Emma’s Girls Get their Glow On with Story Scarves :)

I was excited to go to Khayelitsha, to deliver the beautiful Story Scarves and share the stories with the four eldest girls I mentor at Emma's foster home.

Mama Emma is a wonderful foster Mother to 25 children, ranging in age from six months to eighteen years. She has provided a home full of Love :) and a nurturing environment for abandoned and orphaned children, most of whom have been with her since the age of one or two.

I’ve gotten to know the children over the years and it truly is one Big Happy Family at Emma’s.
It’s heart-warming to see how they all love and take care of one another.

When I arrived the girls were looking after the little ones.

We sat down with the Story Scarves and each girl knew exactly which one she wanted, straight away :)

L to R:  Ziyanda, Siyamthanda, Avril and Violet

The girls took turns to read their messages out aloud and shared the stories on the scarves with each other.

They wrote down how they felt when they received the scarves and shared their hopes and dreams.

“I feel very happy to get the scarf because it is beautiful.
My hope and dream is to work for my Mother (Emma) and to have my own house.”
~ Siyamthanda Wallaby

Siyamthanda chose Pam's scarf  - "Seeds Grow from Darkness"

“I feel happy and excited about my scarf.
My hope and dream is to have a hair salon and do all my family’s hair.”
~ Ziyanda Wallaby

Ziyanda chose Bennii's Scarf - "Remember your Gratitude"

“It felt great, ecstatic, lots of joy.
My hope and dream is to be able to have more achievements, to have my own house and to help Emma.” ~ Violet Tshandu

Violet chose Nicole's scarf - "The Four Elements"

“I felt happy when I received my scarf and excited and glowing. I think it motivates me even more so I can face each day with a glow and smile.
My hope and dream is to be a television reporter and one day have my own television show.” ~ Avril Dilenti

Avril chose my GloWoman scarf - "Keep love & sunshine in your heart and Get Your Glow On :)

Love and Gratitude to the generous GloWomen – Stacey from Story Scarves, Pam, Nicole and Bennii, for the beautiful scarves and inspiring stories they shared with the girls.

They are delighted with their scarves and encouraged for a bright future :)

If You’d like to Spread the Glow with Story Scarves please visit the website for more info www.storyscarves.org

If You’d like to Spread the Glow at Emma’s Home please contact me bets@GloWoman.org
Donations of clothing, food and toys are very welcome :)

With Love,
 
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• Spreading the Glow with Story Scarves :)

Spreading the Glow with Story Scarves :)

Part of my mission on my GloWoman journey is to connect and align with conscious, loving people in order to amplify our Power for Good and Spread the Glow :)

The Twitterverse offered me a fantastic opportunity to create more wonderful relationships when I was invited to my first tweet-up, by Stacey Rozen, founder of Story Scarves.

Story Scarves is a global goodwill movement connecting girls through stories sewn into scarves. The scarves are gifted to girls in Africa – "creating hope-fueled friendships through arts-in-action".

I had no idea what to expect at the tweet-up. To be honest, I thought I was going to be meeting my new Twitter friends for brekkie and a chat.
As it turned out, Stacey had brought along her bags of fabric, buttons and beads and we were going to be making Story Scarves.

At this point, I have to admit :) my excitement turned to anxiety. ‘Needlework’ had never been my strong point and I’d always hated it! Just the sight of all that fabric and thread on the table had me feeling more dread by the minute.
This was not going to be a leisurely breakfast and getting to know some of my Twitter friends.
This most definitely looked like hard work!

GloWoman was out of her comfort zone and had temporarily gone AWOL and Woe-Woman had taken her place in my seat, with upper-lip anxiety perspiration and decidedly sweaty hands :)
I was right back at school, aged 8 or 9 and about to be told off in needlework class, because the fabric I was working on always ended up looking like a damp, crushed rag.

And not one to do things quietly, I was proclaiming my 'uselessness' to the world :)
Unconsciously back in my old pattern, Stacey thankfully made aware of it when she actually told me to stop my negative self-talk! :) :)

That’s when I started to laugh! Suddenly I realised I wasn’t in Grade 3, the teacher wasn’t going to reprimand me, and I was actually there to enJOY myself! :)

Busy Bets hard at work! :)

So what if the other women were confidently cutting and threading needles and making fabulous-looking items, I would just do my best and have fun!
Everyone was kind and really helpful :) and it was great getting to know the wonderful women who Stacey had brought together on South Africa’s Human Right’s Day; to tell their stories, sew their scarves and share their love.

I chose to sew on my beautiful GloWoman logo which I LOVE :) and my friend, the bright, happy Sun :) All the exact colours of my logo that I needed were there in the pile, including a red heart that someone had previously cut out and left  :)

Stacey had kindly suggested that the recipients of these Story Scarves would be the girls I mentor, at Emma’s Home in Khayelitsha township, Cape Town.
Each of us was asked to include a written message for the girls.

And in the end, I was quite proud of my Story Scarf and it didn’t end up looking like the dog’s breakfast I thought it would :)  – even though I stitched one side on backwards!
It’s unique and made by me, with Love :)

Below are my Twitter friends @pamsykes, @nekocarnival and @bohoparadox with their gorgeous Story Scarves:

Pam - www.pamsykes.com

Bennii - http://bohoparadox.blogspot.com/

Nicole -  www.nekocarnival.com

The next step in the Story Scarves journey will be to present them to the girls at Emma’s Home.
I’m looking forward to sharing their stories :)

For more info on the wonderful Story Scarves project:  www.storyscarves.org

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• Emma’s Girls Get their Glow On with Story Scarves :)

A Mother’s Love brings the DIR® Floortime™ Conference to Cape Town

Mathematical whiz and Investment Banker Tarren is proud mom to Ross age 11 and Jessica age 4. Beautiful Jessica is one of only 40 documented cases in the world, of children with ROHHAD syndrome (Rapid-onset Obesity with Hypothalamic Dysfunction, Hypoventilation and Autonomic Dysregulation), a potentially life-threatening and incurable disease.

Kerry Wallace, an occupational therapist from Polkaspot Early Intervention Centre has been working with Jessica and recommended that Tarren get in touch with Rosemary White, a specialist OT who was in Australia at the time.

As Jessica’s health prevented her from travelling to Australia, Tarren arranged for Rosemary to come to South Africa. Rosemary will also be presenting the DIR® Floortime™ Conference focusing on children with challenges in relating and communicating, including Autism Spectrum Disorders, in association with Polkaspot.

I’d been working with the team at Polkaspot and had heard about little Jessica, and Tarren’s incredible spirit and generosity that is making it possible to present the Floortime conference to other parents and professionals.

I knew Tarren was juggling a high-powered executive career with being a wife and mom as well as taking care of a child with severe special needs.
Seeking medical support for Jessica’s illness has been hugely challenging. With so few documented cases of ROHHAD there are very few doctors who have been able to correctly diagnose her condition and prescribe supportive treatment.

I was looking forward to meeting Tarren in person, as I’d been inspired by her story, and wanted to share it to inspire other women to Get their Glow On, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

Tarren is a whirlwind of energy, motivation and brilliance. In between everything else that she’s holding together, she’s now also applying her mathematical genius to helping the medical profession to learn more about ROHHAD.
She’s in constant communication with the parents and doctors of the other 39 ROHHAD children, and is compiling a database and collating their medical records using graphs and charts to illustrate the similarities of how the disease presents.

No stranger to dealing with adversity, Tarren suffered a breakdown at the age of 27.

“When I woke up in hospital I made a pact with God and told him he had two weeks to show me a reason to live, that was bigger than me. Exactly two weeks to the day, I discovered I was pregnant.

I knew then that I had to make a decent life for myself and my child, and where was the best place to make money? Investment banking. I started as a secretary and was lucky to work for two bosses who recognised my abilities and encouraged me to grow. Those guys came in every morning at 5am to teach me about finance and investments.
Preparation and planning are the most important things you can do for your life.”

Before long Tarren became a highly successful alternative securities trader and went on to become Chief Operating Officer of a top-performing division of the bank.
Tarren deals with her stress with “coffee, cigarettes and tattoos, and I love a good head-banging session in the mosh-pit!”.

“My passion is maths, calculations and formulas. I believe that everything is as it’s meant to be in its perfect time.
Children inspire me – their honesty and integrity. I am most grateful for my children. The biggest gift a mother can have is to like her children, not just to love them.”

Tarren’s message to the world is spirited and generous.

“Share your shit. How much crap can one life accumulate? Give it away.” :)

It’s due to this wonderful energy that parents, therapists and children are able to benefit from the expertise of Rosemary White at the Floortime conference taking place in Cape Town next week.

For More Info and Bookings for the DIR® Floortime™ Conference click here.

email  info@polkaspot.co.za or call 021  422 1756

Date: 22 to 26 November 2010

Venue: Herzlia High School Auditorium, Goldschmidt Avenue, Vredehoek, Cape Town
Theme: Children with challenges in relating and communicating, including Autism Spectrum Disorders

Afriversity's Natasha Avidan on Developing African Entrepreneurs, and Following Her Heart

Afriversity is a non-profit organisation founded in Sweden in 2008 with the mission to train, educate, support as well as provide incubation for aspiring African entrepreneurs.

Afriversity’s mission is to create and support a new breed of world class, socially responsible, global entrepreneurs that will help Africa prosper in the new millennium.
Below is a Q & A with Natasha Avidan - Head of Partnerships, Sponsors & Communications - Founding Fellow of Afriversity, who tells us more about this inspiring project, following her heart, and what it means to her:

How did you become involved with Afriversity?

"Simple...I fell in love...I fell in love with the project and I fell in love with South Africa. One of my guiding principles in life has been to follow my heart and my heart was leading me to South Africa.

I was working for an IT company in Sweden when I met the founder of Afriversity. Running a marketing department for a global IT company was challenging but I felt that I needed another project. Something that was driven by passion, inspiration and was aimed at making a difference in people’s lives. I have been lucky enough to meet a handful of people in my life journey that guided me, helped me grow, made me challenge myself or simply appreciate and embrace myself as a strong and driven woman.

It would be wonderful for everyone to have this opportunity and I will try my hardest to pay forward what I have received.

Many people give up before even trying. We must help others around us to be strong and believe in themselves and their abilities. Every one of us can make a difference.
Take the examples of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Ghandi..these are individuals who set out to help.
They didn't think about being one person out to change the world but they thought about making the world a better place by influencing others to help change the world.
I believe that everyone can change the world, if each of us performs one random act of kindness at least once a day.

It all starts with YOU and YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

How has Afriversity helped develop business in Africa?

"Afriversity is a not-for-profit organisation working to release existing entrepreneurial potential in Africa. The programme offers a practical and individualised entrepreneurial development course that combines hands-on business education, training and incubation, designed to help budding entrepreneurs.

Afriversity is impact focused. We use action-based learning to empower individuals to act entrepreneurially from the word “go”. Individuals create companies and companies create jobs.
Afripreneurs will lead ventures, creating new and sustainable jobs for their local communities.
As these ventures “pay it forward” they will grow to be sustainable and socially responsible companies participating in the global economy.

Empowering individuals to believe, trust and know that they can do it (start a company, grow a company) and that they have the potential to lift themselves and their communities out of unemployment and into the world market.

We WILL change mindsets and build CONFIDENCE."

Tell us about some of the success stories:

"Over 100 entrepreneurs have now graduated from the first step of our programme and the feedback has been overwhelming.
One of our most recent success stories has been JO´M Cosmetics  owned by a married couple, Johannah and Solomon Moriti. They offer a Skin Care range and Hair Care range that are carefully produced with plant extracts combined with 100% Natural Essential Oils.

Afriversity was suggested to them at a time when they needed to grow their business and they participated in our Business Strategic Planning programme. The combination of mentorship and incubation attracted them to the Afriversity approach and they had already heard of our mentors and their proven track record!

In May of this year, they were selected as finalists to compete on the final round of the Global Entrepreneurship Competition that took place during the Summit HiT Barcelona 2010, on the 17th of June.  It was a great achievement and we are so proud of their progress."

"Ludwick Marishane is another of the entrepreneurs that Afriversity is currently supporting. Ludwick is working on developing a solution to solve a massive hygiene problem that millions of Africans are facing. His passion is his addiction to learning and mentoring others to help them release their potential...and he is only 19!
These individuals and their dreams are what inspire us and gives us the energy and passion to continue!"

What have you learnt from your involvement with Afriversity, and how have you grown?

"Leaving the rat race and getting involved with a non-profit organisation was a big change for me. It isn’t about padding your resume, it isn’t about doing things so that you can boast about them later. It is about gaining a greater understanding of our humanity and appreciation for the individuals that are sometimes “invisible” in our communities.
During my last trip to South Africa, I visited a rehabilitation centre for young boys. Their backgrounds were all different and each story more devastating than the previous but after talking to each one individually I was humbled by the amount of hope and faith that flowed through them.
One boy of 14 explained to me how he has set up a theater group for the children in the local community so that they had an activity that kept them off the streets and encouraged them to learn and understand the importance of self expression.
When I complimented him on his wonderful contribution, he simply shrugged his shoulders and continued to tell me about all the other ideas he had. His simple shrug expressed so much to me. He did not understand the magnitude of his actions. Most teenage boys that I know would be worrying about which new computer game to buy rather than teaching a community of children.
These are the spirits that inspire me. These are the “invisible” people that must be acknowledged.
Working with Afriversity, puts me out of myself and forces me to see a different part of myself, which is important to me. Self development is crucial and I believe that we grow through change.  This project has pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and taught me to take more initiative.
When you put yourself in situations that you might not have been in before, it enriches your life. You may have questions going into a project but you come out with more than you expected.
It has also taught me to be myself. When helping people or making a difference, there is no time to be self-conscious. The most important lesson is to listen to your heart.
Unfortunately, we are so programmed and trained in our thoughts and methods of thinking that when our heart does speak to us, we simply do not listen  and then become confused by the conflicting feelings caused by our heart versus our mind.
All we need to do is listen, follow and have a little faith."

How can people get involved and assist?

• Become a Donor / Sponsor

"We are currently looking for sponsors in order to keep the participation fee down for the entrepreneurs. Contact us if you are interested in supporting the most driven and creative developers and entrepreneurs in Africa!"

• Mentor an “Afripreneur”

"The Afriversity mentoring programme matches your skills with one or more small businesses in Africa and organises a mentoring placement. This allows you to make a real difference, even in a few weeks".

• Participate as a Guest Speaker

"You can volunteer to be a Guest Speaker in your area of expertise. Share your ideas, insights and expertise with the entrepreneurs."

• Adopt a project

"We created a sponsor option through which donors can choose to fund a specific project."

• Offer Internship

"Can you or someone you know offer a current student the chance to gain vital experience in the workplace? We are always seeking new and exciting placements for our Afripreneurs."

• Make an Introduction

"If you know people at corporations, foundations and other places that you think might be interested in learning about us, please let us know by emailing me" nna@afriversity.org

• Volunteer

"Our volunteers are a fundamental part of our success. Thanks to their dedication, passion, and commitment to our mission, we are able to offer opportunities to those in need while keeping our overhead low. We're always looking for new volunteers!"

Email Natasha: nna@afriversity.org
Afriversity Website: http://www.afriversity.org/
Afriversity Blog: http://afriversity.blogspot.com
Afriversity on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc8Fxs3el5k

GlowGiving: Riviersonderend Craft School

Debbie Randall has started a craft school for unemployed women in Riviersonderend, a small farming village in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Donations of scraps of material, fabric off-cuts and wool would be much appreciated.

Please contact Debbie:
mobile +27 72 6222 061
email: shout2d@telkomsa.net