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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pillar Awards Africa! Get Voting!

Hey people,

It is with great pride and humility that I have been nominated for the 2011 Pillar Awards Africa under the Humanitarian category for the Sisterhood project for young teenage girls in Murang'a.

I would like to take this opportunity and thank you all for the continued support and encouragement during this exciting journey.You have put smiles on the girls faces and given them hope of a better and brighter future.

Feel free to get voting.In Kenya...please vote via SMS to 4665.please follow the format Humanitarian,Kate Kiama,0723004410.(please note the commas)

In the Diaspora...please vote by email to nominations@pillarawardsafrica.org

Thank you all again for the great support and lets continue encouraging,inspiring and supporting the girl child in Africa and beyond.






Sunday, October 16, 2011

To Girl Power!

If you are a girl in Africa especially and able to read this you deserve a pat on the back! Or maybe you don’t even realize how your reality would have been so much more different if you lived in a different part of the same continent.

We face a lot of discrimination and inequality right from birth. For instance some cultures ululate thrice to signify the birth of a girl and five times if the new born was a boy. Society therefore openly affirms that the boy-child is more celebrated and welcomed. Various theories have been put up to explain this sharp contrast but that is not what is of interest to me! You would imagine that this open discrimination is a thing our fore-fathers had but you would be utterly shocked that even today this vice continues.

If you are very observant, you might have noticed gender insensitive remarks or comments we make every day or what the media portrays. An insurance advert comes to mind…it displays that young Kenyan girls only aspire to be teachers and policewomen! Yet the Kenyan boy child gets to be the doctor or fly the cool planes….you get my drift don’t you? I believe that everybody is entitled to be whatever they want to be. Indeed there is nothing wrong with a female teacher or policewoman but do we not feel we are limiting the Kenyan girls’ dreams?

That was just food for thought! Today we should celebrate the young women who have beaten the odds and overcome huge obstacles some which they might not have even realized and are now regarded as literate. Today I remember all the young teenage girls who are about to sit their national examinations both in Primary and Secondary School. More so I remember my mentees in Ruchu Girls High School in Murang’a.

I feel that it is our duty as young women and girls alike to change our socialization process. This may take a few years to accomplish but it can be done. If each young lady helps encourage and motivate another imagine how far girl-power can go!

So young ladies, society does not and will not define us. We cannot allow ourselves to be limited by other people’s visions and missions. We define ourselves! You may have been one of the lucky one’s to sail through school and are now self reliant…but there are many who missed out on this part of life…Once you realize this am sure you will see why it is important to give a sister a hand however small and trivial it may seem to you. Who knows she might just be a Nobel peace prize, a renowned author, a president, an ambassador…the list is limitless….

Sisterhood wishes all the candidates of 2011 the best of  luck  and great success in their examinations!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Five surprising things which can harm your eyes

World Sight Day

Five surprising things which can harm your eyes
© Yuri Arcurs - Fotolia.com
We've all heard the old wives’ tales about how carrots are good for your sight and sitting too close to the telly can damage your peepers.
But the fact is, sorry, Mum and Dad, there’s no evidence that sitting too close to the TV can cause any problems. And while carrots won’t hurt, high as they are in Vitamin A and antioxidants, they’re no magic vision food.
So it’s probably just as well that World Sight Day (October 13) is here to give us a timely reminder on why we shouldn’t take our eyes for granted – and what will and won’t actually damage them.
Here’s our guide to Five Surprising Things That Harm Your Sight:

Looking Pretty

Surely lending your mates a sweep of mascara isn’t doing any harm? Well, sharing eye make-up is one of the biggest no-nos when it comes to spreading infection. It’s not just a dose of conjunctivitis you could get: Some infections, such as Herpes Simplex, can lead to a loss of vision if left untreated.
Another big ‘don’t’ is keeping your mascara longer than the recommended six months – something 92 per cent of women admit to. Dr. Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to The College of Optometrists, said: “Most women are either unaware of or simply ignoring manufacturers’ recommended use-by-dates [but] mascara can be a breeding ground for bacteria.”
And a final Top Tip? Even if you’re in a mad dash, don’t do a quick freshen-up on the Tube or in the car – scratching your eye with a mascara wand is the most common injury from eye make-up and can also lead to infections.

Going Gaga

Don’t leap to copy the latest celeb look. Take the trend for Lady Gaga-style contact lenses. Gaga wore the Manga-inspired ‘circle lenses’ - which cover the whites of the eye to make the pupil look larger - in her Bad Romance video. But the fear is the eye accessories, made in Asia and available online, lack quality control. New York optometrist Dr Assumpta Madu said: "There literally is potential for somebody to lose their vision within 24 hours from an infection."
Experts are also concerned about the craze for semi-permanent lashes so girls can mimic the eye-fluttering looks of stars like Cheryl Cole. Unlike falsies, eyelash extensions are applied directly to the lash with a bonding agent and can last up to six weeks.
In severe cases, the glues can potentially damage eyes, and repeated use can cause Traction Alopecia, a condition where the real lashes fall out and might never grow back.
Dr Blakeney said: “Our eyelashes play an extremely important role in keeping our eyes healthy. As extensions are such a new trend, there is little clinical research into their impact on eye health so we are urging women to take extra care.”
But if you really must have them done, only go to a reputable salon and follow the aftercare advice scrupulously.

Sun worshipping

Gazing at the big blue sky while lounging in the Med might seem like heaven. But it could be hell for your peepers. Sunlight exposure can cause cataracts and worse, optometrists warn.
As the NHS Livewell site cautions: “Never look at the sun directly. Doing so can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight and even lead to blindness.”
Wear good quality, dark sunglasses sporting the ‘CE’ mark and the British Standard BS EN 1836:2005, which ensures they offer a safe level of UV protection.

Overindulging

We all know eating plenty of fresh foods, steering clear of fags and moderating booze protects against heart disease, cancer and stroke. But it also protects against the leading cause of blindness, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Contrary to popular belief, going blind with old age is not a question of pot luck, over which we have no control. AMD is not an inevitable result of getting old, yet the number of people with it is set to rise by a quarter in the next ten years.
Smoking is a huge risk factor in contracting it – it doubles your chances - as is drinking too much alcohol. But keeping an eye on what you eat can stave it off.
Dr Blakeney said: "AMD is the biggest single cause of sight loss in the UK so it is concerning that so few people are aware of it. There are steps you can take to minimise your risk.”
A diet rich in leafy green vegetables, brightly coloured fruits and veg and oily fish may help.

Swimming

Watersports are a great way to stay fit – but if you don’t take care you could be damaging your eyes at the same time as shaping up your body. Always wear goggles in chlorinated water, with UV protection if swimming outside.
And contact lens wearers are warned never to swim while wearing them – or even to shower or use a hot tub. The College of Optometrists insists: “If you are a contact lens wearer, it’s particularly important to invest in prescription goggles; microorganisms in the water may attach themselves to the lens and cause an infection. This can be extremely painful and in severe cases could blind you.”

 

From Yahoo Health..

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Excellent Thoughts…

William Shakespeare:

Three sentences for getting success:
  1. Know more than others
  2. Work more than others
  3. Expect less from others

Adolf Hitler:

If you win you need not explain. But if you lose you should not be there to explain.

Alen Strike:

Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.

Mother Teresa:

If we cannot love the person whom we see, how can we love God whom we cannot see?

Bonnie Blair:

Winning doesn’t always mean being first, winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before.

Abraham Lincoln:

Believing everybody is dangerous; believing nobody is very dangerous…

Einstein:

If someone feels that they have never made a mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life...

Charles:

Never break four things in your life-Trust, Promise, Relation &Heart because when they break they don’t make noise but pains a lot..