr">Unlike the old lag buses, these new ones are of a different model-- and somewhat smaller too. </p> <p dir="ltr">The first week they started operating, there was a lot of drama. I remember on one occasion some passengers started shouting at the driver for allowing the bus to jerk each time he changed the gear. It was so bad that a lady called the customer service to lay a complaint, "it is either your buses are bad or your drivers don't know how to drive them yet," she said to the other person on the line. I didn't dare look back to see the expression on her face as she made her call through.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jerk, bump, change in motion, jerk.</p> <p dir="ltr"> "Driver I beg take am easy o." Some of us called out.</p> <p dir="ltr">I am not sure why the passengers were so panicked. But in retrospect, it could just be that we were all responding to the change in the system differently.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although the buses were brand new and quite comfortable, we didn't trust the drivers or authenticity of the system (the vehicles). </p> <p dir="ltr">Some of the passengers were quick to propose that the driver in question be replaced immediately. </p> <p dir="ltr">I travelled in more than one of these buses that week and realised that the technical difficulty we encountered the first day was not unique to the driver whom passengers complained about. Others faced the same challenge. They were not used to the way the buses worked and had to learn through the process. But us impatient passengers had expected immediate perfection.</p> <p dir="ltr">Today, the buses still ply the route and the drivers have improved.</p> <p dir="ltr">Change, as beautiful as it looks is sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes hard, sometimes bumpy. </p> <p dir="ltr">Eventually, if we give ourselves enough room to fail, to jerk on the steering, to stagger through path while finding a solution-- if we are patient with ourselves to acknowledge the inadequacies of our team members and see how we each can provide support, complement one another as oppose to being quick to make a call through to the powers that be, then we will succeed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Am I advocating for us to celebrate mediocrity? No.<br> Am I saying we should smile like everything is okay when those we entrust with the responsibility of driving us to safety and progress is pushing us overboard? No.<br> Of course we should raise our fist in protest. Of course we should speak up. Of course we should demand for accountability and request for a replacement if things don't improve for the better.</p> <p dir="ltr">But-- before we raise our hands to cast the first stone-- before we launch that epic criticism, we should first make sure we are not being unrealistic with our demands. It is okay for the bus to jerk and make us uncomfortable on the first ride. </p> <p dir="ltr">Let us not set ourself up for failure by expecting an overnight change. It takes process...</p> <p dir="ltr">Happy Democracy Day Nigeria!</p> <p dir="ltr">God bless Nigeria.<br> </p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-411110474149860722015-05-28T05:56:00.006+01:002015-05-28T05:56:54.853+01:00Satyagraha Institute: Summer Training For The Next Generation Of Global Leaders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dDXbiLvaPCE/S3IdE8ssy2I/AAAAAAAAAbk/AUGSYTzJYnU/s1600/6040_1209223026831_1116368769_30677872_4666960_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dDXbiLvaPCE/S3IdE8ssy2I/AAAAAAAAAbk/AUGSYTzJYnU/s200/6040_1209223026831_1116368769_30677872_4666960_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our world suffers for lack of leaders rooted in the traditions of nonviolence.<br />When conflicts arise, many leaders teach us to wield threats, coercion, and harm.When unfamiliar perspectives disturb, many leaders rally us to certainty and defensiveness. When decisions must be made, many leaders encourage us to value self-interest, immediacy, and possession. As we follow these guides, the fabric of our community weakens, and life becomes more difficult for ourselves and others.<br /><br />Satyagraha Institute works to create a different future by training leaders in the traditions of nonviolence.</blockquote>
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<span class="s1">As August draws near, we are excited about the growing group of participants that will join together in the Black Hills in August! To make the Institute a success, we can use your help in three ways.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xwQNjHdnvn0/VWaflvQbnOI/AAAAAAAAEH4/ifiJzGS_nQc/s1600/training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xwQNjHdnvn0/VWaflvQbnOI/AAAAAAAAEH4/ifiJzGS_nQc/s200/training.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />1. Please "like" the new <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=3e4486f120&e=b99510453c">Satyagraha Institute Facebook page</a>. And help spread the word. Thanks!<br /><br />2. Recommend the training to anyone in your community who would benefit from the opportunity to develop the skills, understanding, and heart of nonviolence. Encourage them to apply.<br /><br />3. Donate to help us hit our budget milestone as all-volunteer administration devote more time to the final preparations for the program. <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=9506f52dc4&e=b99510453c">See our website for ways to make a donation</a>.</blockquote>
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<br />If you have any questions, or if you would like to chat about the possibility of attending the Institute, please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=1271279e28&e=b99510453c">email or call us</a>.<br /><div class="p1">
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<td class="td1" valign="top"><br /><br /><b>Happening this summer! </b><br />Satyagraha Institute provides leaders interested in nonviolent social change an opportunity to deepen their understanding, skills, commitment, and community. This year's institute will be held August 4-18 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. <br /><br />The total cost of this fourteen-day program is $700. This fee includes meals, lodging, and program. For those who cannot attend the entire program, early departure on August 14 is an option, with a reduced fee of $500. <br /><br /><b><u>Application deadline is June 28.</u></b> Space is limited, so early application is encouraged. Please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=ebf42e6253&e=b99510453c">see our website</a> for details. <br /><br /><b>What is Satyagraha? </b><br />Mohandas Gandhi, who famously experimented with the possibilities of nonviolence, coined the Sanskrit term satyagraha to identify a method of social change. Gandhi proposed that satya (truth) combined with agraha (firmness) creates a useful social power that does not rely on harming others. Gandhi often referred to this power as “truth-force.” <br /><br />Satyagraha is a way of directly engaging with others to work out the difficult aspects of life without resorting to coercion, harm, or ill intention. It is the social power which arises when we act with kindness, respect, patience, generosity, and service. <br /><br /><br />Please feel free to share! </td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-52456789920304876442015-05-17T23:27:00.001+01:002015-05-17T23:34:37.707+01:00See Mama, I made it to Ghana by Road! :-)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GdyZpIcl-A/VVkVhCiFe8I/AAAAAAAAEHQ/9wXkt8jpBAY/s1600/20150503_152031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_GdyZpIcl-A/VVkVhCiFe8I/AAAAAAAAEHQ/9wXkt8jpBAY/s320/20150503_152031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
"The city looked familiar yet strange. And the trail of motorcycles [okadas] were almost endless—zooming across the streets like we see in Lagos mainland.<br />
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Through Contonuo we traveled. </div>
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Through the busy streets. </div>
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Into an untarred road. </div>
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ZZZzzz. </div>
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I slept and woke up and we were still in Benin Republic. </div>
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The untarred road spread across us like a blanket covering an unmade bed....<br />
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I posted it! ---->>>> READ: <a href="http://ruralreporters.com/road-trip-traveling-from-lagos-to-ghana-by-road/" target="_blank">Our Road Trip</a>: Traveling From Lagos To Ghana By Road [Part 1]: <a href="http://ruralreporters.com/road-trip-traveling-from-lagos-to-ghana-by-road">http://ruralreporters.com/road-trip-traveling-from-lagos-to-ghana-by-road</a>/</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-74962386865117910702015-05-06T00:00:00.000+01:002015-05-06T00:01:19.102+01:00Announcement: She Leads Africa launches the 2015 Entrepreneur Showcase<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQwa9qRCcGg/VUlLwARbmfI/AAAAAAAAEGc/pHqzm8ZHlm8/s1600/She-leads-africa-pitch-compettion-2-779103.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQwa9qRCcGg/VUlLwARbmfI/AAAAAAAAEGc/pHqzm8ZHlm8/s320/She-leads-africa-pitch-compettion-2-779103.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6145526454602668530" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb1toBtaY2Q/VUlLxHw9rVI/AAAAAAAAEGo/okoPduDIzjg/s1600/Cherae%2BRobinson%252C%2BNour%2BDrissi%2Band%2BTaffi%2BWoolward%2Bwith%2Bchecks-783261.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb1toBtaY2Q/VUlLxHw9rVI/AAAAAAAAEGo/okoPduDIzjg/s320/Cherae%2BRobinson%252C%2BNour%2BDrissi%2Band%2BTaffi%2BWoolward%2Bwith%2Bchecks-783261.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6145526473793842514" /></a></p><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">She Leads Africa announces the launch of its second annual Entrepreneur Showcase for the most talented female entrepreneurs across Africa and the diaspora. This event is the premier platform for young female entrepreneurs looking to grow and scale their businesses across Africa. Participants in the competition will compete for $15,000 in cash prizes, media features in international news outlets, and exclusive meetings with top investors.</span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br>Applications for the 2015 competition open on May 1 and close on June 30. Businesses from any industry are eligible to apply as long as there is one woman on the founding team between 18-35 years old. Companies must have launched their product or service, been in operation for less than 3 years and received less than $50,000 USD in funding.<br><br>Applications and more details can be found at <a href="http://www.sheleadsafrica.org/" target="_blank">www.sheleadsafrica.org</a></font><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div href="http://WISESTAMP_SIG_38e8e4f9560c00c33763dc1ca782091e"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-59882151192924148272015-04-24T16:36:00.001+01:002015-04-24T16:36:47.712+01:00Satyagraha Institute - Update - Training Opportunity for Young Leaders<div dir="ltr"><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica;line-height:22.5px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;color:rgb(96,96,96)!important"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">Satyagraha Institute USA is inviting young leaders to apply for its training programme coming up in August!</span></h3><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><br></span></div><div><h1 id="yui_3_17_2_1_1429889569280_322" style="margin:0px 0px 24px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:24px;line-height:1.2em;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:300">Eligibility Requirements</h1><p style="font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:16px;line-height:25.600000381469727px;margin:24px 0px 24px 40px;color:rgb(115,115,115)">Applicants must:</p><p style="font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:16px;line-height:25.600000381469727px;margin:24px 0px 24px 40px;color:rgb(115,115,115)">• Have a genuine desire to explore the variety of traditions of nonviolence.<br>• Be age 18 or older.<br>• Be physically, mentally, and emotionally stable.<br>• Have a good sense of humor and communication skills.<br>• Be adaptable to changing situations.<br>• Be comfortable living with limited privacy and space, in a community of diverse individuals.<br> </p><h1 style="margin:0px 0px 24px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:24px;line-height:1.2em;letter-spacing:1px;font-weight:300">Application Instructions</h1><p style="font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:16px;line-height:25.600000381469727px;margin:24px 0px 24px 40px;color:rgb(115,115,115)"><strong>Application deadline:</strong><br>Sunday, June 28, 2015</p><p style="font-family:proxima-nova;font-size:16px;line-height:25.600000381469727px;margin:24px 0px 24px 40px;color:rgb(115,115,115)"><strong>Submit items by email to:</strong><br><a target="_blank" href="mailto:info@satyagrahainstitute.org" style="color:rgb(3,0,194);text-decoration:none">info@satyagrahainstitute.org</a><br>When submitting any items by email (including applications, photos, and references), please be sure to use this address.<br></p></div><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica;line-height:22.5px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;color:rgb(96,96,96)!important"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><br></span></h3><h3 style="font-family:Helvetica;line-height:22.5px;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;color:rgb(96,96,96)!important"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">Revised Dates<br>Shorter Program Options<br>Lower Program Fee</span></h3><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">In response to your input, we have revised the dates and fees for the Satyagraha Institute 2015 pilot program.</span><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><strong style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">The Institute will now be held <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">August 4-18</span></span>. The program fee is now only $700. (And, for those who cannot attend the entire program, early departure on <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">August 14</span></span> is an option, with a reduced fee of $500.) Please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=b5bd6eb27a&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(3,0,194);word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:normal">see our website</a> for details.</strong><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">The application deadline is now </span><span class="" tabindex="0" style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><span class="">Sunday, June 28</span></span><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">. Space is limited, so early application is suggested.</span><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">If this opportunity inspires you, but you hesitate to apply, please </span><a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=d33c1c046e&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org/contact" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(3,0,194);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px;word-wrap:break-word">email or call us</a><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"> so we can explore what might be possible.</span><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px"><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:22.5px">Also, if you can think of anyone in your community who might benefit from this opportunity to develop the skills, understanding, and heart of nonviolence, please encourage them to apply: </span></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.satyagrahainstitute.org/application/">http://www.satyagrahainstitute.org/application/</a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-size:13px;line-height:13px;font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif"><strong>What is Satyagraha?</strong><br><br>Mohandas Gandhi, who famously experimented with the possibilities of nonviolence, coined the Sanskrit term satyagraha to identify a method of social change. Gandhi proposed that <em>satya</em>(truth) combined with <em>agraha </em>(firmness) creates a useful social power that does not rely on harming others. Gandhi often referred to this power as "truth-force."<br><br>Satyagraha is an adherence to truth as it unfolds. Since many perspectives are necessary in order to see what is true, satyagraha offers a way to create change that recognizes both our incomplete understanding of any given situation and the wisdom that others have to share.<br><br>Satyagraha is a way of directly engaging with others to work out the difficult aspects of life without resorting to coercion, harm, or ill intention. It is the social power which arises when we act with kindness, respect, patience, generosity, and service.<br><br>Key components of satyagraha include:<br><br>• Changing ourselves as a means of changing the world<br><br>• Touching our adversary's heart as a means of changing the world<br><br>• Maintaining kind intentions without exception<br><br>• Attempting to refrain from harming others<br><br>• Offering selfless service<br><br>• Employing means consistent with the ends we desire<br><br>• Nurturing systems that value nondiscrimination and respect<br><br>• Dismantling harmful institutions, while simultaneously building supportive institutions to take their place</span><br style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:13px;line-height:13px"></div><div><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-size:13px;line-height:13px;font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(96,96,96);font-size:13px;line-height:13px;font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif">More info: </span><a href="http://www.satyagrahainstitute.org/application/">http://www.satyagrahainstitute.org/application/</a></div> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-58391077428502778602015-04-24T13:42:00.001+01:002015-04-24T13:42:25.785+01:00UPDATE- Satyagraha Institute For Young Leaders - Revised Dates, Shorter Program Options and Lower Program Fee<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><u></u> <div marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" style="margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#f2f2f2;min-height:100%!important;width:100%!important"> <center> <table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="100%" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;margin:0;padding:0;background-color:#f2f2f2;height:100%!important;width:100%!important"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="top" style="margin:0;padding:20px;border-top:0;height:100%!important;width:100%!important"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse;border:0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse;background-color:#ffffff;border-top:0;border-bottom:0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" style="padding-top:9px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="197" align="right" style="border-collapse:collapse"><tbody> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse;background-color:#ffffff;border-top:0;border-bottom:0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:0px" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" align="left" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding-right:0px;padding-left:0px;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;text-align:center" valign="top"> <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=0960c5ffc7&e=b99510453c" title="" style="word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank"> <img alt="Black Hills" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740/images/284aeb6e-80b6-48ad-8a25-289311fa8a95.jpg" style="max-width:1000px;padding-bottom:0;display:inline!important;vertical-align:bottom;border:0;outline:none;text-decoration:none" width="600" align="middle"> </a> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse;background-color:#ffffff;border-top:0;border-bottom:0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" valign="top" width="390"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="396" align="left" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding-top:9px;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:9px;padding-left:18px;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:150%;text-align:left" valign="top"> <h1 style="margin:0;padding:0;display:block;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-1px;text-align:left;color:#606060!important">Satyagraha Institute</h1> <h3 style="margin:0;padding:0;display:block;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;line-height:125%;letter-spacing:-.5px;text-align:left;color:#606060!important"><br> Announcement !<br> <br> <span style="color:#0000ff">Revised Dates<br> Shorter Program Options<br> Lower Program Fee</span><br> </h3> <p style="margin:1em 0;padding:0;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:150%;text-align:left">In response to your input, we have revised the dates and fees for the Satyagraha Institute 2015 pilot program.<br> <br> <strong>The Institute will now be held August 4-18. The program fee is now only $700. (And, for those who cannot attend the entire program, early departure on August 14 is an option, with a reduced fee of $500.) Please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=b5bd6eb27a&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#0300c2;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">see our website</a> for details.</strong><br> <br> The application deadline is now Sunday, June 28. Space is limited, so early application is suggested.<br> <br> If this opportunity inspires you, but you hesitate to apply, please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=d33c1c046e&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org/contact" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#0300c2;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">email or call us</a> so we can explore what might be possible.<br> <br> Also, if you can think of anyone in your community who might benefit from this opportunity to develop the skills, understanding, and heart of nonviolence, please encourage them to apply.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding-top:0;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:18px;padding-left:18px" align="center" valign="top"> <table style="border-collapse:separate!important;border-radius:8px;background-color:#607ebe" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16px;padding:10px" align="center" valign="middle"> <a title="Apply Today" href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=da4fd3af8d&e=b99510453c" style="font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:100%;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Apply Today</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="396" align="left" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding-top:9px;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:9px;padding-left:18px;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:15px;line-height:150%;text-align:left" valign="top"> <br> <em>We are still in need of several major donors.</em> Many of you have already sent generous contributions to make Satyagraha Institute a reality. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in making a major charitable donation, please <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=1691d41593&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org/support" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#0300c2;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">see our support page</a> or <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=9c14109956&e=b99510453c" title="satyagrahainstitute.org/contact" style="word-wrap:break-word;color:#0300c2;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">contact us</a>. We are happy to provide more details about our specific budget and program needs.<br> <br> Peace </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="200"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;border-left:0;background-color:#ffffff"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;border-left:0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="203" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding-top:9px;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:9px;padding-left:18px;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:13px;line-height:125%;text-align:left" valign="top"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding-top:0;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:18px;padding-left:18px" align="center" valign="top"> <table style="border-collapse:separate!important;border-radius:8px;background-color:#607ebe" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16px;padding:10px" align="center" valign="middle"> <a title="Visit Our Website" href="http://satyagrahainstitute.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740&id=8051b83deb&e=b99510453c" style="font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:100%;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Visit Our Website</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:9px" valign="top"> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="false" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding:0 9px 9px 9px" align="center" valign="top"> <img alt="Mohandas Gandhi" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b13d91dd0cd9733e83b00740/images/c30963a4-5908-43d7-8d4d-796c7d4d4d21.jpg" style="max-width:300px;border:0;outline:none;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:bottom" width="167"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding:0px 9px;line-height:100%;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:13px;text-align:left" valign="top" width="167"> <br> <span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif"><strong>What is Satyagraha?</strong><br> <br> Mohandas Gandhi, who famously experimented with the possibilities of nonviolence, coined the Sanskrit term satyagraha to identify a method of social change. Gandhi proposed that <em>satya</em> (truth) combined with <em>agraha </em>(firmness) creates a useful social power that does not rely on harming others. Gandhi often referred to this power as "truth-force."<br> <br> Satyagraha is an adherence to truth as it unfolds. Since many perspectives are necessary in order to see what is true, satyagraha offers a way to create change that recognizes both our incomplete understanding of any given situation and the wisdom that others have to share.<br> <br> Satyagraha is a way of directly engaging with others to work out the difficult aspects of life without resorting to coercion, harm, or ill intention. It is the social power which arises when we act with kindness, respect, patience, generosity, and service.<br> <br> Key components of satyagraha include:<br> <br> • Changing ourselves as a means of changing the world<br> <br> • Touching our adversary's heart as a means of changing the world<br> <br> • Maintaining kind intentions without exception<br> <br> • Attempting to refrain from harming others<br> <br> • Offering selfless service<br> <br> • Employing means consistent with the ends we desire<br> <br> • Nurturing systems that value nondiscrimination and respect<br> <br> • Dismantling harmful institutions, while simultaneously building supportive institutions to take their place</span><br> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse;background-color:#ffffff;border-top:0;border-bottom:0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" style="padding-bottom:9px"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding:18px"> <table style="border-top:1px solid #999999;border-collapse:collapse" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td> <span></span> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding-top:9px;padding-right:18px;padding-bottom:9px;padding-left:18px;color:#606060;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:11px;line-height:125%;text-align:left" valign="top"> <em>Copyright © 2015 Satyagraha Institute. All rights reserved.</em><br></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></center></div></div><br></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-15884432312603327922015-04-19T16:42:00.001+01:002015-04-19T16:42:10.878+01:00South Africa: Xenophobic violence and the rest of us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVg5IMLSfWU/VTPMmXjIYbI/AAAAAAAAEGA/SDvgrXliMKg/s1600/SA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mVg5IMLSfWU/VTPMmXjIYbI/AAAAAAAAEGA/SDvgrXliMKg/s1600/SA.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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In April 2008, I remember asking a young South African about the Xenophobic violence in his country. The response I got shocked me.<br />
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He justified the killings of foreigners. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/18/africa/south-africa-xenophobia-explainer/index.html" target="_blank">He could have as well said, we will kill all of them because they are taking our jobs</a>.<br />
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I was short of words. And for the rest of the conference, I avoided the young man like a plague because his mind was made up. No other view made sense to him.<br />
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By the way, we were in a global conference where a teenager from Israel gave a high5 to a youth from Iraq. One of those conferences where we lived the dream-- that one day the world will be sane again. And we'll stop killing one another.<br />
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I wonder if the inter-cultural dialogue and interaction made any impact on the young South African.<br />
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Fast-forward 2015. <a href="http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-05-28-analysis-the-ugly-truth-behind-sas-xenophobic-violence/#.VTPHYKbUB1I" target="_blank">South Africans have launched another attack on foreigners</a>. For almost the same reason as the past.<br />
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And tens and hundreds of young South Africans might just justify the action with the same thought pattern-- they [other Africans] are taking our jobs, lets kill them all.<br />
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Forgetting that as the <a href="http://ruralreporters.com/globalisation-interconnectedness-and-the-digital-media-revolution/" target="_blank">world continues to shrink to globalisation</a>, young Africans will continue to break barrier and travel across borders <a href="http://youthmakingchange.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-attractive-is-ethiopia-to-young.html" target="_blank">to seek out new ventures, to foster development on the continent through cross-cultural innovations and collaboration</a>.<br />
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Dear South Africans and other Africans, can you hear me?<br />
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Re-Orientation is key.<br />
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<i>Image source: DailyMaverick</i><br />
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<i><br /></i><div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-22712745614936409912015-04-15T03:33:00.004+01:002015-04-15T04:22:31.910+01:00Remember, this is not just about #BringBackOurGirls One evening in <i>Nassarawa-Eggon [</i>a town in Nasarawa state], we were all minding our business when suddenly we heard gunshots.<br />
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Next, we heard <i>heavy</i> footsteps running towards the direction of our rooms [staff quarters]. Trust what followed. Doors were locked. Bolted. Light went off. Silence.<br />
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A few minutes later, we were snapped back to reality by voices of the strangers.<br />
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Apparently, one of my colleagues successfully provided shelter for some of the people who had come running towards our rooms. They begged for shelter and she obliged.<br />
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The strangers were night travellers. They had heard rumours of arm robbery attack some miles away, which prompted them [and some other drivers/travellers] to run out of their vehicles for safety. One of the closest spot was the fenceless secondary school where we were <i>serving [NYSC]. </i><br />
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That was not the first time we have had strangers driving into the school at night seeking for refuge from the terrors of armed men on the highway. There were also cases of strangers dropping in at odd hours looking for ways to lure students out of the school compound... until a group of senior students shout the stranger out of the compound.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, Nassarawa-eggon is a relatively peaceful community.<br />
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My point?<br />
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It is possible for <i>armed</i> <i>men</i> to drop into a secondary school in northeast Nigeria and whisk kids away into <i>sambisa forest</i>. Most schools -- especially government-funded boarding schools-- lack a lot of things, including adequate security.<br />
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The case of over 200 girls that were kidnapped a year ago, for me, has brought to light many issues that is wrong with Nigeria and how our government leaders run the system.<br />
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Let us not loose sight of those important things.<br />
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<b>A year ago:</b><br />
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<i>"Is this <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BringBackOurGirls&src=tyah" target="_blank">#BringBackOurGirls</a> campaign real? Are you sure those girls were really kidnapped?"</i><br />
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Those were some on the questions in the minds of many people a year ago, when the news of the Chibok kidnapping was first announced. Someone actually confronted me with similar questions... which I had no answers to then.<br />
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There were those who passionately protested for the girls to be rescued. Amidst opposition, their attitude said: <i>we are here to brazen it all out. </i><br />
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Those <a href="http://globaljournalist.org/2014/12/nigerian-journalist-met-escaped-girls-speaks/" target="_blank">who traveled to the community reported what they saw</a>.<br />
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Then there was this:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrOF8cPVnpk/VS3B2ZdFS0I/AAAAAAAAEDU/lF_RDTHhqEc/s1600/MichelleObamaBringBackOurGirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hrOF8cPVnpk/VS3B2ZdFS0I/AAAAAAAAEDU/lF_RDTHhqEc/s1600/MichelleObamaBringBackOurGirls.jpg" height="111" width="200" /></a></div>
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Pictures. More pictures. Some were real, some had elements of photo-shop. It almost became a distraction<i>. </i>In public forums, after an event, participants were mobilised to take a group picture holding up the famous #BringBackOurGirls <i>postcard</i>.<br />
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But this, like the hashtag boom on twitter cannot be faulted. At least, it was relevant enough to soon draw global attention. The shame of a nation became a global discourse. How can over 200 girls be kidnapped from a school without any declaration of a state of emergency?<br />
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The apathy.<br />
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The concern.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-964j7bGTD9Y/VS3EYLb_xTI/AAAAAAAAEEM/0Be5qdr0_k8/s1600/Chibok1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-964j7bGTD9Y/VS3EYLb_xTI/AAAAAAAAEEM/0Be5qdr0_k8/s1600/Chibok1.jpg" height="36" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvhsXkAahOE/VS3EYAE-f0I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/ojIH7hrwbt0/s1600/chibok2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvhsXkAahOE/VS3EYAE-f0I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/ojIH7hrwbt0/s1600/chibok2.jpg" height="52" width="400" /></a></div>
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Over a year later, we are still waiting for the girls to be brought back home.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPI8oU-7cLA/VS3Sl_Wb9kI/AAAAAAAAEFE/HmbGYeKVt9E/s1600/rotex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sPI8oU-7cLA/VS3Sl_Wb9kI/AAAAAAAAEFE/HmbGYeKVt9E/s1600/rotex.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amnesty.org.uk/nigeria-one-year-boko-haram-kidnappings?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=20150414112329&utm_campaign=Armed_conflict#.VS3YU5TF-RY" target="_blank">More girls and women have been kidnapped after th</a>e Chibok girls. How about boys and men in those communities? How are they affected? <a href="http://tracks.unhcr.org/2015/03/the-boy-who-was-buried-alive-and-survived/?hc_location=ufi" target="_blank">They are maimed, killed or forced </a>to join the <i>Boko Haram sect.</i></div>
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Was the <i>Bring Back Our Girls</i> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/14/nigeria-bringbackourgirls-campaign-one-year-on?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">campaign a failure</a>? Will the story of the kidnapped girls just remain another case to be <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32289961" target="_blank">remembered annually</a>?</div>
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Will our government leaders take action to prevent future occurrence? </div>
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We are in a time of <i>war</i>. War against a <i>failing system and ineffective government. </i>War against <i>Boko Haram. </i></div>
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Nothing can be achieved through apathy, denial or simply by <i>wishing</i> things away.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTwJ6URZcF8/VS3SueuF8mI/AAAAAAAAEFM/KV-zRHKxvUY/s1600/protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PTwJ6URZcF8/VS3SueuF8mI/AAAAAAAAEFM/KV-zRHKxvUY/s1600/protest.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our President-Elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari and his administration [hello May 29th!] have not promised us Utopia. But at least they will hopefully help <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/37f8d542-d86c-11e4-8a68-00144feab7de.html#axzz3XLIFwC7c" target="_blank">revive the Nigeria economy</a> and deal with all these social vices, with support from the rest of us, of course.</div>
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All hope is not lost.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-33585030005719762952015-03-31T07:37:00.001+01:002015-03-31T07:37:52.105+01:00Waiting... Who'll be our "next" president?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFhwqV52gvM/VRpAwS0z_pI/AAAAAAAAEDI/nmny5B1li6w/s1600/IMG_20150326_102425-772105.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFhwqV52gvM/VRpAwS0z_pI/AAAAAAAAEDI/nmny5B1li6w/s320/IMG_20150326_102425-772105.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6132285041049599634" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">Lagos is quiet this morning.<br> The roads are free.<br> Yesterday afternoon<br> I heard a woman<br> screaming at her neighbour's daughter:<br> Leave the street, get inside, where is your mother? If everyone starts running, where will you go? Hurry up, inside.</p> <p dir="ltr">If everyone starts running? <br> To where? For what?</p> <p dir="ltr">3pm. Yesterday.<br> Offices shut their doors.<br> Too early. It used to be 5pm, for some.<br> I could smell the fear in the air.<br> It still stinks.<br> It is like we are all waiting<br> for the dragon that will be unleashed<br> once the election results are announced.</p> <p dir="ltr">The war may never come.<br> But still, <br> the roads are empty this morning.<br> Fear is a terrible state to be in.</p> <p dir="ltr">This is not poetry. <br> This is not journalism.<br> Whatever it is,<br> Pray for Nigeria.<br> #NigeriaDecides<br> #NigeriaElections<br><br></p> <p dir="ltr">Note:<br> The picture was taken last week. Army officers on their morning parade around Adeola Odeku. It has nothing to do with elections.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-69972701342132912432015-03-03T03:19:00.000+01:002015-03-03T03:21:03.689+01:00MSF Launches Global Women's Health Multimedia Feature<div class="mobile-photo">
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<strong style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">"<em>Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her"</em> <em>Explores Multiple Health Challenges Affecting Women</em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">[Press Release] - In advance of International Women's Day on <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">March 8</span></span>, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today launched <em>Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her</em>, a multimedia initiative focused on improving access to women's health care worldwide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">In videos, photos, and stories of patients and medical workers, <a href="http://womenshealth.msf.org/" target="_blank"><em>Because <span class=""><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her</em></a>, calls attention to the shocking loss of women's lives in many of the countries where MSF works. Every day, approximately 800 women and girls die of preventable complications in pregnancy and childbirth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">"It is unconscionable that in many parts of the world today, women have no access to quality obstetric care, when providing it is not complicated," said Séverine Caluwaerts, an MSF obstetrician/gynecologist. "High impact, yet low-cost interventions by trained health staff can have a dramatic impact on maternal mortality."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">To cite one example: In 2012, MSF initiated ambulance referral systems in parts of Burundi and Sierra Leone. These countries have some of the world's highest rates of maternal mortality and feature very few hospitals or qualified medical workers. However, once women experiencing complications in childbirth could take an ambulance to a hospital with trained staff, where services such as surgery and blood transfusions were available, the maternal mortality rate in the districts dropped by more than 60 percent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her</em> bears witness to the barriers that women and girls face in seeking essential medical care in many communities where MSF works, whether they are due to poverty, conflict or cultural norms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Photographers Martina Bacigalupo, Patrick Farrell, Kate Geraghty and Sydelle Willow Smith captured images and videos of women in Burundi, Haiti, Malawi, and Papua New Guinea, working with MSF medical teams. Patients and medical workers wrote first-person reflections from the front lines of the crisis — such as villages and clinics in Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">The specific health challenges that women face go far beyond childbirth. <em>Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her</em> also looks closely at MSF's experience with pre- and post-natal care, obstetric fistula, unsafe abortion, sexual violence, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Obstetric fistula alone affects untold millions of women and girls and remains largely neglected. A consequence of prolonged, obstructed labor, an obstetric fistula is an opening between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, causing lifelong incontinence if left untreated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Bacigalupo photographed women before, during and after surgery for obstetric fistula in Burundi, over the course of several months. Many of the women are isolated by society, forced to live separately or shunned by neighbors because of their incontinence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">"What struck me is the strength with which these women try to preserve their dignity, long before they meet any doctor who tells them it is possible to have a normal life," Bacigalupo said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her</em> also devotes a chapter to unsafe abortion, which is one of the top five causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Patrick Farrell documented the rise of abortions that are self-inflicted or performed by nonmedical personnel in Haiti, where laws prohibit the procedure and economic barriers prevent access to proper health care services. Such issues are not unique to Haiti, nor are the consequences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">"On a daily basis, MSF staff in hospitals and emergency rooms the world over see women and girls with complications from unsafe abortions …" write Caluwaerts and Catrin Schulte-Hillen, who leads MSF's working group on reproductive health and sexual violence care. "They require immediate medical care, and sometimes surgical interventions and blood transfusions, to save their lives."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">In total, MSF operates 131 projects worldwide that provide dedicated emergency obstetric services in areas where other health systems are nonexistent or are severely affected by conflict or neglect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Bacigalupo and three MSF women's health experts — Caluwaerts, Schulte-Hillen and Africa Stewart (see bios below), will speak about the project in a <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">March 4</span></span> panel discussion at Pace University in New York City. Journalist Nina Strochlic of <em>The Daily Beast</em> will moderate. Admission is free but registration is required at <a href="http://www.pace.edu/tickets" target="_blank">www.pace.edu/tickets</a>. The event, co-sponsored by Pace University's Student Government Association and the Pace University Rotaract Chapter, will also be webcast live at <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">7:30 p.m. EST</span></span>, at <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/tomorrowneedsherwebcast" target="_blank">doctorswithoutborders.org/tomorrowneedsherwebcast</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">An exhibit of the photographers' work will be open to the public from <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">March 4 to 10</span></span> at Pace University's Schimmel Center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>The full multimedia project, Because <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Tomorrow</span></span> Needs Her, can be viewed online at <a href="http://womenshealth.msf.org/" target="_blank">womenshealth.msf.org</a>.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Panelist bios:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Martina Bacigalupo studied photography at the London College of Communication. She lives in Burundi, where she works as a freelance photographer, often in collaboration with international NGOs. Her work has been published in the New York Times, <span class="" tabindex="0"><span class="">Sunday</span></span> Times Magazine, Le Monde, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Liberation, Internazionale, and has been shown in several international venues, including PARIS PHOTO 2013, UNSEEN, Amsterdam 2014, and AIPAD New York 2014. She won the Canon Female Photojournalist Award in 2010 and the Fnac Award for photographic creation in 2011.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Dr. Séverine Caluwaerts is a gynecologist-obstetrician and one of the referent gynecologists for MSF. Prior to joining MSF, she spent a year of her residency in South Africa where she cared for a large population of HIV-positive women. She has completed assignments for MSF in Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Burundi, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. When she is not on mission, she works with HIV-positive pregnant women in Belgium and is involved in teaching medical students and midwives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Catrin Schulte-Hillen has worked for MSF as a midwife, project coordinator and project manager in conflict and post-conflict contexts in Africa, Latin America, and the Balkans. She is the leader of MSF's reproductive health and sexual violence care working group. Prior to that, Schulte-Hillen was a program director for MSF-USA and worked for several years as a health advisor and consultant for MSF, the European Commission, and other NGOs. She is a licensed midwife and holds a Masters of Public Health, a license in applied epidemiology and statistics, and a degree in business administration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">Dr. Africa Stewart is a wife and mother of three who graduated with honors from The Johns Hopkins University. She completed her medical degree and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Drexel University and Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Stewart joined MSF in 2011 and has completed assignments in Sudan, South Sudan and Nigeria. She is an outspoken supporter of women's rights and specializes in obstetric fistula prevention and repair. She continues to serve her local communities with adolescent outreach and education.</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-48036938170899726682015-02-07T22:55:00.000+01:002015-02-07T22:56:08.934+01:00Opportunity For Young Leaders: Satyagraha Institute Announces Nonviolence Training Program<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWBFkJJxCl0/VNaJ-WKoTiI/AAAAAAAAEA8/NeLfNH9c4DE/s1600/Institute-768935.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cWBFkJJxCl0/VNaJ-WKoTiI/AAAAAAAAEA8/NeLfNH9c4DE/s320/Institute-768935.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6113225248397086242" /></a></p><div dir="ltr"><i>Training Leaders in the Traditions of Nonviolence</i><div><br>Satyagraha Institute (<a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.org">satyagrahainstitute.org</a>) announces its first summer institute, to be held August 2 -22, 2015 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The program will provide leaders interested in nonviolent social change an opportunity to deepen their understanding, skills, commitment, and community.<br><br>Mohandas Gandhi, who famously experimented with the possibilities of nonviolence, coined the Sanskrit term satyagraha, or truth-force, to identify a method of social change. Satyagraha is a way of directly engaging with others to work out the difficult aspects of life without resorting to coercion, harm, or ill intention.<br><br>The summer learning experience will be rooted in a course of study, the arts, community life, and the inner life. Resident faculty and a variety of visiting resource people will guide the exploration of nonviolence in the traditions of Mohandas Gandhi, indigenous spirituality and culture, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, and various spiritual traditions. Training will also be provided in conflict prevention and tools for conflict resolution.<br><br>Faculty include: M.P. Mathai, a well-known Gandhian scholar from India; Darlene Pipeboy, a Dakota elder and pipe keeper; Amelia Parker, Executive Director of Peace Brigades International; Priscilla Prutzman, Executive Director of Creative Response to Conflict; Clare Hanrahan, an author and organizer with the New South Network of War Resisters; and Fernando Ferrara, founder Mesa de Paz in Mexico.<br><br>The institute is designed for leaders of groups, organizations, movements, and communities. The program also welcomes promising young people who are likely to be future leaders.<br><br>The <b>application deadline is May 31, 2015</b>. Space is limited, so early application is suggested. In order for this program to remain affordable, it relies heavily on donor contributions. Satyagraha Institute welcomes contributions via its website, <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.org">satyagrahainstitute.org</a>. <b>Contact</b>: Carl Kline, Program Coordinator Satyagraha Institute (605) 692-8465 <a href="mailto:carlek@mchsi.com">carlek@mchsi.com</a> <a href="mailto:info@satyagrahainstitute.org">info@satyagrahainstitute.org</a> <a href="http://satyagrahainstitute.org">satyagrahainstitute.org</a> </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-58472366706130100962015-02-01T09:53:00.001+01:002015-02-01T09:53:08.191+01:00How To Change The World...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-29I5jzxn86w/VM3pdZPrmLI/AAAAAAAAEAo/cwbczUHcFeU/s1600/1404468071434-788193.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-29I5jzxn86w/VM3pdZPrmLI/AAAAAAAAEAo/cwbczUHcFeU/s320/1404468071434-788193.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6110796960613767346" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world."</p> <p dir="ltr">- Unknown Monk (1100AD)<br></p> <p dir="ltr">#Selah</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-79504613367621564032015-01-18T17:58:00.000+01:002015-01-18T17:58:05.016+01:00On Ideas Whose Time Has Come & Feminine Leadership - Jess Rimington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is to a productive week ahead!!<div>
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I hope you are inspired by these words of a beautiful leader and friend:<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzYeUwdSSdQ/SIYi_ObxvTI/AAAAAAAAAGc/8eGrTEeED28/s1600/one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzYeUwdSSdQ/SIYi_ObxvTI/AAAAAAAAAGc/8eGrTEeED28/s1600/one.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jess, Ashima and Jen-- OWYP team- Disney World, Florida USA 2007</td></tr>
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"Our dream came true and we proved something very important: independent of who you are or where you come from, independent of the world being in economic crisis, if you never give up, have a business plan that works, stick to your ethics, and have a strong culture, then a community, together, can birth an idea whose time has come." Jess Rimington, founder One World Youth Project.</blockquote>
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"I have come to believe that at this particular moment in human history the world needs more feminine leadership, embodied in and demonstrated by both women and men. The art of feminine leadership is to give space so that the flame burns brighter, to witness so that there is safe space, to trust so that others trust themselves, to give power so that power multiplies, and to leave when the time to leave has come." Jess Rimington, Founder One World Youth Project.</blockquote>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-20146170381454672462015-01-07T19:04:00.001+01:002015-01-07T19:04:42.560+01:00Organizations In Nigeria: Host A Fellow For Short-term Africa-based Internship Program<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pzX175A-pFU/VK11O7kd7WI/AAAAAAAAD_0/wLhXDYKwfM0/s1600/10404228_10152893815053980_2297125533710894286_n-782561.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pzX175A-pFU/VK11O7kd7WI/AAAAAAAAD_0/wLhXDYKwfM0/s320/10404228_10152893815053980_2297125533710894286_n-782561.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6101661969526156642" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">Last year, the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, part of President Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative, brought 500 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the U.S. for 6 weeks of leadership training, including 44 leaders from Nigeria. USAID is supporting these Fellows after they return to Africa with one year of professional development opportunities, including an Africa-based internship program. </p> <p dir="ltr">IREX, a non-profit organization working with the U.S. State Department and USAID to implement the Mandela Washington Fellowship, is looking to identify hosts for short-term professional internships for these young leaders, who are between 25-35 years of age and come from diverse backgrounds. Internships last between 2-6 months, and companies/organizations should commit to engaging Fellows on a substantive project for a mid-career professional during the internship. If your organization is interested in hosting a Fellow for a professional internship, please email <a href="mailto:WFAlumni@irex.org">WFAlumni@irex.org</a>.<br><br></p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-74354624304862097072015-01-05T12:59:00.001+01:002015-01-05T12:59:17.448+01:00Activism In Nigeria And The Movie "Into The Woods"<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-fNLqjnR8Y/VKp8llzPQmI/AAAAAAAAD_k/GJ4jQ6SoUPA/s1600/occupy-nigeria-757449.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z-fNLqjnR8Y/VKp8llzPQmI/AAAAAAAAD_k/GJ4jQ6SoUPA/s320/occupy-nigeria-757449.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6100825630470783586" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">Activism ac·tiv·ism\ˈak-ti-ˌvi-zəm\<br> noun<br> : a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue. (SOURCE: Merriam-Webster).</p> <p dir="ltr">In Nigeria, I have seen a certain pattern of activistm- fist-pounding standing on the pedestal- screaming for change long enough until the change comes. But the change comes in form of a government appointment. And the activist's voice is blown into silence as he/she soon starts frolicking with the ideologies and acts that he/she once strongly fought against.</p> <p dir="ltr">Activism is not for everyone. Infact, some people that like to label themselves as activists are not even one. Like me. I am not an activist. But I've been in the past labeled so because of my active participation in development sector. It sounded sexy at the time. But the older I get and the more it seems that the issues real activists have been strongly opposing are not even bulging. Or maybe they are, albeit in trickles.</p> <p dir="ltr">We must give way and let the activists be activists.</p> <p dir="ltr">Activism is not a game. If pursuing government appointment is the sole reason for wearing the badge of activism, then please get into the government and change things. Don't just get in and become praise-singers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Should activists be partisans in the first place? Hunger and poverty is too much in Nigeria.</p> <p dir="ltr">The movie, "Into the Woods," is a good one. It is a really funny movie (musicals) but somehow I managed to see Nigeria in it.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two scenes stood out: The part where a woman and her blind daughters opted to run off and hide while others chose to stay and fight the giant. If I recall her words correctly, "Some people are cut out to fight giants...," she said and asked that they call her when the "war" was over... the other scene that stood out was the "the blame-game." This is very common in Nigeria. How did the giant come down? Who planted the seed that grew into a gigantic tree into the sky? Even though some benefitted from the circumstances that led to the event, everyone shared in the blame-game as they tried to find the culprit.</p> <p dir="ltr">Oh well. It is a new year. In a few weeks, we'll be electing a new set of government leaders. </p> <p dir="ltr">The world awaits. </p> <p dir="ltr">Happy New Year Nigerians and fellow global citizens! </p> <p dir="ltr">May our joy be full.<br></p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-90383173891947754972014-12-24T08:39:00.001+01:002014-12-24T08:39:04.000+01:00I Wish Us Well<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lgcdyeo5QMQ/VJptm1X5LFI/AAAAAAAAD_M/LmAJ6E2ANPU/s1600/IMG_17561079001860-744001.jpeg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lgcdyeo5QMQ/VJptm1X5LFI/AAAAAAAAD_M/LmAJ6E2ANPU/s320/IMG_17561079001860-744001.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6096305559529139282" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">It has been a great year of learning, <br> falling, <br> rising <br> and dreaming. </p> <p dir="ltr">Still, <br> there is room for growth. </p> <p dir="ltr">I praise God for His faithfulness towards me and my family. For it is by His Mercy and Grace that we are still standing.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dear friends,<br> May this Christmas be merry for you & your family.<br> And may the New Year usher in good tidings and joy, indescribable. <br> Ni agbara Jesu! Amin.</p> <p dir="ltr">I appreciate everyone,<br> for the role you played in my life this year.<br> I appreciate me for still believing,<br> even when it rained on my parade.<br> My faith is strengthened,<br> I have a Wonderful Counsellor.</p> <p dir="ltr">Is there any sick among us?<br> May you find complete healing this season.<br> May your oil of gladness not dry up.<br> May the hurting be restored,<br> and made whole.<br> May the lost come to themselves<br> like the prodigal son did,<br> and remember the way home.<br> May the cursed draw to Jesus Christ,<br> the original curse breaker.<br> Nothing is unredeemable, with Him.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heaven wants to see a smile upon your face,<br> Every thing else matters not at all.</p> <p dir="ltr">Laugh. </p> <p dir="ltr">Live love!</p> <p dir="ltr">Shalom.</p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-34216301184536038842014-12-23T18:55:00.001+01:002014-12-23T18:55:01.838+01:00Edo Girls Who Rock: Isimeme Ejodame<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgtbayLmoxY/VJmsd-AjZnI/AAAAAAAAD-0/EPZSwJxYjSk/s1600/Screenshot_2014-08-15-08-26-08-1-701839.png"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgtbayLmoxY/VJmsd-AjZnI/AAAAAAAAD-0/EPZSwJxYjSk/s320/Screenshot_2014-08-15-08-26-08-1-701839.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6096093201484179058" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">With a passionate vision to build a society where there is effective communication between parents and daughters and help young girls know their rights, Isimeme Ejodame a graduate of Micro-biology at the University of Benin joined forces with her friend to set up the Young Girls' foundation (YGF), Nigeria in 2004. This young lady from Edo State who has been stereotyped by people who have the notion that young people from Edo state are either involved in Advanced fee fraud, popularly known as 419, Sex trafficking and drugs was one of the twenty youths selected by the British council to participate in the Belongings Project.</p> <p dir="ltr">Perhaps, it was the desire to change the wrong perspective about Edo state that motivated Isimeme to participate in the British Council's Belongings Project, which brings together young people from different culture to broaden their international views and enable them to promote and communicate the relevance of their cultural experiences to others.</p> <p dir="ltr">On how she heard about the programme, she said "I saw the advert in the newspaper and applied". Her application was short listed and she was afterwards invited for interview. The Belongings project brought together young people from different parts of Nigeria and U.K to live with for two weeks in Nigeria and another two weeks in U.K. This was to help the participants develop leadership skills while exploring culture and identity to promote intercultural dialogue and generate shared understanding between individuals and communities where they come from.</p> <p dir="ltr">For Isimeme, not only has her leadership and networking skills been improved, the project has enabled her meet other young persons working for a positive change. She says she has been inspired by the experience. She commended the organisers of the programme, British Council and urged them to involve the government for sustainability. She also advised other Nigerian youths to discover their potentials and look for opportunities to bring out their best, "dream big, set goals and seek possibility". She added that young people need to read newspapers and shun the attitude of underestimating opportunities they find.</p> <p dir="ltr">One of her British counterparts on the Belongings project, Bridget who works with Jump, a charity organisation in the U.K also said that the programme has helped her learn more things about herself. She explained that her time in Nigeria has given her boldness while watching her Nigerian counterparts' passionate commitment to strive towards leadership. However, she confessed that the way of life in Nigeria is not similar to what she is used to. Lack of electricity and water are some of the problems she faced during her stay in Nigeria. "Everyone in Lagos is so security conscious" she noted.</p> <p dir="ltr">Steven Oguntoyinbo, another Nigerian participant from Ogun State went to the United Kingdom with a chewing stick and Adire material which were part of the items he displayed as unique things from his culture. For him, the project has ignited in him a desire to learn more about his heritage, culture and identity. "The experience has cleared the wrong perspective I use to have about British culture" he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Belongings is one of British council's five regional projects that together constitute Africa 2007, a three-year regional programme in East, West and Southern Africa. The Programme aims to explore notions of culture and identity to generate fresh ideas and create new understandings between individuals and communities in Africa and the U.K.</p> <p dir="ltr">Category:Advocacy | Date:2007-12-30<br> Belongings Project empowers youths as change agents<br> By Jennifer Ehidiamen<br> <a href="http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=41348">http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=41348</a></p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-43366791624549202652014-12-20T05:03:00.004+01:002014-12-20T05:03:57.949+01:00Africa My Pride by Bothlale Boikanyo [Video]<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_XhoysO5P9M" width="460"></iframe><br />
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There is hope in our future--there is a future in our hope!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-76128400267590997302014-12-18T19:31:00.001+01:002014-12-18T19:31:38.165+01:00Chime Asonye Presents #Songs4Change<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jj0TDtp35HI/VJMdi2B8ABI/AAAAAAAAD-k/x1Xm9lZwH3k/s1600/unnamed-798165.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jj0TDtp35HI/VJMdi2B8ABI/AAAAAAAAD-k/x1Xm9lZwH3k/s320/unnamed-798165.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6094247205218811922" /></a></p><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;text-align:center"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-size:11pt">With Nigeria's elections drawing closer, a new initiative has begun that seeks to harness the power of music to encourage those who believe in a better future for Nigeria and Africa. </span><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">The project, titled <i>Chime Asonye presents #Songs4Change, </i>is a weekly dose of revolutionary music to inspire social progress in Nigeria and Africa more broadly. The songs – a mixture of old and new – advocate for positive change and awareness of important issues such as malaria, epileptic power, and domestic violence, amongst others. The initiative will feature primarily African artists but will occasionally include songs from others who promote social advancement and political consciousness. "I believe knowledge is created, not just by words on a page, but in fluid and dynamic ways," said Asonye, a development practitioner and social commentator, when describing why he started #Songs4Change. "Ever since I was young, I was shaped by politics shared in creative spaces like spoken word, debate, dance and theater. Music was always a constant fixture in these spheres and could touch people uniquely. Drawing on music to create critical consciousness in Nigeria borrows from my personal experiences that often combined art and politics."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">The goals for #Songs4Change include but are not limited to, (1) increase dialogue on important development concerns using the hashtag #Songs4Change, (2) provide inspiration and encourage activism in and around Nigeria and Africa, and (3) stimulate the creation of progressive music from entertainers and upcoming artist. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">As a generation passionate about the change we want to see, it is imperative that we begin to challenge the status quo and require more from our entertainers and ourselves.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">Africans have consistently unified and connected through music. Historically, it has been used to provide a source of inspiration and draw attention to important concerns on the continent. As the late great Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti said, <i>"As far as Africa is concerned, music cannot be for enjoyment. Music has to be for revolution."</i> #Songs4Change will be partnering with <b>YNaija 2015</b>,<b><a href="http://jaguda.com/" target="_blank">Jaguda.com</a></b>, <b>Gidilounge,</b> <b><a href="http://ameyawdebrah.com/" target="_blank">AmeyawDebrah.com</a></b>, <b><a href="http://omojuwa.com/" target="_blank">Omojuwa.com</a></b>, <b>NigeriansTalk, Amplified Radio, NaijaDC, The ScoopNG</b>and <b>Tribex Marketing Group </b>to help spread these songs all over Africa and the Diaspora. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">"We look forward to a growing list of media partners as our message reaches more people," Asonye said. "I believe these songs can become this generation's soundtrack for revolution."<i></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">For all things #Songs4Change, visit </span><font color="#1155cc" face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-size:15px"><u><a href="http://bit.ly/songs4change" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/songs4change</a></u></span></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><span style="font-size:11pt"> or subscribe here to receive weekly updates</span></font><a href="http://bit.ly/s4csubscribe" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">http://bit.ly/s4csubscribe</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"> <span style="color:rgb(33,33,33);background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial">For more information, contact Chime Asonye at<b> </b><b><a href="mailto:Songs4ChangeNG@gmail.com" target="_blank">Songs4ChangeNG@gmail.com</a></b>.</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">#End#</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><br></span></p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-54323776388968791432014-12-11T22:18:00.001+01:002014-12-11T22:18:07.843+01:00Year 2015: The Year That Entrepreneurship Will Boom<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubla7EF4rnE/VIoKEcwMIBI/AAAAAAAAD-E/FXiarc_eXC4/s1600/image_02-787844.png"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubla7EF4rnE/VIoKEcwMIBI/AAAAAAAAD-E/FXiarc_eXC4/s320/image_02-787844.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6091692517526085650" /></a></p><p dir="ltr">We have heard that 2015 is the year for entrepreneurs and small businesses. While James Caan, a serial entrepreneur and investor summed it up as the year to shine, Tony Elumelu, CON, a Nigerian entrepreneur and philanthropist in his article, "The Rise of Africapitalism" predicts that 2015 will be the year where African entrepreneurs will take their place on global stage.</p> <p dir="ltr">Do you share in this high doze of optimism? What is your prediction for 2015?</p> <p dir="ltr">If you are still taking stock for the year 2014, this might also be a good time to look in the mirror and do some serious personal and organizational reflection.</p> <p dir="ltr">I spent ample time chronicling stories of entrepreneurs this past week and I found two issues dominating the conversations with them – the need for mentorship and an enabling business environment.</p> <p dir="ltr">For the wanna-be entrepreneurs, before you quit your job and run after the dream that has been tugging at you since kindergarten, it might be worth considering other possible ways to position yourself in the booming entrepreneurial space—dip one foot in to test the water as suppose to diving in with your whole body, one entrepreneur advised.</p> <p dir="ltr">When I asked them what their major challenge was in running a business– funding is not what jumped on the list—surprisingly so. Most of the young entrepreneurs said that funding is the least challenge. As a matter of fact, one shared how he had all the money he needed to run his business but a few wrong decisions left him cashless and broke. This would have been avoided if he had the right mentors or network.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mentorship is the key that opens key doors. Seek a mentor, one advised. Don't underestimate the power of business mentorship. Until you find a right mentor, keep searching.</p> <p dir="ltr">An enabling business environment would include- stable power supply, good road network, favorable policies etc. These of course, are currently limited in supply.</p> <p dir="ltr">But—not to shut down on the optimism, as we all position ourselves to leverage on the opportunities 2015 will bring to the business eco-system—here is raising a glass to all entrepreneurs bootstrapping their ideas to the next level.<br><br></p> <p dir="ltr">An original article:<br> First published on Enterprise54.com: <a href="http://enterprise54.com/year-2015-the-year-that-entrepreneurship-will-boom/">http://enterprise54.com/year-2015-the-year-that-entrepreneurship-will-boom/</a><br></p> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-17091826022047798642014-12-08T01:51:00.000+01:002014-12-08T01:51:15.923+01:00#Youth Mentorship Panel [Video] [#DiasporaCamp]Did you miss the <a href="http://youthmakingchange.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-11-20T07:24:00%2B01:00&max-results=7" target="_blank">#GhanaThink Diaspora Youth Mentorship</a> hangout? Here is a recorded version of the session.<div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27873141.post-3900588433827522582014-12-07T05:22:00.002+01:002014-12-07T05:22:10.284+01:00Queenola Kalu To That Cunning Young Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To: That cunning young man,<br />I want to let you know that this time.....<br /><br />YOU HAVE PICKED ON THE WRONG GIRL<br />You charmer,<br />With eyes lit by moonbeams,<br />You are every maiden's dream<br />Your perfect smile makes hearts leap,<br />But I've strapped myself so i don't trip<br /><br />You deceiver,<br />You sing to me rhymes you haven't heard<br />You paint for me pictures you can't even see<br />Your vile intentions now glaring<br />Flashes of lust, so easy to tell<br />Flee far from you, I would<br />Clinging to The One who wishes me well<br /><br />You destroyer,<br />Your words are smooth as butter,<br />But as ready as Fire -<br />Ready to wipe out everything in sight<br />Ready to leave the land desolate<br />Ready to bring pain and tears<br />But I'll run, I'll run before it's too late<br /><br />You brewer of lies,<br />Your sugar coated tongue produces foul scents,<br />Packaged in attractive candy wraps<br />I certainly will not BUY THEM<br />For within lie dangerous traps<br />As I was told by my father,<br />What is sweet in the mouth becomes, in the belly, bitter<br /><br />You giver,<br />I want not your BBs please<br />You say it's just a blackberry<br />But i know your ways,<br />You'll give much more<br />A Big Belly and a Bastard Baby,<br />What else do you have in store?<br /><br />Spare me the floods of sweet forged messages,<br />Spare me those clichés "sugar in my tea",<br />Spare me those precious gifts in pretty packages<br />Spare me, I beg, and let me be<br /><br />I'm sorry for you, my dear<br />I hope that quickly you realize,<br />All efforts are futile, move on<br />Go and pick on someone your own SIZE!<br /><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Welcome to Jennifer Ehidiamen's online dairy. "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation". -Nelson Mandela.</div>Jennifer Ehidiamenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15524521223368416891noreply@blogger.com0