Filled Vessels An Inspirational BGIA Magazine
Global Event Edition 2013
Encourage . Inspire . Empower . Ignite . Celebrate blackgirlsigniteafrica.com
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Founder and Editorial Director Abby Osoba Editor-in-Chief Feyikemi Kukoyi Editor-at-Large Damilola Liyele Deputy Editor Idara Udo Editorial Board Education Contributor — Ebele Agu Lifestyle Contributor — Sinota Odu Hospitality Contributor — Taiye Olugboja Health Contributor — Seun Obajolu Inspirational Contributor — Chardelle Moore
A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make the maiden edition of BGIA Filled Vessels Magazine a success.
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Filled Vessels Magazine ׀September 2013 ׀blackgirlsigniteafrica.com
Contents 4 Welcome message
22 “Igniting Your Passion”
10 BGIA Inspiration
26 2014 Future Outlook
19 BGIA Ladies’ gratitude
31 Recent activities
20 Meet the BGIA Ladies
36 Breast cancer awareness
Filled Vessels is an inspirational BGIA magazine. We connect with women from all walks of life and ethnicity. What makes us unique is that all our efforts are concentrated on empowering, encouraging,, and celebrating African girls and women of all ages.
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Welcome Message Welcome to the ANNUAL GLOBAL EVENT issue of BGIA's FILLED VESSELS MAGAZINE, dedicated to the fabulous women and inspiring young girls who are making waves in Africa and across the globe. The celebration of BGIA’s 2nd anniversary has given us a wonderful opportunity to team up with great local artists, designers, entrepreneurs, businesses, charities, vendors and other like minds in Dubai, UAE & Lagos, Nigeria for our ANNUAL GLOBAL EVENT - IGNITING YOUR PASSION. This event captures the essence of our passion and aspirations – bringing young girls and women together to INSPIRE, IGNITE, EMPOWER, ENCOURAGE, CELEBRATE, network and share their life's journey. A big thank you to the greatest team ever, without them, there will be no ME in this organization, nor will this event ever take place at all. Their hard work, passion and dedication has made BGIA an organization to be in today. I cannot thank Feyikemi, Dammy and Idara (our magazine team members) enough for their dedication and service to our magazine; I am forever grateful working with them and continue to wish them every success in every of their other endeavours. FILLED VESSELS is an avenue where you can pour yourself into other vessels across the globe by sharing your stories, passion, creativity, inspiration, leadership, business, career, talents, poetry, artwork, photography, design, etc; and with this I want to appreciate all our contributors for your wisdom, humor and inspiration THANK YOU! If you would like to become a contributor please visit our Submission Guidelines. Be sure to add your email to our FREE Subscription box (on our website) to receive more information about our organization and also submit your contributions. I hope that after your time with us at this event, YOUR PASSION WILL TRULY BE IGNITED for the greater good of communities across the globe. Kick back, relax and enjoy the many voices of the young girls and women who made this issue and our event possible. You are all welcome to our Event!
Abby Osoba Founder & Editorial Director
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From the Editor-In-Chief Dear Reader: If you are reading the Filled Vessels for the first time - Welcome! To our returning readers; thanks for joining us again. The edition of the Filled Vessels you are reading today is a special one as it is our Annual Global Event Edition. Our event's theme is "Igniting your Passion." This edition will provide an insight into a week long of packed activities and fundraising strategies we have planned for the event. The quarterly edition of the Filled Vessel will continue to be a vehicle for the delivery of timely and thoughtful information and opinion on the many issues that involve our nonprofit organization. I would like to serve on the Magazine's torial Board for port and feedback velop, and publish mahigh quality. I hope that we record and continue to expand for the benefit of the entire comfit of the girls and women in Africa.
thank those who Filled Vessels staff and its Ediproviding the supnecessary to find, deterial of such consistent can build on such a strong the reach of the Filled Vessels munity, and ultimately for the bene-
This special edition of the Filled Vessels inaugurates a somewhat modified format for our annual events to come. Most important however, are the many lives we are able to positively impact in addition to what our collection of contributors have to communicate. I hope you find this issue of interest, and as we continue to explore new ways to make the Filled Vessels useful to you, please share your ideas and thoughts with us. I can be reached at feyikemi@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com, and I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely,
Feyikemi Kukoyi Editor-in-Chief
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From the Editor-At-Large Welcome to the Global Event Edition of Filled Vessels. Filled Vessels is the voice of girls and women. We exist to celebrate, encourage, empower, inspire and ignite. It is a tribute to female empowerment: allowing us to encourage you to look at yourselves as strong women, and not as victims. This edition is in celebration of our Global Annual Event “Igniting Your Passion�, taking place this year in Dubai and Lagos. Girl/Women empowerment is important as it addresses a huge problem in society. People believe that the issue of the place of women in society has already been resolved. However, in many countries, girls and women are still expected to stay at home and take the brunt of family care, or to work and at the same time raise a family. Black Girls Ignite Africa strives to help girls and women foster their dreams of a better tomorrow without compromising their integrity and self worth today. Please join our movement as we help create a better tomorrow. I would to thank my team and our supporters for making this publication the great success it has turned out to be.
Damilola Liyele Editor-at-Large Email: publications@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com
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Letter from the Deputy Editor It is with enormous pleasure that I welcome first-time readers to Filled Vessels, and to returning readers, it is a delight to be in touch with you again. This edition is in celebration of our Annual Event, themed this year “Igniting Your Passion�, taking place in Lagos and Dubai. We all have various ideals that we feel quite strongly about, but what use are they to us or anyone else if we do not give them the life or energy that they require to ensure that they burn? Black Girls Ignite Africa is hotly passionate about the issues that affect girls and women, especially in Africa, which hinder them from the same accomplishments like their male peers. These are global situations, and they will not go away if nothing is done. If you are just as stirred up as we are about these issues, if you are provoked to make the right changes, you can do something to help. We want you to join us in this challenge. We want you to get excited with us about creating a better world for the underprivileged in society. It may seem daunting, but it can be done. Take a stand and get ignited with us! Warm wishes,
Idara Udo Deputy Editor Email: administrator@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com
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Our Mission To empower, encourage and celebrate positive, healthy life -changing activities and development by helping girls and women foster their dreams of a better tomorrow without comprising their integrity and self-worth today. The mentoring of girls and women to help combat the effects of negative influences from the media and society. To build their self-esteem by changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons, and helping them to empower themselves.
Our Vision The empowerment of girls and women will make them dare to fulfil their dreams, dare to be whomsoever they want to be, and they will not let anyone else define what they should or should not do. As a result, they will ignite and be great! We have the opportunities to enrich the lives of adolescent girls and older women through mentorship, arts, education, cultural exploration and public service.
Our Structure We are a network of women connected invisibly by a common thread of BGIA principles. We have a board of Trustees who are Platinum Life Members and are ultimately responsible for the strategic direction of the work of BGIA. We carry out annual activities and operations through the Board, Executive Council, Senior Management, Management, Coordinators, and ad hoc volunteers. We have active members and volunteer members.
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Benefits of Membership
Access to empowerment sessions with BGIA and BGIAPartnered Events across the world The opportunity to be mentored as well as to mentor girls and women in Africa and across the world All-access VIP passes and discounts to all BGIA Events. The chance to have your personal company advert featured on the BGIA website and at BGIA events. Discounts for products and services advertised by BGIA. Support and essential networking opportunities for members to meet others in their work or business.
BGIA Members Undertake to:
Display integrity in business and personal dealings. Dedicate time, strength, mental and physical vitality and energy for effective involvement at BGIA charity and empowerment programs. Advance the influence of girls and women African communities. Celebrate and support individual and team successes. Maintain respect for everyone regardless of age, ethnicity or social standing.
Membership Guidelines BGIA is a loose network of purposeful women from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, each of us bound by the common thread of BGIA principles a desire to celebrate, empower, encourage, inspire and ignite girls and women, and a passion for maintaining those desires
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ELEKURU SCHOOL AND RESOURCE CENTER PROJECT Elekuru village is located at the outskirt of Moniya Oyostate, Nigeria. BGIA in partnership with Living star mission discovered 50 widows in which 30 of them are believers between the ages of 50/60 and above, while 20 are from other traditional religion. The villagers lack basic amenities like food, clothing and mostly education. Over five hundred children are denied access to a proper education and are been taught under a bamboo tree. During the raining season, school is cancelled due to lack of proper shelter for the students to study in This year, BGIA has been active in Elekuru village and has donated clothing, school, and food supplies (BGIA Care boxes) to the villagers. Unfortunately, the village still lacks basic infrastructure: resource to get a proper education, not enough food to help the villagers to survive, nor a resource center to help the village grow. BGIA’s aims to help purchase a piece of land which will be used to build the future school and business centre for the people of Elekuru village. Now, with your help, BGIA can support the students and provide them with supplies to make their learning experience much easier .
Join our cause and help us make this possible!!!!
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Women’s Education in Africa Some of us know someone who could not complete her education for financial reasons. We all know one or more families struggling in poverty. Female education in Africa is suffering due to reasons like poverty or the need not to educate women because of the belief she will be married off and so should not be educated. African women need encouragement and inspiration to keep going strong despite what could be going on around them. We have either heard of or experienced gender inequality especially in Africa, sometimes we are passed over at work for a man when it comes to promotion. We are sometimes paid less than our male counterparts for the same position, even with better qualifications. Though all these issues are reducing, there is a significant amount of women and girls who are still struggling with poverty issues and lack of opportunities to show their potentials. Ebele Agu Writer of Life experiences Blogger and Teacher
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UN International Day of the Girl Child October 11 On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly voted to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize the rights of girls and the unique challenges they face around the world. For its second observance, the theme of this year’s Day will focus on “Innovating for Girls’ Education”. The fulfilment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and moral imperative. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves: it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization. While there has been significant progress in improving girls’ access to education over the last two decades, many girls, particularly the most marginalized, continue to be deprived of this basic right. Girls in many countries are still unable to attend school and complete their education due to safety-related, financial, institutional and cultural barriers. Even when girls are in school, perceived low returns from poor quality of education, low aspirations, or household chores and other responsibilities keep them from attending school or from achieving adequate learning outcomes. The transformative potential for girls and societies promised through girls’ education is yet to be realized. Innovation will be an important strategy in addressing the nature and scale of barriers girls continue to face and in ensuring they receive an education commensurate with the challenges of the 21st century. As the world evaluates gaps in achieving the global goals for gender equality in education and defines an agenda post -2015, it is critical that innovation is harnessed to improvise solutions that are not only more creative, but also more effective, efficient, sustainable and just in achieving demonstrable results for improving girls’ education.
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Smart and creative use of technology is one route to overcoming gender barriers to girls’ learning and achievement, but innovation in partnerships, policies, resource utilization, community mobilization, and most of all, the engagement of young people themselves, can be important catalyzing forces. All UN agencies, Member States, civil society organizations, and private sector actors have potential tools to innovate for and with girls to advance their education. The following are just some of many examples: Improving public and private means of transportation for girls to get to school—from roads, buses, mopeds, bicycles to boats and canoes Engaging young people in monitoring and holding school systems accountable for ensuring the integrity of school facilities and functions and the safety and learning of girls Collaboration between school systems and the banking industry to facilitate secure and convenient pay delivery to female teachers and scholarship delivery to girls Provision of science and technology courses targeted at girls in schools, universities and vocational education programmes Corporate mentorship programmes to help girls acquire critical work and leadership skills and facilitate their transition from school to work Revisions of school curricula to integrate positive messages on gender norms related to violence, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and male and female family roles Deploying mobile technology for teaching and learning to reach girls, especially in remote areas Using traditional and social media, advertising and commercial packaging to publicize data on gender disparities in education, the underlying causes, and actions that can be taken for change The International Day of the Girl Child 2013 will provide a platform to highlight examples such as these – and many more – of ongoing work and achievements, as well as raise awareness of the importance of innovation in advancing girls’ education and promoting learning and empowerment. (IDGC 2013 UNICEF Concept Note)
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African Woman Africa! Beauty of the world natural and black lovely and blessed models of God's creation silhouetted with beauty Oh African gold blessed with the cur and cons of her body and color of her skin betrothed to love Kind creatures they are with their soft hearts they conquer all men with their musical voices they give sound to the morning and evening Strong-willed they are, they are the pride of our nations leaders of years to come, for they know the value of all. They are mothers, daughters and wives of Africa Shitta Prisca
GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE You do not have to be a banker, a receptionist, a customer care representative or consultant to give good customer service. It should apply in our normal day to day living. Our objectives should be to make customers or people we relate with feel good about themselves, about the service we provide and the organization we work for. Even if we cannot resolve their query or issue, we should maintain and enhance their self-esteem, we should make them feel better than before they came to you. We should listen and respond with empathy, involve them and acknowledge them. We should ascertain the situation, meet and exceed their needs. Most of all, we need to confirm satisfaction. Taiye Olugboja
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Mission Possible What is most important to you? Is it you and your overall wellbeing? Or is what you want to do or be more important? I mean do you want to be the best daughter, sister, friend, mate, mother, teacher, doctor: what? The list could go on and that is great to want to do and be all of those things. However, all of those roles require the giving of self to others and after a while that can become very frustrating, overwhelming and exhausting. Once we feel like we are so overwhelmed it becomes that much more challenging to give to ourselves. Many of us women feel like giving to others and equally giving to self are a mission impossible but in fact it is very possible. First we/you/I need to learn how to give to ourselves before giving of ourselves to others. Do me a favor and go and look in the mirror; yes a mirror, a good sized mirror. Take a good look at your eyes, all the features of your face, look at your body, look down at your hands; turn them over and stare at your palms for a second. Then close your eyes, take a slow deep breath, exhale, slowly open your eyes and look into the mirror, making sure when that when your eyes do open, that they open to you looking yourself directly in the eye.
Sinota Odu BGIA Brand Ambassador
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Featuring One of Our Many Speakers With a Passion To Inspire
BGIA LADIES’ GRATITUDE Words cannot express our thanks to our amazing and phenomenal speakers for their selflessness in sharing their experiences and their time. Every single one of them gave up a lot to attend the event and we are honored that they accepted our invitation. May God enlarge them in their endeavors.
OLUWATOYIN SANNI MD/CEO, UBA Trustees and Global Investor Services She is a lawyer, chartered secretary and stockbroker with over 25 years experience in investor services, law and finance. Toyin holds a Law Master’s Degree, LLM (Hons) from the University of Lagos as well as memberships of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (I.C.S.A) UK, and the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (C.I.S) Nigeria. She is also a Council Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, Nigeria, a Fellow and Council Member of the Association of Pension Funds of Nigeria (APFN), an Associate of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria and President of the Association of Corporate Trustees, Nigeria. She serves on various committees and boards including the National Bond Steering Committee and is Chairperson of the Custody SubCommittee of the Nigerian Capital Market Committee. In her own words, she says, ‘From a background in corporate law and finance, I have gained extensive experience in the wealth management business and securities services. I am passionate about the health and development of the Nigerian Capital Market which offers significant opportunities for national development through capital raising for key infrastructure and other development projects, as well as for growth of personal wealth, also vital to sustainable economic growth. I leverage on networking and business development abilities as well as extensive experience in wealth management and securities services to achieve growth objectives in an ever widening scope of operations/regions.’
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Introducing the BGIA LADIES ABBY OSOBA, ‘CHAMPION LADY’ (CANADA) Founder & Chief Executive Officer As CEO, Abby has called attention to the urgent need for organizations – public, private, nonprofit and for-profit – to cooperate and share their resources and expertise for the benefit of the African children, girls and women.
FEYIKEMI KUKOYI, ‘DAINTY POWER-PACKED LADY’ (USA) Chief Creative Officer Feyikemi Kukoyi is the Founder, President and Senior Consultant of FTK~Konnect Events. Her everyday waking passion is to empower women and girls globally, and as a mother of two children, she is ever ready to lend a helping hand. FTK~Konnect Events is the official event planner for BGIA Global.
SEUN OBAJOLU, ‘GLAM LADY’ (USA) Chief Administrative Officer Seun is a Registered Nurse, she is very passionate about women empowerment and is very enthusiastic about her contribution to BGIA and the world with her experience in the healthcare industry.
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Top to bottom, left to right: Mobolade Adesanya, ‘Exceptional Lady’ (Nigeria); Rahma Himid, ‘Inspired Lady’ (UAE); Idara Udo, ‘Extraordinary Lady (Ireland) Damilola Liyele, ‘Priceless Lady’ (USA); Elizabeth Ayoola, ‘Incredible Lady’ (Nigeria), Oyinda Fasanya, ‘Absolutely Dynamic Lady’ (Nigeria) Destiny Ajuwa, ‘Ambient Lady’ (Nigeria); Taiye Olugboja, ‘Gracious Lady’ (Nigeria); Chikodi Agu, ‘Phenomenal Lady’ (Nigeria) Folasade Asaya, ‘Talented Lady’ (USA); Eyitemi Amoo, ‘Diamond Lady’ (Nigeria); Atinuke Lasisi, ‘Awesome Lady’ (Nigeria)
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BGIA ‘IGNITING YOUR PASSION’, DUBAI 2013 Program DAY 1: October 13th 2013 PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION @ LIGHT HOUSE STUDIO
Arrival of guests Cocktail and Networking Introduction to BGIA Director of Regions (Middle Eastern) - Ms.Rahma Himid Speech by CEO, Mrs Abby Osoba Guest Speaker Abby thanks sponsors for support in the UAE
DAY 2: October 14th 2013 BGIA GLOBAL ANNUAL MEETING @ RADISSON BLU, MEDIA CITY Board of Directors & Coordinators End of the Year Meeting
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DAY 3: October 15th 2013 RED CARPET COCKTAIL RECEPTION @ KIZA RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
Arrival, red carpet reception @ KIZA Cocktail and Menu Networking opportunity Opening speech: Introducing BGIA Introducing Mrs. Abby Osoba – Founder and CEO, BGIA Mrs. Abby Osoba: Introduces BGIA Vision Highlights key programs Introduces Elekuru Project Cocktail and Menu Closing speech: Announcement of the Nigerian Campaign Highlights 2014 Thanking sponsors and partners Network, BGIA members stay on for dinner and dance
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BGIA ‘IGNITING YOUR PASSION’, LAGOS 2013 Program DAY 1: October 18th 2013 @ JS WESTINS STUDIOS
BGIA’s grand entrance to J.S Westins Studios CCO’s welcome address - Mrs. Feyikemi Kukoyi CEO’s speech - Mrs. Abby Osoba Commencement of BGIA’s PR conference Red carpet pictures with BGIA, members of the press, executives and guests Networking, Cocktail and Menu
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DAY 2: October 19th 2013
BGIA team meets at TBS & Ikoyi @ 8am IYP Walk registration starts Welcome speech by CAO - Mrs. Seun Obajolu IYP Warm up IYP Walk starts Thank you/ farewell speech @ 11am
Red carpet/Vendor display @4pm Cocktail hour/Networking starts @ 5pm Welcome speech by CAO - Mrs. Seun Obajolu Live music entertainment—Lil Miss House of Dabira Fashion Show Director of Regions (Africa) - Mrs. Mobolade Adesanya CEO’s vision/goals for 2014 Guest Speaker Elekuru Project Presentation J.S Westins Fashion Show Guest Speaker Live music entertainment - Ololade Cucu
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2014 Future Outlook THEME: ChildTrafficking and the use of Child Domestic Maids BGIA’S Primary Objectives: To create awareness about the issues on macro and micro levels Education To sensitize people at all levels To create a platform for government and NGO partnerships To ensure participation from local communities, employers, parents, governments and institutions to alleviate the occurrences of trafficking and the use of domestic maids
Teach A Family A Trade (Lagos & Niger Delta) A Nigerian-based project that focuses on a preventative approach to mitigating child trafficking through teaching families trades such as; catering, sewing, hairdressing, tiedye, bead making, and plumbing, and then teaching them how to market themselves and their businesses.
Awareness Campaigns BGIA Revive and Survive Talent Showcase (Nov 2013) BGIA Family Fun Day (May 2014) BGIA Art Exhibition ( August 2014)
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BUSINESS ENTERPRISE NETWORK 2014 Young Women In Business - May 2014, USA and Nigeria Theme: Young women from underprivileged backgrounds who have transformed themselves into business women Business Women Who Give Back - June 2014, USA, Canada and Nigeria. Theme: Established business women and how they give back The Building Woman - September 2014, Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic and USA Theme: How to start up and run a successful business, and run it from the point of inception onwards
“Let us use our time, resources, and passion to give back to or societies through BGIA Programs in 2014�
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B-Inspirations “What I enjoy most about being part of BGIA is that I get to experience a lot of different things. One example is, around the time of school we had gone into a community and handed out school supplies to the people within the community. We did this because most people don’t have any school supplies and we were giving back to the community. “What BGIA has done for me is, it has made me have confidence in myself because I learnt how to chase my dreams and not to give up, and also it gives me a chance to experience things I never did before. Another thing BGIA has done for me is it has given me a chance to meet new people.” - Armya Cook, 12 years old SISI mentee
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The Power of Women I am what I am, woman, soul, spirited The empowerment of a woman begins within herself, if that woman loves herself; she has that authority to love anyone she chooses. The power of a woman becomes even stronger when she finds herself and knows who she is; and doesn't let anyone tell her otherwise. The power of a woman can make her strong enough to stand on her own two feet; and finally that woman is independent . She will not be afraid to ask for help or help herself. The power of a women is stronger then the grip of a lions teeth when his prey is in his mouth. The power of a woman is a power no man could live without , because without a woman there can be no man. The power of women is endless; so stand tall, and represent for all the women in the world. Tiffany Mitchell
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“You can change your location” but you cannot change your roots” As the Global Ambassador for Black Girls Ignite Africa, Chardelle Moore is a living example of a young woman impacts her community in a powerful way! She is a television host, journalist, motivational speaker, activist, poet, and model! Known for her versatility and lively personality, Chardelle’s diverse talents includes interviewing your favorite a-list celebrities on the red carpet to broadcasting African news. Her career portfolio includes working for BET, CBS Radio, CW Network Affiliates, and Kali TV. Hailing from Grandbay Dominica, and raised in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, “As an immigrant child from humble beginnings, my culture has a profound impact on who I am today. I was always told to embrace where I am from and never forget my roots. I am a Caribbean, I am a Dominican, and I am an African!” She is known as Motivational Moore” and believes that it’s her duty to give back to the community. She uses poetry and her life experiences to empower her community. I” love empowering girls and women.“Growing up I never saw had a black woman speaker, I was determined when I got older to change that! I want girls to feel empowered to conquer the world, know where they are from, and strive for excellence. Chardelle holds a Bachelors Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism and Public Relations from Marymount University. A glow of positive energy and inspiration to others; BGIA is thrilled to have Chardelle Moore as our global ambassador!
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RECENT ACTIVITIES CareBoxes Outreach - Elekuru, Nigeria
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Back-to-School Program
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20 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Achieve Your Goals - Abby Osoba How could I write a guide to setting and achieving goals if I did not actually give you a few tips on the most important part of setting goals? The key to successfully setting goals lies in your ability to motivate yourself and stay motivated until you have achieved your goal. Getting and staying motivated is not as difficult as it may seem. It just takes discipline. Let us look at the thing that you should do in order to get and stay motivated. First, let us take a look at what motivation really is. Motivation is not a product of outside influence; it is a natural product of your desire to achieve something and your belief that you are capable of doing it Positive goals that are geared toward your pleasure are much more powerful motivators than negative ones that are based on fear. The right combination of both is the most powerful and motivating mix. Now let’s look at what you can actually do to motivate yourself and stay that way. 1. Start with visualizing your future success and model the feelings you’ll experience when you achieve it 2. Mentally walk the path towards this success and base your feelings at different milestones on the way 3. Assign a high priority to each task that you must achieve which will give each task a priority in your mind 4. Set a target for the amount of work you will do each day toward your goals 5. Visualize the desired outcome: create a picture of what the desired outcome will look like, and have this vision in your mind at all times 6. Set milestones of the things you like to do and the things that you are good at
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7. Use visual indicators to monitor progress and complete the task 8. Give yourself affirmations to remind yourself of how capable you are at reaching your goals 9. Watch movies that motivate you 10. Listen to music that motivates you 11. If you work better with competition, make a deal with a friend or family member to compete for the goal for example who gets there first! It can be hypothetical and doesn’t necessarily have to be for real 12. Get help and support from people around you or from a professional in the field for example a personal trainer, finance manager etc. 13. Define your own version of success; do not let others define success for you 14. Ignore any negative influences or responses to your efforts 15. Make a conscious effort to do better than you have ever done in the past 16. Focus on the positive achievements and not the negatives 17. Share your successes with others as this will keep you focused and help you voice your accomplishments which will realize your achievements for you 18. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and work on them both 19. Train yourself to finish what you start by refusing to quit until you are done 20. Do not be afraid to make mistakes and do not punish yourself for making them
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Breast Cancer Awareness WHAT IS BREAST CANCER? Breast cancer is a type of cancer that begins in breast tissue, which is made up of glands for milk production, called lobules. These cancer cells that grow out of control eventually form a lump which is what is detected most times. STATISTICS According to the cancer research UK,
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer diagnosed in women worldwide, ranking second in both sexes combined.
An estimated 1.38 million women across the world were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.
Breast cancer incidence has increased in most countries worldwide in the last decades, with the most rapid increases occurring in many of the developing countries http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats SYMPTOMS
A lump in a breast A pain in the armpits or breast that does not seem to be related to the woman's menstrual period
Pitting or redness of the skin of the breast; like the skin of an orange A rash around (or on) one of the nipples, any form of discharge (pus or bloody) The nipple changes in appearance; it may become sunken or inverted Peeling, scaling or flake like appearance of the skin of the breast RISK FACTORS include age, genetics, family history of breast cancer, estrogen exposure, HRT (hormone replacement therapy), obesity, alcohol consumption, cosmetic implants. PREVENTION Breast cancer can be prevented by implementing certain lifestyle modifications such as exercising, dietary modifications (following a healthy well balanced nutrition), maintaining a healthy body weight. IMPORTANT FACTS TO NOTE***** Early detection is key : Performing Monthly Self-Exams on consistent days of the month with the woman lying on her back, have the hand on the side of the breast to be examined placed behind your head, then using the other hand, examine the breast in a circular motion starting from the armpits. Any lumps or notable hardness should be reported to your physician right away for further evaluation and treatment. Breast Cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 2.6 million US women with a history of breast cancer were alive in January 2008. Early detection and treatment saves lives! Yearly Mammograms recommended for women from the age of 40. Seun Obajolu Registered Nurse, BSN Local Care Coordinator for Carefirst, USA
Toshiba
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Thanks to our Sponsors and Supporters
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Supporters
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If you are interested in having this BGIA Magazine at your location, email publications@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com FIND US ONLINE www.blackgirlsigniteafrica.com Join the mailing list for out monthly newsletter and updates about upcoming programs, projects and events. WRITE US BGIA welcomes letters from its readers. To contact the Editorial Team: Send an email to publications@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com. Letters should include writer’s full name, address and day time phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
FILLED VESSELS
Web: www.blackgirlsigniteafrica.com Email: info@blackgirlsigniteafrica.com 1.289.937.0796 (Canada)/ 1.443.622.5299 (US)/ 234.706.202.1776 (Nigeria)