What I know for sure……

I am a girlie girl! I have been branded as the fairy tale type, the glamour girl and even the ice-queen at times…whatever hat I wear, I know a couple of  things still remain true to me. This is what I know for sure….

I know for sure that if you are important to me then you get to meet all other equally important people in my life. If you are as great and lovely as I imagine you are then why not! Why hide you and not want others to meet you? No pressure intended but it is awfully bizarre when you refuse to comply with this normal social gesture or worse refuse to reciprocate and instead try to hog me to yourself! Trying to cut all links with my kith and kin is clearly a red flag that I refuse to tolerate. I do not see it as being in love and you wanting to spend ALL your waking hours with me….I call this being a control freak!!!

I know for sure that I am worthy of love-to love and be loved in return. I do not believe that love hurts or that I should tolerate you because of what we previously had. I love myself too. I will obviously allow myself to mourn and rant but I certainly will move on hopeful that I will find love again.

More often than not, few will be genuinely happy for my achievements and goals. They will half heartedly smile but inwardly wish me oceans of calamities. I realize this and take caution when I identify such personalities.

The older I get the more I understand that not all friendships last a lifetime. Contrary to popular belief there can be seasonal and reason friends. I believe that when that reason and season have been accomplished it is ok to let them be and not beat ourselves up for failed friendships.

I know for certain that I am solely responsible for my own happiness, health and joy. I know the importance of scheduling ‘me time’ in my program and finding out how I am really doing. It is paramount to have a ‘spoil me’ day once in a while when I can just laze in bed with a good novel and recharge my batteries. I also know the value of financial independence and the reason why I especially need to take a hands on approach towards my finances. I reckon that one can never be too widely read: hence the importance of staying relevant and reading vastly.

I know for sure that violence does not solve anything. Whatever form it may take it is damaging and always makes matters worse. I know that being kind and smiling to a stranger a day probably won’t get me to the list of nobels but it does  makes me feel better. I consider it essential to help the needy and less fortunate in our society and not feel the need the gloat and brag about it.

Most of all I know that I am not perfect and I never will be. I realize that I will make mistakes some more serious than others as I go along the way-this they say is the essence of being human. I however know that I should seek counsel from others who add value in my life and strive not to make their mistakes.

Diary of a Milead fellow…..

Its been over year..can't believe I din't share this.....Had lots of fun as a Milead 2010/2011 fellow.....

The Moremi Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) fellows summer Institute marked from July 12^th to August 2^nd 2010 at the Kwame Nkrumah Complex, Institute of African Studies-University Of Ghana-was to say the least a wonderful experience.

On receiving my award letter, I remember thinking that Moremi Initiative for Women's Leadership in Africa might have awarded the wrong person. From over 800 applications, it is clear that the selection process is quite competitive, and there I was, selected as one of the 25 fellows from 21 different African countries and the Diaspora.

First thing first, I needed to contact my fellow Kenyan 2010 counterparts and compare note, synchronize our travel plans and bond a bit. After all we were to be together for the next three weeks. Finding them was not a problem and we soon meet up a couple of times for media briefing and coffee before we headed to Accra.

Ms. Amina Abdirashid is a young Kenyan lady who currently works for the BBC and implements programs in Somalia. She believes in giving the Somali girl child a voice and a much needed ear as well. She intends to implement her MICHANGE project within the same lines.

Ms. Mary Ng’Endo Kanoi is the only fellow actively involved in climate change. An intern at GTZ Kenya, she is passionate about conservation and would like her project to centre on alternative fertilizers which farmers in Murang’a could use which would be cheaper to make and use and are environmental friendly.

Ms. Jane Wairimu Waithera is a vibrant young lady living with albinism. She is currently in the process of registering her own company-‘Positive Exposure’, which aims to educate society on albinism with the aim of reducing stigma that surrounds it. Positive Exposure will be involved in offering support to albinos especially in areas where their lives may be of eminent danger.

All the fellow’s bios look amazing, at a tender age of between 19-25 years, these young African leaders are making waves in different sectors. It is highly encouraging and humbling to be amidst such personalities and more so to know that Africa has a bright future ahead.

The training was exciting and a great learning experience for both the fellows and the facilitators. It was interesting to share experiences among members and compare and contrast with our own countries. The summer Institute was conducted through different teaching methodology to avoid monotony and encourage more interaction among particiapnats.The program addressed key topics such as:

·        Dimensions of Leadership

·        Women’s Human Rights

·        Social Activism

·        Solidarity

·        Networking and Collaboration

·        Research

·        Women’s Health and Safety

·        Economic Justice

·        Political Participation

·        Environmental Justice

·        Peace building

·        Personal development

My favorite mode of learning was the field visits, during our stay we managed to visit a few women NGO’s in Ghana such as AWDF, FIDA-Ghana, UNDP and WISE which is the founder of the Moremi Initiative among others. The most interesting visit would however be the visit to the Ghana's Attorney- General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu We had the opportunity to ask her questions and get advice from her in regard to making it as an African female leader. Her advice to all women is that “never let your gender dictate what you can and can’t do.”

The three weeks flew by so fast, I learned a lot about myself, and other very crucial topics that affect women, more so African women. I am now more than ever passionate about pushing the women’s agenda and believe that there are no limitations.

It is comforting to know that I have 24 wonderful sisters from all over Africa who shares this same dream. We learned together, cried and partied together and we very much intend to work together to raise the African woman and girl’s voice……..

Courses Women Should be REQUIRED to take

• Silence, the Final Frontier: Where No Woman Has Gone Before

• The Undiscovered Side of Banking: Making Deposits

• Parties: Going Without New Outfits

• Man Management: Minor Household Chores Can Wait Till After The Game

• Bathroom Etiquette I: Men Need Space in the Bathroom Cabinet Too.

• Bathroom Etiquette II: His Razor is His

• Communication Skills I: Tears - The Last Resort, not the First.

• Communication Skills II: Thinking Before Speaking

• Communication Skills III: Getting What you Want Without Nagging

• Driving a Car Safely: A Skill You CAN Acquire

• Telephone Skills: How to Hang Up

• Introduction to Parking

• Advanced Parking: Backing Into a Space

• Water Retention: Fact or Fat

• Cooking I: Bringing Back Bacon, Eggs and Butter

• Cooking II: Bran and Tofu are Not for Human Consumption

• Cooking III: How not to Inflict Your Diets on Other People

• Compliments: Accepting Them Gracefully

• PMS: Your Problem... Not His

• Dancing: Why Men Don't Like To

• Classic Clothing: Wearing Outfits You Already Have

• Household Dust: A Harmless Natural Occurrence Only Women Notice

• Integrating Your Laundry: Washing It All Together

• Oil and Gas: Your Car Needs Both

• TV Remotes: For Men Only

If I knew....

If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord your Soul to keep. 

If I knew it would be the last time that I saw you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for one more. 

If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would videotape each word, so I could play them back day after day. 

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say “I love you”; instead of assuming you would KNOW I do. 

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well am sure you’ll have so many more, so I can let this just one slip away. 

For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right. 

There will always be another day to say our “I love you’s”, and certainly there’s another chance to say our “Anything I can do?” 

But just incase I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I’d like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget. 

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike. And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight… 

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today? 

For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll surely regret the day, that you didn’t take the extra time for a smile, a hug, a kiss, and you were to busy to grant someone what turned out to be their one last wish. 

So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, and tell them how much you love them and that you’ll always hold them dear. 

Take time to say “I’m sorry”, “please forgive me”, “thank you”, or “its okay”. And if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today.

The 20th All African Moot Court Competition.

Every law student’s dream is to be damn good in whatever field of law they choose to pursue. The 20th All African Moot Court Competition was the fore an enormous catalyst in the educational curriculum of the over 700 law students who took part in this competition either directly or indirectly from various universities and colleges in Africa.

Each team comprising of two members; preferably a lass and a lad, were chosen to represent their school after a ‘mini’-moot court competition was conducted within their individual institution based on the same hypothetical case to be argued in Pretoria. This therefore meant that the best counsels were soon on their way to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights which would be sitting in Pretoria-South Africa from the 6^th-13^th July 2011.

After intense preparations, lots of consultations and all the charms we could get, Lilian and I were ready for action! We had already violated one of the rules by having an all girls team but we were quickly at ease when we to our delight meet another Kenyan Team at the JKIA international airport...and yes they were an all girls team too!!

The sudden shock we had to deal with was the cold!!!Having left the lovely Kenyan sun to subzero temperature meant literally game on!!We soon discovered that many other teams had already arrived and that team members were to be housed as far apart as possible to ensure interaction with other participants. (Translation-no more practice)

Armed with the rules and regulations and a template of the marking scheme to be used, all we now had to do was sleep and wait for D-day to arrive.Suprisingly on the big day most teams looked calm and collected. The excitement of newly found friends, adrenaline and the anxiety of the unknown made a not so lovely cocktail in my stomach.....

For fairness and non-biasness in the allocation of scores, teams were to be identified by a secret number which was picked at a ballot. Teams were subsequently categorised in the language they would use in Court either: Anglophone, Francophone or Lusophone.Hence you only knew the identity of your competitors on arriving court. This made the challenge so much more intriguing....

On each given day during the preliminary rounds, each team had to appear twice a day in a different court -once as the Applicant and the other as the Respondent. Teams could therefore not specialise and were required to be able to represent either the state of Dosmoon or the Environment for life whenever they were requested to do so. Each round cumulated marks that would make up for the overall score. Each judge additionally made comments and gave a score for each counsels and an average was calculated to find the best oralists.

The two best Francophone teams and four best Anglophone teams made it to the finals.Unfortunalely due to the small turn out of Lusophone teams this year, none of those present made it to the finals. The finals were held at the South African Reserve Bank and the five presiding Judges were all commissioners at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The teams at the finals had to overcome many challenges, key among them being the language barrier. All other teams were invited to witness this great mêlée. You would have thought that other participants would have being bored to listen to an argument they had all made reference to for a week, but you could still see and hear the excitement and anticipation.

Winning is nice....it is sometimes also important....but not all teams could have won! The 20^th All African Human Rights Moot Court competition was however not only about winning and losing. It gives great satisfaction that Africa celebrated 30 years after the adoption of the African Charter and that African jurisprudence is relaying more and more on the African Charter on Human and People’s rights. It is greatly refreshing that African Law students know about this Charter that is unique to them and it is hoped that they will continue making use of it in their own local and regional courts in the very near future.

We all learnt a lot, had great fun while at it and now have new friends and acquaintances all over Africa. The Respondents graciously took the title home this year........so about Lilian and I you might wonder.....we didn’t make it to the finals. We were ranked tenth overall and we are over the moon with our performance. We thank you all for your great support and encouragement. We wish the best to the 21^st Moot Court participants-have a blast in Mozambique!

Why God Made Little Girls

God made the world with its

Towering trees

Majestic Mountains and restless seas

Then pauses and said,

‘It needs one more thing…

Someone to laugh and dance and sing

To walk in the woods and gather flowers

To commune with nature in quite hours’.

So God made little girls

With laughing eyes and bouncing curls

With joyful hearts and infectious smiles

Enchanting ways and feminine wiles,

And when He had completed the task

He had begun

He was pleased and proud of the job

He had done

For the World, when seen through

A little girl’s eyes

Greatly resembles Paradise.

To My Sisters with Love

Written by Donna Fargo

If I gathered up all my wishes for you and put them in a pretty basket,
your multi-colored bouquet would look like this.......

You'd have peace from every conflict you encounter in your life, all the love you need, and perfect health to enjoy this journey of life.

Your basket would be filled with dreams come true, goals met, and satisfaction with your achievements.

There would be many friendships to enhance your feeling of community and belonging.

A variety of meaningful relationships gives life spice and balance, so I'd fill your basket with the kind of friends you can call on, go places with and care for.

There would be prayers for your freedom from everything that binds you, and solutions to any problems you may have in life.

In this pretty basket of wishes, you would have everything you need and want.  Every situation and circumstance you encounter would enhance your potential for happiness.

May the time and concern you've invested in others translate into the kind of love and appreciation for yourself that you so deserve.

You are worthy.

You are beautiful.

You are loved.

As I stir through the memories of what we've shared through the years as sisters, I wish you happiness, and I hope your every dream is coming true!

Author: Donna Fargo