WAN POT MAGAZINE by Francess Kay

WANPOT - Cover Story

Wan Pot MENU Welcome page Executive editor Introduction Wan Pot Executive August – October 2020 WAN POT Introduce Cover story True story WAN POT Community Champion Wan Pot interviews WAN POT JOURNEYS WAN POT FASHION WAN POT ARTWORK WAN POT JOURNEY WAN POT ARTICLES Inspirational Quotes Health is wealth WAN POT SPORT WAN POT Finance COVID19 Pandemic Wan Pot Letter Executive Editor reader’s interaction – teaser Africa Covid-19 cure - Poem WAN POT Food – Jollef Rice Culture WAN POT Travel The thinker Check out Advertisements/ WAN POT Partners Contact page Executive editor reader’s interaction – teaser

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Arabic: As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you)

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Mossi: Ne y yibeogo! (Good morning) Burkina Faso

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Dyula: I ni sogoma (Good morning) Burkina Faso

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Twi: Maakyé (Good morning) Ghana

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Swahili: Jambo (Hello), Habari (How's it going?) Kenya

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Malagasy: Salama (Hello), M'bola tsara (Hello) Madagascar

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Bambara: I ni ce (Hello) Mali

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Hausa: Sànnu (Hello) Nigeria

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Igbo: Ibaulachi (Hello) Nigeria

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Yoruba: Bawo (Hello) Nigeria

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Kinyarwanda: Muraho (Hello) Rwanda

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Wolof: Nanga def (How are you?) Senegal

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Krio: Kushe (Hello) Sierra Leone

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Zulu: Sawubona (Hello) South Africa

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Xhosa: Molo (Hello) South Africa

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Luganda: Oli otya (Hello) Uganda

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Bemba: Muli shani (How are you?) Zambia

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Shona: Mhoro (Hello) Zimbabwe

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Ndebele: Sawubona (Hello) Zimbabwe

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Swahili - habari

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

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Amharic - selam

Ethiopia

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Fula - mihofnima

West and Central Africa, from Senegal to Sudan

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French: Bonjour (Hello)

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Mandarin - nǐ hǎo. China, Taiwan, Singapore.

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Spanish. hola. ...

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English. hello. ...

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Hindi. namaste. ...

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Arabic. marhabaan. ...

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Portuguese. olá, oi, alô ...

WANPOT - Cover Story

EXECUTIVE EDITOR INTRODUCTION

The Light of the Firefly In the summer, the days grow longer, and the evenings are lovely. As dusk comes and the first stars begin to glow in the night sky, small flashes of light appear.

They flicker and dance, and create a beautiful, peaceful little light show. Those little lights are the soft glow of fireflies. Recently I was outside watching these dancing lights, and I found myself fascinated by them. Curious, I began to do some research on fireflies. I was inspired by what I read. I couldn't help but see the similarities between these tiny creatures of God and those who read this magazine. Fireflies teach us that even in darkness, there is light. You may feel surrounded by the gloom of night, struggling with your journey. You feel all alone. But then you spy a tiny glow, a continually changing pattern. Wait a while, and your patience will be rewarded. When you see one glow, there will be another. Watch carefully, another spot of light will appear, and then another. Friends are near. Did you know that almost every

continent around the world has fireflies? Fireflies live in forests, fields, on mountains, and in marshes. They live near lakes, rivers, and ponds. Where there is water, lightning bugs will be found. All of the places I have been, from America to China, from the United Kingdom to France, fireflies are there. And even though every place is different, some things are the same everywhere we go. Fireflies, like the warmth of a kind soul, are all around us. These little creatures are beetles. They have hardened wing cases over the top of their wings. The cases lift, moving out of the way for the wings when the lightning bug is ready to fly. How many of us keep our wings tucked away under a hardened shell? And yet, when we open that shell, we too can fly. There are over 2,000 different species of fireflies. You might think all the glowing beetles in your backyard are the same, but there are likely many different species. Isn't that like people? It's easy to assume that those who live together are similar. But in fact, we are all unique. Sadly, outdoor lights can be hard for fireflies. The bright manmade lights outshine the tiny flashes and make it hard for them to see each other. If you can, turn off your outdoor lights during the firefly season. That will help them give you a beautiful light display for years to come. Like the firefly, people can also

be over shown by lights that seem too bright. There is so much going on in the world. It can be hard to see the tiny glow that is happening right beside you. This magazine is here to help you see that glow, to read one another's stories, and learn from each other's journey. Fireflies don't live long, but that is part of God's plan. It reminds us that nothing lasts forever. They spend most of their time as larva and are adults for a short period. People too can take years to mature and grow. Your life journey may take you through many hard and stressful situations before you are ready to reach your true form. The flash of the firefly is their way of talking. Those flickers you see are the lighting bugs communicating. It helps males and females recognize each other. And each species has its own distinctive, unique pattern of flashes. Here is something beautiful: in the Smokey Mountains, there are synchronous fireflies. These fireflies coordinate their flashes together in one dynamic light show. They congregate together in trees, and one or two will start to flash. Then a few more. Some species of fireflies will begin to flash all at once. Others will synchronize over a few seconds, creating a wave of light. I see readers of this magazine as fireflies. We are points of light scattered around the world, each with our unique pattern. But we recognize each other by our glow. As we come together, our patterns will synchronize and flash together. We care to share in this beauty together, flashing our messages of love across the night sky.

Wan Pot Executive August

– October 2020

WANPOT - Cover Story

When Women Support Each Other, Incredible Things Happen

The liberating escape omen have played the The thought of escaping their destined roles inside the four walls role of an of their dwellings began to sprout its branches, and a stoic foundation was underdog for several laid. Women then started following centuries. Sometimes, their dreams, and the world changed for the better. they are oppressed When such women support each incredible things happen. It into submission, while other, is imperative to keep in mind that the things we can do in modernat other instances; it day and age could not have been is conditioned as their possible without the sacrifices of our predecessors. innate response to assume the position of Healthy competition a lesser being. Competition and healthy rivalry is

Women have played the role of an underdog for several centuries. Sometimes, they are oppressed into submission, while at other instances; it is conditioned as their innate response to assume the position of a lesser being. Women, however, have never lacked in abilities or compassion despite the popular belief. It became a norm to look at a woman and imagine “what she cannot do”. However, it changed drastically once the thought of “what she can do” started taking roots. Once the women started accepting that a pre-proposed view of their existence is not the only option they have in life, things began to stir up. They explored new horizons and becoming independent.

harmless and can help keep one motivated into improving themselves. However, never forget the struggles and hardships that you faced while trying to reach your goal and be there for the ones who need your help. Women, in particular, are rumored to be less appreciative of the achievements of other women. This rumor may not be all based on a lie, but, it’s not all true either. The society we live in, no field or profession has not been mastered by women. We get to have the opportunities that we couldn’t even dream of some 200 years ago.

Small changes that took place This didn’t happen overnight. It took many women to “rebel” against the cruel norms countless times. These women struggled before us and paved the way for us. They worked together

By Francess Kay

in the mid-19th century to have a right to vote. This struggle is marked by one of the biggest changes made, and it became acceptable for women to give their opinion. Since then, it hasn’t been many years as compared to the oppression that lasted centuries. We have managed to turn our lives around, nonetheless. Now, if a little girl aims to become a lawyer, an engineer, a doctor, or even an astronaut, she will not be laughed at in an educated society. This notion will not be an alien thought for her to pursue something other than a husband and children in life.

Conclusion: Throughout human history, we were able to make the changes that we see today only because women worked together when it was important. It's essential to keep our past in mind, and the present that still makes a huge majority of women suffer. Middle Ages and Renascence may have ended, but the general perception of women as weaker sex persists. If all the women keep striving to row ahead of these challenging tides, a day will come when these little changes will become a revolution for every woman worldwide.

WAN POT Introduce

A True African Beauty Ashley Mariam Yusuf When Women Support Each Other, Incredible Things Happen: We are pleased to introduce an Africa Queen from west Africa Nigeria, Benue State! A graduate of ABU Zaria. Where she studied Theatre and Performing Art.

WANPOT - Cover Story

“Living Through The Ill Universe"

Mary Caulker

ary Sesay Caulker was born in Wilberforce, Freetown, Sierra Leone. She hails from a humble family of 6 and is the oldest child.

She was brought up in the church by her mother who introduced her children to the teachings of Christ. After being baptized she became evangelical about the religion., and the lessons learned have defined her "walk in a life’s journey”. However, as she grew up, she accepted a wider definition of spirituality – a spirituality that embraces the truth in

all religions and different spiritual paths. Her parents were married and later separated when She was 12 years of age and raised with her other siblings by her mother as a single

parent. The separation proved to be the motivating factor that led her to get even closer to God. This divine intervention I believe, became the foundation of her Christian life. In February 2000, with the help of her aunt and the grace of God Mary Sesay relocated to the United States of America. On arrival in the United States, she had a difficult relationship with her Aunt. As a result, she suffered from depression and educational setbacks. Looking back, she observed that she was “just being a young girl who was experimental, and bold. But her guiding faith was woven in the fact that she has not done anything wrong. She credits her friends for helping her to pull out of depression, a tendency to self-harm, and the problems with her aunt. For Mary Sesay to survive the same hardship many Africans relocating to the US have experienced with their relatives is testimony to the resilience of her human spirit. Mary Sesay was able to enroll in nursing school, determined, to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a nurse. In 2003, she became a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Also, in 2013, she obtained an associate degree as a registered nurse (RN), and that followed in 2016, with a Bachelor of Science nursing degree. Subsequently, in 2019,

WANPOT - Cover Story

she completed the Masters in Nursing degree. Currently, she’s studying to become a nurse practitioner in psychiatry. During this challenging period of the Covi-19 pandemic, Mary Sesay as a nurse has continued to save lives given the high risk of potential infection. She has been working for 118 days dealing with individuals infected by the COVID-19 virus. She is a strong and independent woman, sacrificing and forfeiting, and giving up everything to save the lives of others.’ Mariama Sesay says “For her, it’s more than just a duty it is a dream. When it comes to someone’s life that

is in your hands after God, then you literally cannot step back. Otherwise, it is going to quiver your mind and your whole life.” Regardless of all these, Mary Sesay continues to work as a Nurse highly spirited and the peace on the face of recovering patients has increased her confidence and faith in God. The honor that is bestowing on her as a nurse has heightened her morale. Being a strong and independent woman does not mean you have to shout your inner self out to the world. Maybe, one day, you are vulnerable when no one else

is there to help you, for those who do not like what you are and what you have become, will be there to castigate you and reveal to those who denounce you. For Mary Sesay, “What matters the most is your good intentions and deeds for which you will be rewarded.” When is this covid19 going to end when would I wake up and found out it was all a dream or it? How many more lives it's going to take with it? Thousands of unanswered questions struck in my mind at once many times. But I do not know the answer of either, no one else does. However, I have placed my trust in God, Who I believe designed my profession for a life calling. With divine hands over me, I will fight till the end! Mary Sesay advises readers of WAN POT magazine; “No condition is permanent, never look down on others, because they might be the one saving you and your family’s life in the hospital bed. With God's grace, all things are possible. We will all succeed if we work hard.

You can do it alone,

But Why Would You Want To? Contributor: Diddy Johnny-Moore, Sydney, Australia

y story begins in Freetown Sierra Leone, where I was born. Due to the Civil War, I was forced to flee my home country as a child and seek refuge in another country. I ended up taking up permanent residency in Australia. At the tender age of sixteen, I ended up moving in with my aunt and her family. I lived with my aunt and her family until the age of seventeen. At seventeen, due to ‘philosophical differences’ between my aunt and me,

I was involuntarily ‘emancipated’ into adulthood. Whether I liked it or not, I was forced to look after myself alone, as a teenager, in this strange new land. My journey eventually brought me to Sydney, Australia where I had goals and aspirations of pursuing an education in the medical field. Like many young ambitious women with dreams of making a name for themselves, I experienced life, love, and relationships. As with most truelife stories, I ended up becoming a single mother of two beautiful children. The countless daily struggles that I had to endure as a single

mother of two, all while pursuing a career in the medical field seemed unsurmountable. There were many sacrifices that I had to make to ensure we had food to eat and a stable place to live in. There were many times that I didn’t know who to turn to or how I was going to make it. There were many times when I wanted to give up. Despite the many obstacles, I was eventually able to successfully complete my education. I can proudly say that I accomplished my goals and I am now a fully qualified Registered Nurse. After struggling and accomplishing so many things alone, I was eventually blessed to meet a companion. God sent me a companion by the name of Zach. Even though we were not married, we joined together as a family and life seemed great. Zach took on his role as guardian to my two kids. Everybody seemed happy.

Our kids were happy at home and in school. They were being raised together within a loving two-parent household. Zach had a full-time job. I was working for myself, on my terms, doing agency shifts and public hospital contracts. Life was great and I thought nothing could go wrong. I finally had everything that I ever dreamt of having. Life was great! Zach and I eventually planned to get married and maybe add more children to our family. There were no immediate plans on having more children. Therefore, I took the initiative to take a contraceptive to prevent unwanted pregnancy. I had used the contraception, Merina, without complication on and off for the past 2 years. From my experience with Merina, I thought it would be perfect. Merina is an intrauterine device (IUD) that is inserted into a woman's uterus and it releases a

hormone to help prevent pregnancy. I used this method of contraception before and it worked perfectly. On the 4th of April 2019, I was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest. My body had gone septic from some type of internal infection caused by the Merina. The infection caused an inflammation which went to my heart, causing me to go into a coma for 2 weeks. I was completely out of this world. It was completely in God’s hands. During that time, I underwent surgery upon surgery to save my life. During one of the surgeries, my right femoral artery was damaged, which may result in me having to have more future surgeries later on. After the initial surgeries, I had to learn how to breathe, swallow, talk, eat, walk, and be happy again. The process wasn’t easy. If it wasn’t for the love and support from my family, my partner Zacharia Elbourne and his family, my friends, and the grace of God, I wouldn't be here today. I can honestly say, even though life will never be the same for me, it doesn’t matter. I am grateful to still be alive. I am a living, breathing woman with a lot of loved ones by my side. Life has surely changed. I am back at work now, 3days a week, doing the only thing I know how to do. I do my best. I say no to the Merina, as contraception for me as I almost lost my life, all in the name of not having more kids. I now work in an I.V.F. clinic helping other women conceive. I never dreamt of working here but I enjoy every bit of it. The lesson learned for me is not to take life for granted. Also, to always put God first in whatsoever we do. Lastly family always matters and family is not always the same blood. Love more and be kind

WANPOT - Community Champion French

S UCCES S S TO RY Madame Bankoungou Clarice, Savings And Credit Group Promoter Man-Western Ivory Coast

y name is Bankoungou Clarice, I am of BurkinabĂŠ nationality, I am married and a mother to 5 beautiful children. I lived in Man, the western part of Ivory Coast, since 1989. I am a promoter of our Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA). I am currently in charge of 7 associations of about 200 women from various communities (Malian, BurkinabĂŠ, Guinean, Ivorian). These associations were created within the

framework of Care International's POWER Africa Project in the Ivory Coast. The objective of this project is to ensure the financial empowerment of vulnerable people. The first group was created in December 2014. When this group was created, I was asked by the members to ensure their training and supervision. The 6 other groups were created as an imitation of the first one. To better follow up on these 7 groups,

I received several pieces of training from Care, namely, savings and credit methodology, financial education, entrepreneurship, gender issues, leadership, etc ... Thanks to the training I received, I was able to help these women, living in precarious conditions, to take their destiny into their own hands. The members meet once a week and contribute 500 FCFA. But each member can contribute 5 times this

WANPOT - Community Champion French

amount if they have the means to do so. These contributions allow members to grant themselves microcredits ranging from 10,000 FCFA (17 USD) to 50,000 FCFA (85 USD). For groups with enough experience, loans can be up to 500,000 CFA (850 USD). These loans have enabled the women to carry out small income-generating activities (sale of patties, charcoal, red oil, cooking spices, a local beer made from maize or millet (tchapalo), etc ... Others carry out small trades such as sewing, hairdressing, and knitting, etc ...). These activities are carried out both individually and collectively. Today, all these groups have become mature and 2 of them are linked to microfinance.

At the end of each cycle, the members share the funds. The sharing ceremonies generally take place during the beginning of the school year and many women use their earnings to pay their children's school fees. During the first two years, the amount shared by each group varied between 300,000 (510 USD) and 700,000 FCFA (1191 USD). But over the last three years, there has been an increase to about 2,000,000 FCFA (3402 USD). Despite the current health situation (COVID 19), meetings are held with strict respect for barrier measures (wearing of masks, hand washing, a distance of one meter). My dream for these women is to get them to create a large network of VSLA or

set up a cooperative, or even a SME. Currently, we have project insight. We plan to make local soap made from red oil or shea butter. I have already contacted a woman in Burkina who works in this field. She owns a business that operates formally. If the health situation returns to normal, I plan to go and get training from her so

I can come and teach my members this trade.” To learn more about MADAME BANKOUNGOU CLARICE Contact: CARE CÔTE D’IVOIRE www.care.org

WANPOT - Community Champion French

HIS TO I RE A S U CCES Dame Bankoungou Clarice, Promotrice De Groupement D’epargne Et Credit Man – Ouest Cote D’ivoire

e me nomme Bankoungou Clarice, je suis de nationalité burkinabé, mariée et mère de 5 enfants. Je réside dans l’Ouest de la Côte d’Ivoire, précisément à Man depuis 1989. Je suis promotrice d’Associations Villageoises d’Épargne et Crédit (AVEC).

Actuellement, j’assure l’encadrement de 7 associations d’environ 200 femmes, issues de diverses communautés (Maliennes, Burkinabés, Guinéennes, ivoiriennes). Ces Association ont été créés dans le cadre du Projet POWER Africa de Care International en Côte d’Ivoire. L’objectif de ce projet est d’assurer l’autonomisation financière des personnes vulnérables. Le premier groupe a vu le jour en Décembre 2014. A la création de ce groupe, j’ai été sollicitée par les membres pour assurer leur formation et encadrement. Les 6 autres groupes ont été créés par imitation du premier. Dans le souci de mieux faire le suivi de ces 7 groupes, j’ai reçu plusieurs formations de la part de Care, à savoir, la méthodologie d’épargne et crédit, l’éducation financière, l’entrepreneuriat, les questions liées à l’égalité du genre, le leadership, etc … Grace aux formations reçues, j’ai pu aider ces femmes, vivant dans des conditions précaires, à prendre leur destin en main. Les membres se réunissent une

fois par semaine et cotisent 500 FCFA. Mais chaque membre a la possibilité de cotiser 5 fois ce montant, si les moyens lui permettent. Ces cotisations permettent aux membres de s’octroyer de micro crédits allant de 10 000 à 50 000 FCFA. Pour les groupes qui ont assez d’expérience, les prêts peuvent aller jusqu’à 500 000 FCA. Ces prêts ont permis aux femmes de mener de petites activités génératrices de revenus (vente de galettes, charbon, huile rouge, condiments de cuisine, bière locale à base de Maïs ou mil (tchapalo) etc …D’autres exercent de petits métiers comme la couture, la coiffure et le tricotage etc …). Ces activités se mènent de façon

individuelle comme collective. À ce jour tous ces groupes sont devenus matures et 2 parmi eux sont liés à une micro finance. À chaque fin de cycle, les membres font le partage des fonds. Les cérémonies de partage se déroulement généralement pendant la rentrée scolaire et bon nombre de femmes utilisent leur gain pour payer les frais scolaires de leurs enfants. Au cours des deux premières années, le montant partagé par chaque groupe se variait entre 300 000 et 700 000 FCFA. Mais au cours de ces trois dernières années, on note une hausse, allant jusqu’environ 2 000 0000 FCFA. Malgré la situation sanitaire actuelle (le COVID 19), les réunions se tiennent avec le respect strict des mesures barrières (port de masque, lavage des mains, distance d’un mètre). Mon rêve pour ces femmes, c’est de les amener à créer un grand réseaux d’AVEC ou mettre en place une coopérative, voir une PME. Actuellement nous avons un projet en vue. Nous envisageons faire la fabrication de savon local à base d’huile rouge ou du beurre de Karité. J’ai déjà pris contact avec une femme au Burkina qui exerce dans ce domaine. Elle détient une entreprise qui fonctionne de façon formelle. Si la situation sanitaire se normalise, je compte aller me former auprès de cette dernière et venir apprendre ce métier à mes membres

WANPOT - Interview

Kingsley Lington Ighobor Where are you from and what is your educational background? I was born in Nigeria. My parents are Ishan. Ishan is one of the bigger tribes in Edo State, Nigeria. As you know I spent most of my adult life in Sierra Leone. I think I lived in Sierra Leone for more than 15 years. In the early 90s, I co-founded the Concord Times newspaper. So, I always say that I was born in Nigeria but was made in Sierra Leone. I horned my journalism skills in Sierra Leone. Of course, I later joined the United Nations, worked in Sierra Leone, in Liberia for 7 years, and currently I am with the UN headquarters in New York. Regarding my education, I did my primary and secondary education in Edo State. I did my undergrad at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, which is in the Eastern part of Nigeria, where I studied Mass Communication. I later studied Master of Business Administration at the University of Liverpool in the UK; I got another Master in International Relations and Diplomacy at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, which is based in Switzerland. I bagged a doctorate degree in business leadership at Walden University in the United States. I have also completed two certificate courses at Harvard University in the US: one in Entrepreneurship and the other in Persuasive Writing.

One advice that I normally give people is, whatever you are doing try and be the best in it. It helps.

What is your family background? My parents were not rich in the strict sense of the word, but they paid us the kids a lot of attention. My dad was a primary school teacher and my mum taught in a secondary school as well, becoming a Vice Principal before retirement. So, my parents were teachers. Along the line, those days, my dad got involved in politics and happened to secure a political appointment as Board Chairman of a glass factory and later as Executive Director of a cement company. That upgraded our standard of living. I was a little rebellious as a teenager, I must confess. I remember having running battles with my dad over things like attending parties or dancing or going to discuss politics with older folks. I used to engage in a disco dancing competition. But that was also a testament to my restless spirit. Still, I was always focused on my academics. What about your siblings? At the moment we are threeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all males. We used to be five, including two sisters, but we lost them both, sadly. I am the eldest. My two younger brothers are IT executives. Both live in the UK and are doing pretty well.

not focusing too much on material possessions. I believe that the best investment is not in the mansions and fancy cars; the best investment is how many people feel their life is better because of you. That is the definition of legacy, in my book. How one is remembered. The number of lives that have been touched. So, I ask myself a simple question: how many people can genuinely say their lives are better because of me. You see what I mean!

What values did your parents teach you? My parents taught me a few things. The first is contentment. We the children couldn’t go to anyone’s house and be given food and we eat. No matter how tempting the food was, we would refuse to eat and smile. We should be content with what we had eaten at home. We were not supposed to be envious of other people’s cars or homes; we were supposed to focus on our own life’s journey. The second value my parents inculcated in us is hard work. Everywhere I have worked, I would always say, you can say anything about me but you wouldn’t say this guy does not work hard enough. And hard work for me comes naturally. I don’t have to work hard to please anyone; I just do it because that’s who I am. In my current workplace, for example, everyone knows I am not supposed to work on weekends or after 5.30 pm but my supervisors know that I can be relied on to work overnight or on Saturdays or Sundays. It’s just something I am used to. The third is to believe in God. My mum let me know that things don’t always go as planned, that there will be disappointments along the way. Therefore, I must reach for supernatural guidance. I try to plug into spirituality, to learn more about God’s ways and have Him guide me. Fourth, I must add that my parents also taught us to keep learning. I think that’s because of their background as teachers. So, very early, I learned the value of education. I keep learning, I never stop. I tell my friends and my children that the day I die is the day I stop learning. One last value

Tell us something about your journey to success My journey has been rough, but it’s got to be rough to be meaningful, right? I think success is a concept that is difficult to define. I believe each of us, no matter society’s perception of our successes, has some room for improvement. In that case, the journey to success is an endless one. We are constantly fighting, crawling, walking, or flying to success state. And when we arrive at a milestone, another challenge pops up. But my journey was not an easy one. I had just arrived Liberia when the war escalated and I had to flee to Freetown. We walked for hours in the forests from Monrovia to a Sierra Leonean border village. Finally, we made our way to Freetown. I wanted to stay a few days before returning to Nigeria. But Sierra Leone was—and still is—a magnet. That’s not just my opinion; that’s the opinion of many people who go there for a few days but end up staying there forever. How tough were things when you first arrived Sierra Leone? Things were very tough for me. The wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone were raging. Refugees were pouring across the borders. At one point I was homeless—literary homeless. I had to join the refugees in the national stadium. Many times, I had no food to eat and slept like that. So when people talk about hunger today, I feel their pain because I once felt the pain of an empty stomach. But I was determined to pull through. I think I worked hard on those days. Eventually, I got a job as a reporter at the Sierra Leone Daily Mail and one of my colleagues gave me a room in his house. But I wanted to be a good writer and I did my best to be one. I read a lot, studied how the best writers did their thing, and I tried to mimic them. What key advice would you give to

young people who want to be like you? One advice that I normally give people is, whatever you are doing try and be the best in it. It helps. Another one, which was or is key to my development (I don’t want to call it a success) is that I try to be not satisfied with the status quo. I want to break new ground. I want to be the first to do something. Sometimes it works out and at other times it does not. So, with the Concord Times newspaper, it was one of the very first newspapers with computerized pages; we were the first to own a website; to have an email address and, debatably, to have a truly professional set up. So one doesn’t have to be comfortable with the status quo. One must try something new. One must take a risk. My colleagues and I at Concord Times worked day and night to produce what we wanted to be the best newspaper. I leave it to the readers for them to decide if we succeeded. But we won several awards, including international awards. When I wanted to get an education, I decided I was going to accumulate as much as possible. When I worked for the UN in Liberia, my team and I did a heck of a job; we won several awards and commendations for our work.

WANPOT - Interview

Lawyer Alieu Iscandari An Interview with Lawyer Alieu Iscandari:

have to say thank you, Mr. Alieu Iscandari, for being part of this Wan Pot magazine Journey. The essence of Wan pot magazine is to look at people's life journey, and also to inspire the next generation.

Q1. Where were you born? Who are your dear parents? Which school did you attend and How long have you been in America? Ans: I was born in Sierra Leone, Freetown, Fula town, to be precise. Raised partly in Waterloo and Fula town and other parts of Freetown. I attended the Cathedral boys' School and Tower Hill Municipal. First of all, my Mum was working up the provinces so I started class one at the Roman Catholic School in Yilleh known as R.C. Yilleh. From there I went to St. John School for class two. From class three to class six I went to a Cathedral Boys School while for class seven I went to Tower Hill Municipal. I went to Prince of Wales secondary and partly, Selenka Secondary School. Then when my parents were sent back to Freetown, I came back to the Prince of Wales School, from there I went to Muslim Congress where I did my fifth form and then on to St Edward's for sixth form. On the twenty-ninth of December 1979, I came to the United States of America.

Q2. Mr. Alieu, we know that you have a prevalent name in Sierra Leone, the Iscandari family. Can you tell us a little bit about your grandparents, where did your people originate from? Ans: Well, our family came from recaptured slaves and freed slaves. Both sides of the family have

Yoruba roots. By the time they were recaptured they had already been given the name TAYLOR by their masters. Being Muslims they chose (Iscandari) which is an Arabic name for Alexander .

Q3: Thank you so much for enlightening us about your wonderful family background, I believe my readers will enjoy knowing you have soe lineage connection to the famous King Jimmy Port, known to house the free slaves in those days. This is what Wan Pot magazine is all about, inspiring people and learning from each other. What are the family values you would like to pass on to the next generation?

Ans: Well, in my Iscandari family, as I told you, most are scientists. We are a well educated lot. So one of the most important values I got from my family is hard work. If you want to succeed in life you have to work hard towards your goals. Another thing I got from my family is honesty. You can not be dishonest and have people respect you. Speaking of respect, that is also another virtue to uphold. We must respect authority and be able to stand up to that same authority if you think they are wrong. Speaking for others is very important. Sometimes I do that very much, even against my interest.

Q4: So why did you chose to be a lawyer? Ans: Good question. I have was always been good at addressing issues

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and advocating for other people. So becoming a lawyer came very naturally to me, albeit a little bit later in life.

Q5: Wan POT magazine would love to know how many years have you been a lawyer and how was the path on becoming a lawyer, was it an easy path, or was it a struggle, and if so what gave you the drive to continue to become a successful lawyer. Ans: Well, I became a lawyer because I wanted to help people, but most of all, I wanted to help my community. When I first came to this country, I had a student visa and saw how the police and the system took advantage over few Africans I was in college with. Many got deported back to Africa because they didn't have papers, I was unable to stand up for them, even though I wanted to. I have an interesting story for you. You see, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a chess player. Many years ago I was coming from a chess competition in Southern California when I got pulled over by the police, they treated me in such an undignified way that I knew after that incident I wanted to become a lawyer. I did not want to be treated like scum anymore. Going to law school was tough but I graduated amongst the first three in my class. I had to study for about eighteen to nineteen hours a day, daily for three years. I graduated in nineteen ninetysix, took the California bar the same year and passed. The rest is history.

Q6. What advice would you give the younger generation who want to be lawyers like you? Ans: For a start, if you want to be a lawyer, you have to love reading. So if you are one of these students that do well in things like history, geography, English literature, English language, you will become an excellent lawyer, but also you have to understand the logic, and logic is not more than common sense. My advice, how badly do you want this? And that goes for other professions too. But with law, the amount of work you have to do

I believe people that are charged for specific crimes should be given due process of law. is quite a lot. When I was studying for the bar exams, I studied like I was taking classes. I was studying probably sixteen to eighteen hours a day as I said early just with my face in the book, that's how I was able to pass the bar the first time. Yes, the Californian bar is the most difficult bar exam in the world .But I passed it because I was bent on passing it the first time. Anyway, that's what it takes; what it takes is hard work and prioritizing your life.

Q7: If you could change anything about yourself what could that be and why? Ans: If I could, I would have liked to Change not giving my mother so many problems as a teenager growing up. I wish I never gave her that much trouble.

Q8: Considering the Political atmosphere in Sierra Leone right now, what legal advice would you give to the people of Sierra Leone who know nothing about their Human Rights? Ans:You see, we have a largely illiterate population and in order for people to know their rights, they have to be taught in the language that they would understand. Thus, what I suggest is that we have a medium by which we should teach people what their rights are under the law. I do have something in the pipelineto that effect, watch this space.

Q9:Mr. Iscandari, You are very intimate about Sierra Leone political scene and very active within the political scene as on

social media. Recently we learned that a hundred thousand dollars were given to the Sierra Leone government to fight the COVID 19, what is your take on that and what advice would you give the Sierra Leone Government? Ans: Sister, for a start, a hundred thousand dollars is plenty heap of money, the advice I will give to Sierra Leoneans is to make sure that you hold the government accountable and force them to be transparent with regards to its use. About the government, I will say use this money to create a better health environment, to buy CT scans to buy M.R.I. scans, use this money to train Sierra Leoneans in these areas, quite a lot of things that are related to health use this money to train people to fix extra machines, to run C.T. scans, to run M.R.I,s, to equip surgical suits, train doctors, train surgeons, That's what I will say to the government, but please don't use this money for your gratifications, don't use this money to buy thirty S.U.V,s to please the political class. Use this money in a way where it will come again to the people of Sierra Leone. I say hold your government accountable cause you voted for them.

Q10: Do you think the Sierra Leone Government has handled the pandemic efficiently ? Do you think COVID is a great concern in Sierra Leone?

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Ans: Again that's a very brilliant question, that sort of all in comparison, yes I do believe that COVID 19 is in Sierra Leone, I do believe that we don't have enough ventilators, but in my response to your last question I suggested things that could be used. I suggested ways that the hundred million that is rumored to have been given to the government could be used. Ventilators are one of them, another thing I think the government should do is to sponsor or open up an oxygen manufacturing plant such that hospitals in Sierra Leone will never have to run out of oxygen in a COVID 19, designated health care facility. It is shameful for a modern-day country to run out of basic things like that. We don't have the medical specialties available readily available, we don't have the drugs, we don't have the equipment to take care of the COVID 19 cases, if people don't take care of themselves, mask up, use sanitizer, then when this thing explodes in Africa how many people will it kill,? I don't know, I can't tell you my sister, but I know it will kill a lot of people if they don't get themselves together and do what's Right by themselves

Q12: Lawyer Iscandari, we are coming towards the fun, and craziest part of the questions, don't worry am not going to pressure you its almost the end. Hahaha, we all want to know which political party are you affiliated with and why. Also, what's your take about the present government of Sierra Leone regarding the commission of inquiry, Paolo Conteh and President Mada Bio leadership skills? Ans: I am the global chairman of the coalition for change, so in terms of my political affiliation at this time, it's with the C for C. My take on the present government is I think that they have to give him a chance to lead this nation. I believe there is too much noise surrounding them, even though I think they help to create that noise. I guess their actions are

making people be doubtful. They do have some people within their ranks who are born true leaders but are being marginalized within their ranks. I believe there is a certain level of thinking among these die hard conservatives that its their time to lead and they will do whatever they want. I think this government has potential to do well ,but that has so far not been executed. I believe that the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criminal procedure system is wrong and needs fixing. The conditions of prisoners in prison violates basic human rights, the warrant of arrest of people without probable cause is a problem that violates the constitution. Police brutality is a human rights violation. As for Paolo Conteh's case, it shouldn't have been brought forward in the first place. I am glad that the Attorney General was fired. I consider some of the judges in Sierra Leone incompetent, or they don't understand what the rudiments of the law are. There were no facts to support any of the allegations in the indictment against Paolo Conteh for treason. The fact that they brought this charges shows that this government is bent on political persecution and some sort of a revenge policy, they need to back out of that because you cannot lead a scared nation. As for Mada Bio's leadership, I don't think anyone will try to fight for leadership of a country if they didn't have good intentions, so I will say the same for Mada Bio, that he has good intentions. Still, like Earnest Koroma before Bio, all his good intentions go to waste if he continues to listen to wrong advise. Soon his legacy may end up just like his predecessors. Otherwise, I wish him well in his leadership. He is a Sierra Leonean brother like me, and he needs to start thinking what his legacy will be, is his legacy going to be one in which human rights were violated or will his legacy be one in which Sierra Leone becomes great again and back on the map.

Q13: And also what advice would you give the younger generation, I call the older generation the post-war generation, because we had war in Sierra Leone, we have had Ebola in Sierra Leone, the mudslide and now we have the coronavirus going on, what advice will you give the people of Sierra Leoneans, we need some key advice from you for Wan Pot readers to learn from, and most importantly to let them know you've got them at heart, and even the African continent as a whole. Ans13: My advice to the people of Sierra Leone is that at this critical time of the pandemic JUST mask up! This disease is real, its killing people, it's killing families, its destroying generations. People have to be responsible for their safety. If the law says and medical scientists say you have to wear a mask, do so. Don't go into crowded places, there's nothing wrong with self reservation. This is very important in human life presently. In human existence, you are individually tasked, and you have a duty to yourself to be safe and keep everyone around safe. As the saying goes, cleanliness is next to Godliness

Q14: If you were to be left on a desert island, what are the three things you will take with you and why? Ans: I will take enough books to read, so I don't get bored. I will like to take my toiletries and will like to have some food and water

Q15: What is your favorite color, and why? Also, if you were to choose another Nationality, what would that be? Ans: My favorite color is blue. As for the Nationality question, there is something unique about coming from Sierra Leone that you can't find from another country. I can't be anything else other than a Sierra Leonean, being Sierra Leonean is one of my proudest .I want to be a Sierra Leonean over and over, and over again

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My Letter To The Children of Africa

s you read this article and look at my pictures, you may ask,

“How did she do it”? My name is Nkandu. I was born in a small country town in Katete, Zambia, living a pretty ordinary life. It is very picturesque and looks like a postcard when driving from a distance, lying on the edge of the Mpangwe hills. The Katete river cuts through the little town. The town is known for its rich culture and heritage. I could share with you all the tragic stories I have witnessed and experienced; however, that will not be inspiring. We all come across bad days in our lifetime, especially during these difficult times with the pandemic going on around the world. I understand life is not easy for lots of people out there. Nonetheless, this is not a competition of who has had the worst out of life's’ journey. Regardless of all these, we should focus on how to get up fast when life knocks us down instead of dwelling on how we got there in the first place. I am blessed to have the best of both worlds as a child and as an adult. Like many children, I loved the bush, the sound of silence, the birds, and the sounds of the leaves when the wind gets stronger. As a child, I was very fascinated and

interested in great leaders and wanted to study them. I was very curious as to why they did what they did and how their thought process worked. I wanted to dine with them and tried to understand why they were highly respected in society. Was it that they were destined to lead, or was it something they just picked up along the way? Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Shaka Zulu, Nzenga, Kwame Nkrumah, and many African leaders. It dawned on me when I was about ten years old and noticing the gender inequality in my community and decided to do something about it. It was not something that I was asked to do instead I felt it deep in my heartthat the responsibility to make things different and better lies within me. I strongly agree with the sentiment, “When women support each other, incredible things happen.”. I have had women who supported me on this journey, who made recommendations for me to get a seat at the table, who mentored me in finance and personal development. While I give praise to women-my She-Heroes, I would also acknowledge the support of the wonderful men in my life who have

also paved the way for me. My dear child, we are living in a time where anything is possible. I know that you think your capacity limited you, but your life is made up of circumstances, chances, and choices. These three things, vitally, will propel you to where you want to go in life. You have to know your ‘WHY’. Why are you doing this? Why are you here? Why will anybody get benefits from your talents? Likewise, my why comes from my desire to make a difference. I believe we all have the potential to make a difference. But this starts with you, believing in yourself. You may read as much, but what matters the most is action. You can never succeed without action. When I decided to go into mining, one of my closest friends say with solicitude “You are very stupid to think you can succeed in this business, many people have tried and have failed, what makes you think you can succeed”? Later, I realize that she had the best intentions for me. She wanted me to stay protected by asking me to play small. But we all know that, if we live an inspired life and the life that is congruent with our values, nothing is

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impossible. As a woman born in Africa, I know that Africa is a place where you can be homeless one day and become a CEO, in just a few months. The opportunities are bounty, but first, you have to change your thinking. If you want to change the world, start within yourself and by being true to your values. My story is not yet finished; I have barely begun. My vision is to create employment for 75,000 people by 2035. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yours? It is possible to redeem yourself into what your values stand for. I find this dream achievable because I have the will and the focus to do it. In my childhood, I have had the passion to change the lives of those around me despite coming from humble beginnings. But it was not so long until I realized that I need

to change, first, myself and what I stand for. I wish I would even be better than what I am now and able to change even a million more lives across my continent because life is not always about myself. I had the determination to do the best in my life. Looking at how great leaders struggled to get where they are, I counted myself not exceptional from them. I would not like to end without mentioning this to the next generation that growing up, does not make you responsible. It gives you the challenges to succeed in overcoming life hardships, but make sure not to give up. Take note that life does not get easier, you just get stronger. I say this with a lot of zeal because, like myself, every parent desires to see their children succeed in life, change their lives and those of others. I was always informed by those who knew more than me. Nothing made me feel good than being informed especially issues to do with life. Thank you, I love you! Now go on and unleash your brilliance. With love and Wisdom Mother Africa, Nkandu Beltz

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Who am I? By: Dr Yera Keita - Aka Teleh Joe.

am an African, from a small country on the West coast of Africa called Sierra Leone with an average population of 5 million, but famous for its richness in diamonds and other mineral resources. I am a descendant of the Kurankor tribe from the north of Sierra Leone. Though I lost my father who was a military officer at a very young age, my Mum was very instrumental in letting me and my other siblings know the significance of attaining a

good education. I attended the Police Primary School and later St Edwards Secondary School where I completed my GCE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;level and sixth form education, and relocated to the United Kingdom England immediately after completing my High school education. Even with all the challenges as a teenager doing minimal jobs in the United Kingdom to support myself while studying, but with a share of focus and determination I was able to successfully gain entrance into Kent University Law School, Canterbury in the East of England, and eventually, graduate from Law school with a Bachelors LLB Law Honors degree and later gained employment with the Crown prosecution service working at Paddington Green Police station. I met my wife Adama Wurie Keita

and got married in 2002 and I am still happily married with two kids, my Son 16 and my daughter 13 years old. I relocated to the United States in 2006 and work with the Department of Aging and Disability Service within the State of Texas as a Program Management Coordinator. I am very happy to have grown up with two different cultures and the prejudice and racism that I have faced while growing up have made me even more determined to be successful, and this has indeed motivated me to accomplish something for myself and my family. The major influences for me here on earth are my wife and two children, my extended family, my reallife experiences, and the perspective that I have of being an African. I have been very supportive to family, friends, and the African course to end poverty in my native country Sierra Leone, by being a part of various charity organizations, for example, I am the head of the Kingtom North America chapter, while empowering individuals by educating them to stay free from corruption, tribalism, and conflicts that have been the cause of all the strife

and poverty that has engulfed the African continent. I am always ready for challenges because I believe that every step that I take in my life is a new life experience for me and makes me grow into the person I want to be. According to Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has overcome you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” As a highly-motivated management professional with over 10 years of experience steering empowerment organizations through complex operations to elevate operational performance, program effectiveness, and community engagement, I understand the importance of results. Driven by a passion for community health, and a genuine desire and commitment to building people in teams, organizations, and the community, I am a strong contributor, avid mentor, and a decisive and ethical leader. Possessing a full range of leadership skills from program vision and strategy to staff training and management, end-to-end program, policy, and process development and direction, I am highly skilled in analyzing processes, uncovering improvement opportunities, increasing efficiencies, and motivating teams to deliver top performances. Throughout my career, I have sought out opportunities to drive excellence while inspiring a call to action in associates, managers, senior leaders, and external partnerships. As a leader, I’ve pioneered new programs, built strong alliances, and developed high performing teams by training, mentoring, and empowering individuals to embrace challenges with an entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep belief in the mission and values of the organization to increase operations and exceed expectations. I value people and, as a result, have established a reputation as a strong, positive, and collaborative leader, successfully bringing people together to achieve shared goals. My values in life are to be a committed Christian and serve the

Lord, and to be faithful and honest to my wife and children, by being there for them all the time. Also, I have been engaged in directly helping individuals, either individually or in groups here in the diaspora and Africa. In my personal and professional life, my strength has always been that I have always been focused, confident, and a strategic thinker with a plan and a vision of what I want to accomplish in life. I have always tried hard not to derail from my goals and plan in life, and keep myself away from things that will obstruct my Christian values. It is clear that leadership constantly presents challenges both to the leader's abilities and to one as a person. Things change, change brings challenges, and no matter how good a leader you are, you can't stop that from happening. How one handles those challenges will define you as a leader and have a great deal to do with how effective one can be as a person. Some challenges come in the form of people or problems that present obstacles to reaching a goal. Other challenges will come from within your family, or from the situation of simply being the head of your family or leader. Every leader must face many of them and learn to deal with them in some way. However, it may seem like "challenges" is another word for "problems," but that's not necessarily true. Sometimes positive situations present the greatest challenges, testing how well you can use your opportunities. A challenge is an invitation to rise to another level, to test yourself and improve in the process, to show that you can accomplish something

that may seem difficult, or even impossible. It has been clear to me from my experience dealing with different individuals or working with different organizations that there are very few born leaders. Almost all leaders are made by recognizing, learning from, and rising to the challenges of leadership. Finally, if you only dream, you will not be reaching your goal. If you only thought about what kind of future you wanted but did nothing to make it happen, your dreams will stay dreams. In 2012, I dream of completing the Master’s degree in Management and then the Ph.D. in Management with Walden University, I worked hard, made a lot of sacrifices and with the grace of God and the support of my wife and children, I was able to complete not only the Masters but also the Ph.D. degree in 2019. During this period, I have prepared myself to be an agent of positive social change working with individuals from different backgrounds and cultures, being a strong Christian, and a believer in change. With all the challenges, the trials and tribulation, I say to my wife indeed we have stumbled through these different steps in varying circumstances, but look at us we are still standing. I always tell my kids that tomorrow will come no matter what you do; we just have to pray that when it comes, we are in a better position to embrace it. Let us remember “Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. And when the drumbeat changes, the dance change” African Proverb.

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The student to Teacher to Fighter:

A COVID 19 EXPERIENCE

ust like that- one day, I’m in the classroom, and the next, at home, thrusted into a virtual reality that I didn’t expect. However, this wasn’t my first time being challenged with novelty. Throughout my youth, I have learned how to overcome, endure, and navigate in difficult times

As a teacher, I aim to transfer some of the lessons and characters that I’ve developed throughout the years with my students. I desire to see my students become high performers and maximize their potential. Though I grew up amongst educators and married one, I wasn’t one of those people that had a lifelong dream to be a teacher. On the contrary, I dreamed of getting out of school and having nothing else to do with it. I had love and passion for learning but not for the institution of school.

I struggled and questioned the systemic and generalized approach. I was always a good kid and aspired to be a good student. I usually made decent grades, but I worked extremely hard for my Bs. I gave it A + effort. As a purposeful youth, I didn’t understand the purpose to much of what we studied in school. Struggling without purpose was challenging. The combination of struggling for futile content that I didn’t connect with and unkind teachers ultimately lead to me dismissing school by the 8th grade.

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I remember the defining day. I typically took the two hours commute on public transportation to my middle school in Brooklyn, but on this day, I refused to use any form of public transportation. My mother then drove me; Nonetheless, upon arrival, I refused to get out of the vehicle. I truly had enough. I welcomed any consequence, and deep within me, school was not an option. My mother was furious! I don’t encourage disobedience, but that was my truth. That day I sat alone in an office at my mother’s job. By the end of her workday, after discussing our dilemma with coworkers, she presented the idea of homeschooling. We finished that day with a deal that if I finished the semester, I would complete my second semester as a homeschooler, paving the way for four of my seven siblings who would also experience a portion of their schooling as homeschoolers. Nine years later, there I was ironically starting my career as an educator. I was an instructional

assistant who had a niche for getting student results. It wasn’t long before others took notice that I had it. What is it? It is what it took to positively impact student growth. Not only did I have it, but I also enjoyed it and loved it too. After receiving positive feedback from school leaders and peers, I also believed that maybe I am a teacher at heart. My experience as a struggling student helped me to understand and relate to struggling students, which increased my capacity to reach them and teach them. I was able to make content understandable for these students that once seemed unable to get it. After seeing my impact and the gains students were making, I returned to school for a degree in education. Twelve years later, I’m still in the fight. I’ve taught elementary education, special education, and now, in an effort to reconnect with my love for fine Art, I teach Middle School Visual Arts. But, I never imagined that the fight to enrich the lives of students would become a virtual fight in the midst of World War III against the notorious villain Corona. COVID 19 has truly changed the world of education and the world at large. But I resolved that it would change me for the better, and that I would bring about positive change in the minds of my students. I did not dwell on the disadvantages that COVID learning brought but decided to be grateful for and take advantage of the possible

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benefits. I believe that all things work together for good. I believe that troubles will come, but I also believe, just like they come, they pass. I believe that with crisis comes opportunity, and if I respond right during trials, when the storm has passed, I’ll be better on the other side of it. With this mindset, I replaced commute and social time with prayer, reading and reflection. I achieved more clarity as it related to the person I wanted to be in each day, what I wanted to accomplish and how I wanted to interact with my students and others. As a result, I was more present and intentional when I did engage with

my students. I was able to bring joy consistently, and I was able to spread that positive energy to my students. In addition to Art, I incorporated character education and words of encouragement to help my students navigate through these difficult times. While their parents may usually display a certain level of patience, extended hours at home with their children, while they have other tasks, struggles and stresses vying for their attention and energy, may very well cut that patience short. I introduced obedience as the first word of the day, a routine that I incorporated into our virtual classes. I encouraged students to obey and

cooperate with their parents; both because it is right, and because it would spare them and their parents from unnecessary conflict and unpleasant consequences during an already frustrating time. Other words of the day included energy and respect. I encourage students to maintain good energy by maintaining a bedtime that will provide them with adequate rest, minimizing their junk food intake and by moving. Daily exercise is a necessity, especially when they are “stuck in the house.” I encouraged students to get outside for a walk, ride, or run if their parents consented. During this experience, challenges did arise at home where my wife and I were not only teachers but daycare providers to an infant, a three-year-old and a five-year-old. I think you can imagine some of the difficulties we faced. But this provided me with the opportunity to improve communication skills with my wife as we collaborated and found ways to operate that allowed us both to be productive while still meeting the needs of our children now at work with us. I developed anticipatory strategic skills as well. After reflecting daily on what hindered my progress, I began to anticipate challenges and prepare to either minimize the impact or eliminate the problem. For instance, during my wife’s live lessons, if my infant daughter was fighting sleep at nap time, I had to entertain her and break my workflow. To minimize this impact, I organized my workspace to accommodate her needs. I removed the handles from the desk drawers that she kept opening, I created space for diapers, kept snacks, a basket of safe toys to help me occupy her. In retrospect, this has been a time of learning and growth for me. While I pray for those who have suffered loss, I remain grateful for being blessed in the midst of the storm. I fight on and press toward the mark!

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Asma James

smaa James is an award-winning female radio broadcaster with over 17 years of broadcast experience in post-conflict Sierra Leone. Graduating from high school, Asmaa James pursued an interest in journalism partly because it has always been her â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dream jobâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and she felt the need to amplify the voices of the vulnerable.

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She started as a volunteer in a maledominated profession with few women in decision making positions. Asmara took over the air-waves and led teams in the newsrooms, addressing controversial topics and issues. She persisted through the ranks, becoming Station Manager, a position you can hardly find a woman holding in Sierra Leone. When she took over the leadership of Radio Democracy in 2011, the station had no dedicated building, struggled with finances and coverage to listeners. Realizing the need to expand the radio station’s coverage and reach more Sierra Leonean communities at home and abroad, she led a campaign to fundraise, and today under her leadership, the station has a building they call their own, and also expanded the coverage. Since taking over as station manager, Asmaa, have worked diligently to pursue her passion and interests which include upholding and promoting independent media platforms, creating safe spaces for diverse voices, positions, and interests, to promote an active citizenry, whilst strengthening democratic governance. Asmaa is passionate about women and girl’s issues, and due to the numerous violations of women and child rights, gender-based violence

and inherent structural and cultural issues of representation facing women and girls, she founded the ASMAA JAMES FOUNDATION (AJF) to promote teenage sexual reproductive health and rights, to raise awareness, mobilizing women and girls to advocate and influence policies of gender-based violence, sexual reproductive health and highlight the growing incidence of rape and find possible care for victims in Sierra Leone. In December 2018, Asmara launched the “Black Tuesday” campaign https://www.google.com/ amp/s/snradio.net/asmaa-jamesfoundation-calls-for-black-tuesdayin-support-of-abused-girls/amp/ an initiative of AJF, after my heart captured a five-year-old girl who was sexually penetrated through her anus and according to Doctors, chances are that she might not walk again. Also, as a journalist, a mother, and woman she was extremely disturbed by the plethora of daily rape and sexual penetration introductions she reads on radio and stories aired daily. Therefore the” Black Tuesday” initiative is a campaign she launched to raise awareness on issues of violence against women with a special interest in rape/ sexual penetration. Since the launch in December 2018, the impact has been huge and the network continues to expand with support from other partners. From a mere campaign, the “Black Tuesday”, the initiative has now transformed into a movement with over 30 like-minded groups and organizations working on issues that affect women and girls. Once every month, the movement engages communities and dialogue on issues of rape and sexual penetration. In 2016, Asmaa was selected to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers

young people through academic coursework and leadership training. Her fellowship was climaxed by the meeting with President Barack Obama, an opportunity she is grateful for and memories of that continue to spur her up in her professional life and a constant source of inspiration. As she watched President Obama address young leaders from across Africa In one room, she saw his passion, determination, and selflessness in advocating for change in the lives of young people across Africa. “The inspiration and experience from the fellowship help me to think outside the box, venture into the unknown, and dream big”. Today, she looks back on her role as a leader and the daily challenges she faces, waking up every morning thinking about how to continue advocating for change and impact the lives of more people in her country. She notes, “Don’t wait for the government to provide everything, you can contribute in your little way”. In 2019, Asmaa was recognized as one of BBC’s 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world who are social change makers in the 21st century. Asmaa is married to a very caring husband Ambrose with two beautiful boys, Mukeh and Muvaah James.

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Women Supporting Each Other Solidly Is The Real Deal

t is fair to say that the level of self-indulgence where we are only excessively worried about what happens around us becomes obsolete when we meet women who are willing to share the same space to bring positive change to the world.

Written by Dr. Pauline Long - 2020

Needless to say, in the modern era of social media, it's immensely difficult to gauge who's real and who's not, therefore teaming up in projects is one practical way women from different

backgrounds come together to stamp their seal of approval for supporting one another. The reality is women have got to create a meaningful bond that goes beyond trust for any conversations to transpire. Laying the ground for any support system all depends on attitudes and will power. If I'm to rope in my personal experiences, one of the things that I took away from supporting women from Africa like me is do not expect the favor back. In fact, in most cases, some of them saw me as an enemy or a competitor. It is rather sad because there are so many missed opportunities in such cases. We

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are supposed to be teaming as a unit to make changes instead the divisions make it impossible for us to collectively or even individually effect positive change that the world so desires. The truth of the matter is the world generally looks on women to make a difference. All weight is on us, therefore the sooner we start unloading the negative aspects of development strategies that have placed huge barriers the quicker and more effective our causes will be. Having said that, I'm extremely hopeful for there's a new breed of young women who will not take anyone hostage. Their agenda is to seek solutions. Their passion is phenomenal! And these are the type of women the global village needs going forward. I'd like to see projects that are more substantive and practical like women teaming up to donate sanitary pads to girls who cannot afford it. However, I'm astounded to note that not many women both who menstruate and those who are on menopause have not come forward to support the cause as much as we should. It's not as if the person behind the campaign isn't already at the forefront of supporting women's agenda. In fact, my core values are at the heart of supporting women. Truthfully, I'm rather startled that the woman I've supported in the past and present cannot come forward to support me on the sanitary pads campaign 4ME 4HER, to be precise support the girls, let's get it right if you donate a pound or dollar or any currency to buy sanitary pads you are keeping a young girl in education, you are not helping to fund Dr. Pauline Long's lifestyle. If questions are to be raised you will discover that I've done my bit, I have distributed pads to over 350 girls, is there a crime in asking other women to help me on this journey? What we don't realize as women is when one woman wins,

all women win. When we save one girl we save all girls. By now you can tell that this subject of sanitary pads pains me. Did you know that there are girls who sell their bodies for the price of buying a pack of sanitary pads? Do you not care? Do you not want to do something?

Let me break this down, when you buy sanitary pads for a give who cannot afford, you do the following:  You keep a girl in Education  You stop a young girl from engaging in prostitution  You stop girls from being taken advantage of by pedophiles  You help a girl restore their dignity Please donate to the sanitary pads campaign that distributes free pads to girls who cannot afford them. It is a basic need. https://www.gofundme.com/f/4me-4her-global-sanitarypads-campaign From my humble surroundings, fully equipped and ready to collaborate with a willing woman to effect change in the world, I would like to share some tips on how as women we can make great things happen because we are simply fabulous!

10 ways in which women can support one another effectively: 1. Form collaborations, not competition 2. Be real and genuine with the help you offer another woman 3. Listen tentatively in a conversation 4. Offer generous words of support 5. Don't be jealous of another woman's achievement 6. Celebrate not slander 7. Leave the ladder for the next woman to step up 8. Promote another woman's product or services 9. Do not be part of the gossip squad 10. Put other women's names forward apart from your name

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Joel Mutombo CEO of Bossman Investments Director of Jogen Care

“

Be ye not conformed by your current circumstances but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. This quote has been a powerful foundation in my life. At first, I didn’t fully appreciate it, but once I understood it’s a deeper meaning, it transformed my life.

I am quite certain that most of you would agree with me when I describe life as a roller-coaster. It’s full of ups and downs with many surprises. There’s a great poet who once described life as “a mountain railroad”.

He advises that we ought to watch the curves, the falls, and tunnels of life, and whatever happens, we must keep our eyes upon the rail till we reach that blissful shore. I am a young African entrepreneur,

born in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a village called Lubumbashi. My early childhood was filled with poverty and crisis within the villages and as a result, my Father was urged to seek a better life for us elsewhere.

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My Mother and Father were newly married and had two children under 3, myself, and my older brother. My father traveled across different parts of the world in pursuit of a better, safer life for his family. The most difficult decision my parents had to make but thankfully, 10 years later we were reunited. After my Father left it was my Mother, older brother and I trying to make it through the challenges of Congo. I became very close with my Mother, confided in her, and also had a fear that she would too leave. This lead to peers and family members calling me “Mama’s boy” which in turn encouraged people at school to bully me. Thankfully, my Mother was there for reassurance and protection. When I was 5 years old, my Father contacted us by letter and gave the good news that he found a home and job in London, England. We were all so happy. However, my mother had to move there before, so that she too could get a job, so there would be enough income in the house for my brother and me to join. As both of my parents were now living in England preparing our new life, my brother and I were sent to live with my Auntie (my Mother’s sister) who lived in the city Kinshasa. My brother and I were so amazed as we had never experienced a city before. There were so many people and so many buildings and the best part is most of my family lived there. School life was not as easy for me as it was for my brother. He was intelligent and attained good grades whereas I struggled, and my grades were not as good. My family and friends did not shy away from telling me how ‘dumb’ I was. This was difficult to hear especially as I was the only one in my entire family who was not succeeding at school. At the end of every school year, there were exams and the results of which were read out in assembly in front of all peers and parents. In other words, you find out your grades in front of everyone! After your name and grade were read out, you would then have to walk to the front of the assembly and collect

your certificate. At this point, everyone would either cheer and clap or sit in silence. Mine was the latter. It was as though I was walking through a graveyard, I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole so that I could escape the embarrassment and disappointment to my family. This may seem like a cruel thing to do to a child, however, in the Congolese culture, it is used as a way of motivation. We are all taught to strive to be the best in everything. The lesson I had to learn from this experience was to know ‘who you are’. Never let someone’s thoughts and experience of you become your reality. It took me a long time to grasp this. Had people not continuously told me I was ‘dumb’, I would have brushed off the first bad grade and strived to do better. Of course, I was not unintelligent. But how could I do better when I am told it is not possible because I am ‘dumb’? As soon as I changed my thought process, life became better, my grades became better and my new journey began. There’s a quote that says’s “if there’s no enemy within you, the enemy outside can do you no harm”. On my journey to success, I have come across many challenges, some have caused me to fail however, I did not give up. I started using positive affirmation by telling myself that I am also great and extraordinary. I learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. There’s a proverb that says, “one can have no smaller or greater mastery

than the mastery of oneself”. Knowing who you are, your strength and weaknesses, and having passion is very crucial to understanding your purpose in life. Once I realized my passion was in both property investments and caring for vulnerable people, I made it my reality and in 2013, I qualified as a Mental Health Nurse. During my career as a nurse, I have worked in a variety of settings and developed a new aspiration to educate people about mental health with the hope to reduce the stigma. To do this, I and my fiancée have created a company called Jogen Care which, as well as building awareness and education, also produces weekly content on Youtube with in-depth information regarding different areas of mental health. In 2016, I received an African Entrepreneur award for my dedication to health promotion which was my greatest achievement thus far. While I was working at my first job as a qualified nurse, I was involved in a rent to rent scheme to earn extra income on the side. This then enabled me to get my first mortgage on a 4-bedroom townhouse in Milton Keynes. This house needed renovation, which I completed and also converted the garage to an en-suite bedroom. While going through this process, I created a company under which I will invest called Bossman Investments. A boss knows who he is, where he is going, and how he is going to get there. No-one is more elite than a boss. I also set up a Youtube channel for Bossman Investments where I share weekly updates on my journey and the knowledge I have gained. The key to attaining your goal one must first start with a dream. When that dream is consistent the universe will align itself to bring it to reality. All it takes is to make that first step because “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. A Great speaker once said, “You don’t have to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great”.

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Destiny, Fortitude, Concept of Self & Vocational Adjustment

Theme: "Keep Hope Alive"

am Lady Chinor Irene Emeka. I am the founder of CAIRES Grooming Agency and African Heritage Awards/ Miss Heritage Nigeria/ Africa, and later, African Heritage Charity Ball Foundation. I am a Clinical Anatomist who ventured into Humanitarian Activism, amidst Parental Anxiety over the Phenomenal Ordinance of integrated personality and emotional maturity based on value and motive about factors such as physiological, safety, affection, and esteem needs, as invaluable steps in achieving maximum development of one's potential in the course of vocational adjustment in the face of conflict between destiny and fortitude. Yes, chronicling through my childhood dreams of becoming a medical doctor in emulation of my father, I recall that; "Driven by the passion for studying Medicine abroad, but restrained by pre-requisite of a first degree in the Sciences, I opted to major first in Human Anatomy before proceeding to accomplish my vocation in Medicine, at the University of Ontario in Canada." However, certain psycho-emotional odds encountered during the One Year Mandatory National Youth Service, rather than dull, rekindled my affection for human health and longevity.

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I was thus motivated by empathy for youth re-orientation and aptitude for National Patriotism. I prudently observed the One Year National Youth Service Corps, not only with the commitment of utmost responsibility but also as a veritable platform for the advancement of nationalism and fostering of unity among my fellow youth in Nigeria. During this one-year national service, I envisioned that there is more to give humanity and on weighing the options against a prompt return to the Medical School over such issues bordering on Youth disorientation, Abject disillusionment, unemployment, and restiveness. The overwhelming burden of the latter informed the innovative branding and evolution of my Humanitarian Industry; CAIRES Grooming Agency: A nongovernmental events production and personal grooming organization, famed with the patency of hosting "The National Heritage Awards & Miss Heritage Nigeria/ Africa Beauty Pageant" which inaugural event was held at THISDAY DOME, Abuja in 2011. Apart from the conferment of Awards to cultural heritage distinguished individuals and institutions, the Agency also uses the Miss Heritage Nigeria Beauty Pageant to promote our cultural values in terms of youth motivation, mass education, and national re-orientation for self and community development. Paradoxically, the decision to keep at bay my Medical Vocation for the heritage industry made my parents unhappy. But I said to them, "If I could enhance longevity as a Medical doctor, I can also endure health in the Humanitarian Industry." Though my mother could not hide her misgiving against the apparent loss of focus over my avowed vocation, my father, however, did not only labor a smile at me but stoically smoldered in anxiety over my callow insensitivity to the ordinance of an integrated personality, emotional maturity and motivation based on Valueiin relation to the concept of self in destiny and fortitude, which could resolve the conflict between pre-determination and determination. I was confronted with frustrations of parental criticism, evident in

antagonism against adjustment patterns. Yes! It was made worse by the instinct to go ahead, devoid of any data of evaluation. I desperately made an ambitious thrust into the Arena of Politics in search of an opportunity to represent my Federal Constituency, Mbaitoli/Ikeduru at the Federal House of Representatives, during the 2019 General Elections. I granted my mother and siblings co-participation in the campaigns, under my father's shrewd and bewildered watch. The exercise, though, flamboyant in excitement and experience, was not as kindly in terms of reluctant resignation from employment, the mindless expenditure of life-savings, and family resources in the face of abysmal return on patronage disaster. What an Albatross to prevailing circumstantial vacillations? Thus, burdened with emotional turbulence over the gradient on the Ascendancy-Chart of the maximum development of my potential; I sought the impetus that summoned the courage with which I demanded further clarification from my father on "The effect of value upon an individual's motivation and behavior." To satisfy my curiosity my father went on to explain that "A value is a goal imported to one's life and the satisfaction obtained in seeking the goal is dependent upon certain factors, among which is the concept of self in destiny and fortitude, under the listing of Aristotle, popularized by Maslow as ordered in physiological, safety, affection, and esteem needs, without which, the development of one's maximum potentiality vis-a-vis selfactualization, remains unattainable... Since it is not possible to achieve everything we desire within our crowded schedule, we must put off some activities to effectively reform others. This finds support in the Biblical Injunction: "A scholar must have time to study if he is going to become wise, he must be relieved of other responsibilities." (Sirach 38:24) When our priorities are placed right, we enjoy the attitude of confidence, maturity, and satisfaction. Otherwise, our behavior becomes patterned towards the guilty feelings of a misplaced priority and failure. Thus, satisfied in identifying this Ladder of Hope, invaluable in

solving my childhood dreams on vocation and bewildered adolescent anxiety, regarding the place of fortitude over destiny. Vis-à-vis the lag, consequent on my maladjustment–pattern. The need to: Eschew the chauvinism of youthful exuberance, cultivate the attitude of co-operating, and the willingness to share the special gift with others under the ordinance of; love and charity be overemphasized. Hence the orchestration of the PsychoBiblical advocacy; "When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child. Now, that I am an adult, I have no more use of childhood ways..." (1 Corinthians 13. 11) The core of each individual and, indeed, the total of the response expressed in everyday life in private and public. With the choice of alternative ways of action, they are propelled by motive. A person is rated weak-willed if he persists on values of parallel importance. Integrated personality is the result of an individual's achievement of a reasonable, consistent self-concept, which would include; a homogenous set of good and intelligent selfperception in the face of ability & limitation in behavior.

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y name is Maimuna Zubairu-Burnette, commonly known as Mai. I am a Businesswoman, award-winning International Management Consultant, Career Strategist, Chef, Women’s Advocate, and Inspirational Speaker.

I serve as the U.S. Ghana Chamber of Commerce Ambassador to Sierra Leone and International Adviser on The Woman Behind the Business (WBB) board. I am the mother of a beautiful young lady, Aziza Burnette. I often share my journey with others in the hope to inspire them to believe in themselves and dream big. My

story is full of twists and turns, joy, and pain. I have been in the valley, where I have learned the most valuable life lessons, and I have been on the mountain top, where I have celebrated my journey. My story began in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where I was born and spent my early childhood years, before immigrating to the United States at 9.

Maimuna Zubairu-Burnette My greatest challenge as a child and young adult were navigating my way through the traditional educational setting, with a learning difference. For most of my academic career, I struggled with learning, resulting in low marks and frustration. I was one of those students who loved to learn, stayed engaged with teachers, and had exceptional attendance. Even with all the efforts, I made in the classroom, I still fell short, with below-average results. It was a challenge to keep up with the pace in the classroom, not being able to comprehend and understand what I was being taught. This lack of understanding resulted in unacceptable behavior at times, and bad decisions. I graduated high school as an average student, with big dreams of attaining success. Even though my academic career was not stellar, I believed in myself enough to find a way to achieve my goals. After high school, I attended Saint Paul’s College (SPC), a small HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in Virginia. I planned to use this opportunity as a gateway to a school I believed would prepare me for law school. I spent a year at SPC and had to drop out, due to financial constraints. I returned to SPC to complete another year, then transferred to Frostburg State University in Maryland. My time at Frostburg was when I realized that I had struggled through school due to a

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learning difference. I spent hours and hours studying at the library, consulting with my professors, and was able to maintain a 3.0 grade point average for the first time in my academic career. I realized that I had taught myself how to learn, I had spent the time and effort to breakdown information and understand it, at my own pace. I also had the one-on-one support of my professors. Something I did not have in the traditional educational setting. As time went by and I continued researching and studying my learning difference, I realized that I had suffered from dyslexia - a disorder that involves difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. With this knowledge and insight about my learning difference, I excelled in business school, graduating with a 3.3-grade point average. I had mastered the art of breaking

down information to help me with comprehension and understanding of assignments. After graduating from business school, I began my career as a management consultant in Washington, DC. Less than a year into my profession, I noticed that the work I excelled in involved breaking down information to streamline business processes and procedures. At that moment, I realized that the learning difference I struggled with most of my life, had turned out to be a big blessing. I also realized that my drive and determination to succeed, along with my faith in God and myself, was the key to my success. That experience is the reason for my strong faith. I know that if I can find a way to achieve my dreams and make something of my life with all the academic challenges I faced, anything is possible. I believe my greatest purpose in life is to share my story of faith, hope, and tenacity with others, and encourage them to never give up on themselves.

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y name is Elsie Owusu-Kumi, married with three children. I am a social worker by profession, and my job entails working with and supporting children and families who are experiencing difficulties to resolve problems. their intensity with home remedies. The overall aim of my work with families is to promote the wellbeing of the children. Born and bred in Ghana, I relocated to the UK in 2003 following the completion of my Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of Ghana in 2002. As a young girl growing up in Ghana, I was moved by the plight of the poor and needy in our society. I was from a working-class family. My father was a Primary School teacher, and my mother worked at Barclays Bank as a cashier. I am the first child and only girl of three siblings. I would not necessarily say I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, however, would say my parents worked hard to meet the basic needs of their children. I was greatly moved by children in vulnerable situations whom I would see on TV and in my society and wished for a better life for them. Whilst at the University of Ghana, I enjoyed volunteering activities as helping to alleviate pain and despair gave me a sense of fulfillment.

Elsie Owusu-Kumi

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Following my University education, I relocated to the UK to live with my husband. Whilst in the UK, I undertook further studies and achieved a Postgraduate Diploma in Youth and Community Development Studies, and then a Master’s degree in Social Work. I am passionate about youths in our society particularly Black boys and the issues they face such as issues with the Police due to factors such as racism and prejudices about Black males. There is, for instance, the assumption that Black men are inherently aggressive, and we have seen and heard of countless accounts of Police brutality on Black men and Black Boys. As a mother of a 16-year-old boy myself, I have a good level of understanding around the issues faced by young people and in particular Black boys in our society. I am a firm believer in inequality, social justice, and human rights, and this burning desire for a fairer society

drove me into Youth Work, and then Social Work. As a Black woman I have had my fair share of sexism and racism, and therefore seize every opportunity to raise awareness of this deep-rooted evil in our society. I want to tell you about my Charity STACAN which focuses on children from African descent, with a primary focus being Ghana. STACAN stands for Standing Together Against Child Abuse and Neglect. This stems from my passion to contribute to society, and for society to have an awareness of the issues facing victims of domestic abuse. Informing this group, I was supported by people I will call friends who shared in my vision. The primary aim of STACAN is to promote the overall wellbeing of children, and our slogan rightly says “promoting the wellbeing of children”. To work effectively, we aim to liaise with individuals, families, groups, and

organizations with similar interests to address issues faced by children and young people in our society. Our work takes the form of workshops, training, community work, work with individuals and groups. We seek to educate and empower by creating an awareness of what constitutes child abuse and neglect and equipping parents, careers, professionals and all individuals involved in meeting the care needs of children with the skills and knowledge geared towards improving outcomes for children. Particular areas we are concentrating on are Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Sexual Abuse of children, Abuse linked to faith, internet safety, Children’s mental health, and wellbeing, Children branded as witches, domestic violence and abuse, Child labor, Child Trafficking, etc. We equally aim to liaise with policy and decision-makers at both the local and national level to influence decisions made about the rights and wellbeing of children. For me, this is the beginning of a long journey. One which will require hard work, perseverance, selflessness, drive, determination, and remaining focus. More importantly though, identifying people and groups who share similar passions to work with. There is greater strength and better outcomes when we put our resources for the common good.

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much – Helen Keller.

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From Military to

PHILANTHROPY Michael Morley the Makeni Borbor

joined the Army in March 1988 at 18 years old, the training was hard, but amazing and fun. Meeting new friends, we were in this together. To help each other to achieve the ultimate aim. To pass off the parade square at the end of your basic training. Discipline and training to develop new skills as a Soldier with the best training Instructors that shaped you into a trained Soldier for basic Combat, preparing you for the next levels of training for soldiers to go on peacekeeping Missions and Operational Tours. My first posting after the trade training took me to Aldershot the Home of the British Army, to start a career with the Airborne Forces, which I would serve most of my career with. The reason I got posted there was because of the PARA Sergeant Major we had called Mc McCourt, he was a huge man who I respected. Originally I was going to be posted to play football with the Ordnance Corps Football team. Getting to Aldershot as my first Army unit to serve with 5 Airborne Brigade was the making of me as a Soldier and how it shaped my career to the person I am now.

At 5 Airborne Brigade, I learned my trade and soldiering skills that took me on into an Amazing 23 years career. Some incredible Mentors that are still friends now, great bosses. When you serve as an Airborne Soldier after passing your Parachute Company Course (6 weeks of intense fitness training) you go on to do your Parachute Jumps Course, 8 jumps to Qualify. This brings you into a Brotherhood just like the Band of Brothers that was on the T.V. about U.S. Airborne Soldiers in the 2nd World War. This is what it is like then and still is now, with the Brotherhood that if any of us can call on to help when in need. After completing the Parachuting Course, this opened up new exciting opportunities for me to travel. In the next 3 years, I was promoted to Lance Corporal at 20 years old. The first traveling was to the United States to do Parachuting with the U.S. Airborne Forces and also the opportunity to travel from Washington and down to Orlando over the 3 weeks trip. The next Venture would take me to Kenya for 2 months to provide Logistics support to 2 PARA. This was October to December 1990 and is where my love for Africa started. Most of the time at Nanyuki in the North, then we had some rest and recuperation time that took me to Malindi and Watamu along the coast near Mombasa and to Aberdare Country Club to see Wildlife at the Ark. Travelling became a big part

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of my Army life, taking me to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Brunei, the aim of the trip was to walk up Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia. We were away for 5 weeks. Seeing and doing some truly unforgettable things, like going down a river on Large Bamboo rafts. The Adventures I went on would take me to France Parachuting, Austria skiing, to Holland and Germany. The Army life serving my Country on Peacekeeping Missions took me to Bosnia in 1993 and 1996 on 6-month tours. Kosovo for a 1-month peacekeeping mission for which I was awarded the British Forces Commanders Commendation for my work in 1998. Macedonia was a 6-week deployment with 16 Air Assault Brigade in 2001. Both of these deployments were rapid responses to make an impact for others to follow on after us. My first tour of Iraq was in 2003, followed by the second one in 2005 and to Afghanistan in 2010. These operational tours were emotional because of the injuries and deaths of the British Troops. But the positive attitude I have keeps me going, because of the lives you save through the work we did to Supply the troops with the best equipment we have. Other 6 month tours were to the Falkland Islands in 2002 and 2008. My career in the Army took me to March 2011 and through promotions to a Warrant Officer Class 1 the equivalent of a Regimental Sergeant Major, Life after the Army and transitioning to civilian life was not easy, my first job was with the reservist Army for 1 year back at Home in Hull. When I left this job I wanted to travel with work again. I spent 3 months down the South of England supporting the Army in a Logistics role. In January 2013 while on the search for my next job an old friend got in touch about a Job in Sierra Leone to work for Addax Bio Energy in Makeni as the Inventory Controller.

After a 1-hour telephone interview, I was offered the job and asked how long before I could move. I was ready to go in 2 weeks and arrived in Sierra Leone on March 16th, 2013. The next 4 years in Mama Salone were the best and most challenging of my life. Living in Makeni being part of the Community for 2 years, doing my job at Addax which I loved, going to church, helping the less privileged. Getting to know my workforce, my employees, my Colleagues was a challenge for the first 3 months. Changing and implementing procedures, putting structure in place and discipline which helped from my Army background. The Discipline was used positively, to develop my workforce and get them working better together to become more productive and provide a better service. Also to get the mainly South African Managers to understand how changes and control measures and checks would produce a better service. I decided after 2 months of observing my employee's work ethics that I would organize a party for them. The party was for about 70, this included people that had been invited from other departments. This helped the workers to work more efficiently together as they socialized more and got to know each other. Around June 2014 the first talk about an Ebola Epidemic had come about in Liberia, Guinea, and around Kenema towards the Liberian Border. I took 6 weeks to leave from the beginning of September to come back to Hull, before going I had changed churches and gone to a smaller church that needed rebuilding as there was no established roof or walls. I left some money to start the construction of the roof. This was around when there had been talked of International NGOs setting up Treatment Centers for the

Ebola Epidemic. I had seen some roles for Logistics Managers in Goal Ireland, I applied for the job and was interviewed initially in Freetown then on Skype and was successful. During this time the construction of the church was almost completed with the roof, walls, and an extension for an office for the Pastor. We broke off from the previous Ministry to set up Lamb of God International Outreach Ministries. I started working for Goal Ireland on the 01st of December 2014 after my Medical at Choithram Hospital. By the 08th December, we opened the treatment center in Port Loko and by the 14th December I was taking over the role of the Logistics Coordinator to manage the 5 facilities we had. The 7 months in this role were amazing, working with some brilliant local and international staff to help the Community in Port Loko District to manage and keep the Ebola cases down. After my work with Goal Ireland, I moved to Freetown to then work for Gento group Road Construction as the Logistics Manager, covering 3 sites, Hill station, Waterloo, and the Quarry at Tombo. My time in Freetown was wonderful and gave me time to travel and appreciate the beauty of Sierra Leone and the people. I have continued to visit every year and support the church and School. There were further developments in 2019 when I joined the Freetown Society in Hull. Hull and Freetown are twinned cities and there are partnerships with schools and other projects. In July 2019 2 Doctors visited with me to Freetown, Makeni, and Mile 91 they are from an organization called Jacobs Well. With them, I have helped facilitate a 40ft Container of Medical bandages and Equipment to be distributed to Hospitals in Freetown. 1 Tractor and PPE for Home Leone at Mile 4 Newton. 1 Tractor, uniforms, and School Equipment for 300 children at a school in Mayola near Mile 91 supported by Zaindriss Foundation. 1 minibus to the Sierra Leone Autistic Society. There is much more to come from my Philanthropic work to come to Sierra Leone. Tree planting, training, Education, Agriculture. I am currently writing a book called From Military to Philanthropy.

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Health and Wellness: If You Believe It, You Can Achieve It.

VANIA GONCALVES The ant Monomorium pharaonis (Linnaeus) is commonly known as the Pharaoh ant. The name possibly arises from the mistaken idea that it was one of the plagues of ancient Egypt (Peacock et al. 1950).

They both had what equates to a 4th-grade education. Even so, my parents always encouraged us to study and pursue our education. They wanted the best for us and that is what I wanted for myself as well. Growing up, I always loved health and fitness and that was a daily part of my life. I also had a passion for teaching and I decided to pursue that profession. I enrolled in the University to formalize my education and I eventually became a history teacher. I enjoyed my job very much. Eventually, I got married to an English man and moved to the United Kingdom. Everything changed for me after I got married, both professionally and privately. Although I was a history teacher in my native country, I discovered that my qualifications and credentials meant nothing in the UK. I would have to essentially start all over if I wish to continue my career in teaching. Consequently, it would take years of schooling until I was going to be ‘qualified’ to teach in the UK. Ultimately, I had to make some tough decisions to earn a living. With no shame, I took on domestic work and cleaning jobs. Even though I was a married woman, I did whatever I needed to do, so that I can personally contribute to the household finance and do my part as a wife. Even though my career in the UK wasn’t what I expected it to be, I always had a strong love and passion for fitness. Daily, I would go to the gym and workout for my wellbeing. I vowed to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Through my love for fitness, I

WANPOT - Journey

discovered a passion for dance as well. After joining a Zumba class, I became inspired by the dance aspects of Zumba. The Zumba instructor was passionate about her craft and it sort of hypnotized me as well. It felt really rewarding. Years later, I became a Zumba Instructor. By this time in my life, my marriage had ended and I had moved on with my life. Through my work as a Zumba teacher, I had an opportunity to meet many students who had similar interests in fitness. Many of my students were motivated to pursue a life of health and wellness. Many of them were inspired by my physique and inquired about my training regimen. They offered to pay me for one-on-one personal training. Many of the women were unhappy with their bodies and wanted to do something to make a change. At that moment, it was an affirmation for me! It was an epiphany. I love helping people. I love fitness and I love teaching! It all came together for me. I

started specializing in ETM (Exercise to Music) for Adults. I incorporated various aspects of both Zumba and personal training into my courses. I’m happy to say that I received a Diploma in both Personal Training and Pilates. I specialize in Pre and Post Natal exercise to help more women with their body image issues and nutrition. I’ve worked for many years in the fitness industry and I’ve helped hundreds of women achieve a healthy way of living. We are living in a society that wants to dictate that women should have a ‘perfect lean body’ and under these circumstances, many women feel unhappy about their bodies. I am a great believer that we should always seek to live a better life and it involves exercising regularly. However, you must be comfortable with your body image. No one can dictate what the perfect body image is for you. Exercise helps you build stronger muscles and have less chance of developing cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes. Eat as healthy as you can. Avoid eating excess carbs, sugar, and fat. Maintain good control of your cholesterol levels. Also, get 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night, so you can make better choices throughout the day Having a body that you are looking forward to seeing every day is a result of hard work and dedication. Anyone can do it, but it takes commitment. I think back to a client who came to me and she was planning a family with her husband. All she wanted to do was feel healthier before she became pregnant and she came to me for help. I put her on the correct path, but she did all the work. She had

a gorgeous baby boy who is now 18 years old! She melted my heart when she said to me that her dream was realized because of me. That was when I saw that my mission to help women was a lot bigger than just training my clients physically on the gym floor. I realized that I must help them find out how to break mental barriers. If you believe it, you can achieve it! Ultimately, you have to sit down and analyze your situation and come up with a plan. Ask yourself, who am I? What do I want? Where do I want to go? What sort of energy am I building up around me? (positive or negative?) What are my priorities? Who am I taking with me? And, how many things do I want to do in life? Where do I go from here? What’s stopping me? My advice to you is: fitness should be a part of your everyday routine, keep moving, you will achieve your goals if only you believe and work hard …… Contributor: Vania Goncalves Personal trainer and Fitness Coach Email: vaniaalvesg@gmail.com Instagram: @vaniagoncalvespersonaltrainer Facebook: Vania Goncalves Personal Trainer

WANPOT - Journey

My Sickle Cell Story Turning Personal Tragedy to Community Benefit

s a young girl growing up, I always dreamt about pursuing my education to the highest level and getting married to a loving, caring man. Fortunately, I was blessed with these two wishes. But as you know that the paths of happiness and sadness cross each other, I had to face a lot when I was enjoying my life to the fullest Nine years ago, a dark black cloud overtook my happiness when my husband was snatched away from me by Sickle Cell Anaemia, an inherited red blood cell disorder. It gets tough to cope with the death of your loved one when at the same time, you have to be brave for your kids. I just cannot explain the feelings of losing my better half â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only someone who has been through this similar situation would understand my pain. Trying to keep up with the fast-paced life after the departure of my soulmate in 2011 while building a good future for my two little princesses was a life changer for me! That time, I had two choices; first, I could accept my defeat, or second, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let these hardships overcome my life and face them. And I chose the latter.

WANPOT - Journey

This point marked the beginning of my story that resulted in the birth of my vision to take part in supporting sickle cell sufferers and their families who are praying day and night for their loved ones. When I got deep into the understanding of the anemia, I found out that in Britain alone, one in every 300 people is at risk of having Sickle Cell Anaemia with 1 in 10 people being considered to be ‘at risk’ of having the Sickle Cell Trait. In the USA, it is estimated that around 90,000 to 100,000 Americans are afflicted with sickle cell Anaemia. Once I got to know how worse this disease is and how badly it is affecting people, I decided to change the world with my journey and experience of the disease by publishing my first book, titled “My Story, My Cry!” Using my tragedy and academic knowledge of the subject matter, I started to research the book idea. I gained academic knowledge at Canterbury Christ Church University, where I secured a higher diploma in health studies. In addition to that, I did my BSc (Honors) from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge in 2016, and a Master's Degree in Public Health at the same university. My personal experience, along with my studies, helped in shaping my book. As a single mother responsible for the up-keeping of two lovely young girls, I had to work from dawn to dusk as a mother and an author to extract the best within me. I made sure to add value to my words so the readers can get inspired and do something about this disease. I turned my emotional ordeal into a strength by starting Sickle Cell Intervention Limited, a not-for-profit organization assisting sickle cell sufferers and their families. Following the publication of my book on Sickle Cell Ailment, titled “My Story, My Cry”, I started to get lots of invitations from within the African community in the UK. They talked about my work on Sickle Cell and other public health issues, including bioterrorism which I published a book about. In the book, I talked about my

ordeal supporting my dear late husband who died due to Sickle Cell Anaemia, leaving me alone in the world with two daughters to raise. Due to my work in this field, a Public Health Consultant and Conference Speaker invited me to speak at many forums around the world. I also established the Africa Sickle Cell Centre for Education and Research (ASCC4ER) in Sierra Leone with the vision to build a Sickle Cell Centre in Freetown to serve the West African Region. For four years, I also extended my experience by working within Africa Security Forum, a membership-based organization responsible for Public Health Security Management. Moreover, I have authored many publications on preventive health and translated them in many local languages in West Africa so the knowledge can be shared with everyone. With a passion for education, I became a School Governor, and I aimed to increase awareness about public health issues and relevant information. From a little girl trying to achieve her goals to a happy wife losing her better half and left alone with two young daughters, I have seen a lot. The world shattered upon my feet due to the loss I had to face, but I didn’t let my horrors overcome my work. I turned my miserable life and became an exemplary woman of substance, adding value to my community with education and advocacy on sickle cell management. Now, I have dedicated all my life to support the Sickle Cell sufferers and their heartbroken families. I want everyone to know how a dreadful

disease like this can cause a lot to your wonderful life. I want all the single mothers in this world to know that you are not alone. You have women like me to support you in every step of your life. Never lose hope, keep it alive, and make it your strength. I have seen worst storms in my life, but also beautiful rainbows after those terrifying storms. If you are reading this, I want you to know that you have all the power to change the world within yourself – all you need to do is identify your weaknesses and convert them to your strengths just like I did. As the corona pandemic has caused many people jobless, Sickle Cell Intervention is expanding working day and night to help them. We are on a Sickle Cell Africa Tour to 10 countries, which is meant to support families who have no source of income due to coronavirus lockdown. In this struggle to help people who are severely affected due to this pandemic, we haven’t forgotten the sickle cell sufferers and continuously making efforts to support them as well.

” The strongest people make time to help others, even if they’re struggling with their personal problems.”

WANPOT - Journey

A Bit Of My Story So Far In My Mindset Revolution Journey

Oscar Bimpong

y name is Oscar Bimpong, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an author, transformational speaker, corporate trainer, and business consultant. I have had an exciting journey full of ups and downs in this journey of impacting lives and changing the mindset of people especially my African people. I want to form a revolutionary movement in Africa where the people will have a different approach in finding solutions to their problems and having that self-belief and mindset that it can be done. I believe this bit of my story will encourage someone.

WANPOT - Interview

I have always had a passion to inspire others as a lifestyle. Well, I think it is in my DNA. However, this gift was discovered in 2008 when I returned to Ghana to run my business. In 2010, I had to come to London because at the time I had young family members with me. In 2010, the credit crunch of 2008 was at its peak so getting a job was a challenge. What delayed it more was I had determined in my heart that I wasn't going for menial jobs. Staying at home for almost seven months means I had no option than to take a cleaning job to survive the family. This was one of those moments when I was struggling in life, both financially and personally, but for family, I got encouraged and simultaneously, learned my lesson. I learned that it is important to have the humility to start from somewhere even if you have to start with a menial job because it might open bigger and better doors for you. When I started the cleaning job, I realized that my boss was drawing a rota around a guy who was doing his Ph.D. so that it does not conflict with his lectures. Seeing a Ph.D. guy doing a cleaning helped me cheer up a little. So I asked my boss if he can do the same for me if I go for my Master's degree. He said that is what I can do to help you guys and in the next two months, I enrolled in my Master's degree. The masters became one of the perks of the cleaning job, as the hours were flexible and suited my schedule. Within the same period, I started my Radio Talk Show called the Platform on Fire Live Radio. This show was one of the best around as I had listeners from over 50 countries listening to my show at any point in time. The show, as usual, was based on motivation, personal, talent, career,

and entrepreneurship development. I was interviewing big consultants from the UK, Canada, and the USA whilst still a cleaner. Some people that knew me were laughing and passing sarcastic statements because what I was saying on radio and the job I was doing did not match. There, I learned another lesson; you have to know where you are going with your vision. The big lesson here is the fact that even if you are not successful, that doesn't mean you cannot talk about success. Meaning that if you are just a cleaner, it doesn't mean you cannot think and behave like a successful person, the way I was doing on the radio. Remember what you think about and act on it, you will surely become. Never concentrate on the naysayers but believe in yourself and continue to pursue the journey against all odds. Don't define your current circumstance as your future circumstance. Now, the Masters was two years. Juggling the masters with a full-time cleaning job with two young boys to take care of was the test to my determination. The amazing and surprising aspect is that I submitted my thesis on Thursday and the next day my boss resigned. The following Monday, I was promoted and never did the cleaning again. Life taught me something new, my boss was a helper sent by the deity to aid my masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree, but my ego nearly made me lose what God has planned for me. Also, remember that you might be doing the cleaning but you should know where you want to be. That is starting as a cleaner but doesn't end as a cleaner. I then moved on to become a lecturer in business. Now I am an author with two eBooks to my credit, one of

my books entitled Kingdom Clientele. I have won six awards to my name in the UK. One of the highest moments was when I was selected by the BBC in 2016 to be trained in radio operations and media works. I can remember the introduction of the email from the BBC and it went like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Congratulations, among all the thousands of people that applied, you are among the 20 people selected for the training.â&#x20AC;? What I'm telling you, wherever you find yourself in life, work with diligence, never listen to negative vibes, and don't walk with people with negative energy. Believe in yourself and work harder until you succeed. What you are facing today is not your future. However, what you do today will determine your future. Just stay focus and pursue your vision with a high level of consistency such that failure has no room to operate and success has no option than to bow down to you. I always thank God for how far he has brought me. I hope this bit of my story encourages you after reading.

Remember it's possible if only you believe.

wherever you find yourself in life, work with diligence, never listen to negative vibes, and don't walk with people with negative energy. Believe in yourself and work harder until you succeed.

WANPOT - Artwork

Eugene Kaitell M

y name is Eugene Kaitell I am a qualified Designer, Artist & certified Project Manager. I fell increasingly in love with art, culture, and music from an early age and have since undertaken several art projects to express and exercise my skills.

I recently created this piece entitled "A Mother's Comfort", to show appreciation for the struggles of the Black African woman, particularly in the context of Motherhood. A Mother's Comfort not only

recognizes the sacrifices the Black African Woman makes to provide comfort for her children, but also her reliability and strength. You can follow me on Instagram @efektivecreative

WANPOT - Interview

WANPOT - Fashion

Maria Dube Constable "For the very first time, I was at the London ExCel Arena for Miss World finale 2019, a moment driven by my passion for beautiful gowns and the perfect fit. 2018 I had created the winning gown for Miss Africa GB (Leila Samati)." from a very early age how a perfect garment could transform an individual; from their posture to the way, they would engage with others. At the age of 21, I moved to the UK, the move meant I had to put designing skills aside and got a job to pay the bills. I continued with my designing after starting a family, I make my special occasion gowns and it only took one compliment from a friend and introductions to different people to start my made to measure services. Being able to serve others by providing made to measure services has been rewarding and the journey continuesâ&#x20AC;Śmy advice is if you are passionate about anything, give it a go, you never know who is watching or passing by. I am honored and grateful to have created some red-carpet gowns, bridesmaidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dresses, and African prints aimed at promoting culture and identity. A lit bit about myself, I was born and raised in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe to be precise. In my youth, I studied fashion and fabrics at secondary school, my teacher wore her designs, which inspired me and encouraged me to learn more. My love for the subject led me to make regular visits to one boutique at the mall that imported high-end gowns from different parts of the world. I would feel the texture of the fabric, look at the garment construction and of course, try a few. I made my very first gown at the age of 17 for my sister who participated in a beauty pageant; she managed to secure the second spot. I knew

WANPOT - Fashion

WANPOT - Article

To All Who Are Concerned That Black Lives Do Matter

STAND DON’T KNEEL

hese past few days have been the culmination of 600

years of the history of our race, with the commencement of slavery in the 16th Century, the future starts now, today. There is no dispute in that BAME’s have not reached the levels of acceptance, integration and risen to the economic heights of the indigenous population within the various diaspora societies in our settled lands - but the dream of MLK and the freedom fighters that “we shall overcome”, has now come to fruition. The mistreatment of our youths and the institutionalized racism that we have come to know is the ‘norm’ was not accepted; is not accepted and will no longer be tolerated behind our closed doors. The sad events that culminated in the murder of Floyd George in the USA are by no means the first but we can

only hope, will be the last. Our question is “Why when it was the knee that broke him must we continue to kneel with a sign that says ‘Black Lives Matter’?” Should we not stand and stand firm in the resolve no longer accept racism in all its forms? We say stand without fear, stand with resolve and stand not only for Floyd George and a better life but for an acceptable future. Please sign the Petition and let us know that whilst we will not kneel, you will stand with us for the creation of a fully integrated and acceptable life. Yours sincerely, ASHBURN HOLDER

WANPOT - Article

Closing Digital Gender Gap in This Era.

igital Transformation the rave of the moment, is transforming the way of life and challenging how we do things across all industries be it Financial, Logistics, Software, Retail, or Medical.

WANPOT - Article

Digital transformation is not just about embracing new technology, it is about a change in thought and organization culture. While the disruption is immense, so is the opportunity it presents such as ease of financial transaction, quick access to information, business growth, employment, and significant contributions to the global economy. In the UK, with my experience as an IT professional, 80% of the program’s being rolled out has a high degree of digital transformation, and any industry that does not follow this trend risk the fall out of being left behind in the competitive market. The digital market is currently experiencing high growth, where technology has become the driving factor for businesses from digital marketing to digital banking, and more. Today over 50% of the world is online and using one technology or the other to transmit information. With that said, is also worth noting that technology companies are taking advantage of this churns of information being transmitted by homing in on the following key factors; Innovative Technology, consumer customer behavior and market demand, and environmental factors to bring in productive changes and deliver value. In the 21st century the digital change cuts across all facets of society and its values cannot be matched, offering more interaction with people, the skill required to get a good job, and even in the political terrain. Given the disruptions of digital transformation, it is therefore unexpected that there exist gender gaps within the digital industry worldwide and even more so in Africa. For women in developing countries, they experience barriers

such as cost, network coverage, security and cyberbullying, trust and technical literacy all these contribute to the fact that women in developing countries are nearly 25% less likely to be online than men which inhibit their ability to fully connect to their world and communities. Through closing the digital gender gap, women can help pull their families out of extreme poverty and serve as active participants and leaders in their societies. They can have a voice, be part of creating unique and innovative solutions that are well balanced, and support the UN initiative to achieve gender equality and empowerment. Also, PWC report present findings why females aren’t considering digital careers; one of the factors raised as they aren’t given enough information on what working in the sector involves, another factor is lack of female role models in reinforcing the perception that a digital career even though at present is maledominated it proffers room for women as well. Therefore there is strong need to close this digital gender gap and reduce potential loss of talent by this group of underrepresented individual and this can only be achieved by encouraging and supporting greater female participation at all levels including running campaigns with the help of organizations, government and NGOs’ who all have an important role to play to create awareness and incentive to get more women into this booming digital industry; for those women already in this industry, we need to encourage them to take advantage of their knowledge and skills acquired from the industry to seek top roles and positions.

Perhaps we are at the beginnings of an evolutionary curve where women are beginning to become aware of the opportunities and are now aspiring to be take up digital roles, with education, more industry practicing successful women mentors and awareness all of which is expected to change their perception and begin to embrace the opportunity. For those women, yet to get into this industry the path may vary from young undergraduates to career changers, the competition might be intense but the journey is interesting. Some of the possible roles they can get engaged in our Digital Marketing experts, Web developer, Business Analyst, Data analytics consultant, Project Manager Etc. For entrepreneur’s budding or established the gender bias should not create a barrier between their vision and business, there are also opportunities to move their business up another level by adopting Digital transformation and one example that is also disrupting all sectors be it Retail, Logistics, Financial Services, Education, Fashion to name a few is to develop Mobile Applications (mobile App) this technology is deployed over mobile phones. The opportunities that digital transformation presents lends huge benefits for all. For women, organizations, policy makers, operators and public sectors must work together to create an enabling environment that will be the catalyst for business growth and in turn, lead to employment creation and subsequently a robust and growing global economy.

WANPOT - Journey

Some opportunities that can be explored are listed below; • Customer Demands: Providing delightful customer experience in every aspect of the delivery chain. This can be achieved by introducing loyalty cards • Process Orientation: Process digitization and employee enablement that promotes data-driven decisionmaking resulting in greater performance improvement and overall operational transparency. • Innovation in Business: New digital products and/or digitizing existing business models that go beyond existing business needs and foster new innovative products and services and cater to changing business needs.

Possible Resolutions initiatives to be supported with complete mindset change is a good place to start;

• Community initiatives and social enterprises – providing networking opportunities and forums for events, training, and funding access to enhance business growth for female founders.

• Undertake Job Analysis: Tailored job descriptions, and ensure its gender-balanced; • Formal succession planning, sponsoring, mentor programs, unconscious-bias training, and gender-specific training; • Returnships (return-to-work internships) and phase-back programs to fill the talent pipelines, particularly at management levels • Awareness and outreach programs to equip young girls and women with the skills and inspiration needed to pursue a career in STEM

Footnote

Female Techpreneur is a social enterprise that offers a platform for female founders, leaders, and professionals within the tech industry. We help tech business owners connect to mentors, thought leaders, investors, education and business support to launch or scale.

References: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianrashid/2017/06/13/digital-transformation-andinnovation-in-todays-business-world/#919190449052 https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/closing_the_digital_gender_gap.pdf https://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/women-in-technology/time-to-close-thegender-gap.html http://www.itu.int/en/itunews/Documents/2016-04/2016_ITUNews04-en.pdf Author: Mrs. Bukola M. Babajide CEO & Founder: Female Techpreneur Website: www.femaletechpreneur.com Email: bukky@femaletechpreneur.com UK Contact No: 07875171601

WAN POT RememberingÂ

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Nelson Mandela

" And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." Nelson Mandela " We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference." Nelson Mandela

WANPOT - Journey

Dear WAN POT family,

f you’re reading this article, it means that you have supported me by buying this magazine or gained access to this magazine through good faith. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you, I appreciate your support and I hope you continue to support me in all my endeavors. My name is Francess Samura, however, I love to be addressed as Francess Kay. I was born in Sierra Leone West Africa and attended the St Joseph Secondary school for girls and relocated to the UK many years ago, where I did my higher education at various colleges and Plymouth University. In the Summer of 2017, I relocated to the USA, where I now call home. Because I'm adventurous and love diversity, I also consider planet earth at home because I never know where life may take me next. My travels around the world have taken me to countries like America,

WANPOT - Journey

The Gambia, China, United Kingdom, and France to name a few. Life has given me my fair share of ups and downs which have shaped me into who I am today. I’ve battled and been involved with two failed marriages. I was sexually abused at the age of eight. I was raped and sexually abused by people I trusted and called loved ones. I have been physically, psychologically, and emotionally abused and I still suffer from the trauma from time to time. I have been bullied by people I trusted in the community and most recently accused of witchcraft of all things. For whatever reason, people I trusted and loved have attempted to defame my character and drag my name through the mud in an attempt to hurt me. At some point in my journey, I was on Anti-depressants for a while. With all these obstacles, I still OVERCAME. Sometimes, I give myself the blame for what I've been through and still go through but then I realize it can't be anyone's fault, it's all just a part of life's journey. Throughout all the trials and tribulations, the untrue and hurtful accusations, the rough emotional times, I remained resilient and stood tall. Even though my divorces were painful and left me wondering where to go from here, still I found a way to stand up from that pain. My abusers left me with lifelong emotional scars. Today I see those scars as a reminder to never let another child go through what I went through

alone. This is the reason I do what I do, and stand tall to tell my story. If my story can help just one person then, what I've been through can't be in vain. I RISE UP HIGH, not by my power but by the power of God our maker. God Never gives us more than what we can handle. He puts us in these situations for a reason and there’s always a lesson to learn from each and every one of them. I know I cannot have a fulfilling life without a few bumps along the journey of life. It is said that, before a diamond is formed, there must be a volcano, before gold is ready to be used; it has to go through the fire. Rain comes before the beautiful rainbow, darkness before the light. That’s the same with one's life’s journey before you reach your destination one has to go through painful and difficult situations to reach their true form. God is always by our side, preparing us for a better tomorrow. I learned never to be too disappointed or discouraged with any situation I find myself in. I just know that this is just God’s plan. I own up to it and RISE! There’s always a bright light at the end of a tunnel. Darkness always makes way for light. Nothing lasts forever, and the only constant thing in life is change itself. Because of my journey in life, I am a better person, a better mother to my children, and a better friend to those who choose to travel along life’s journey with me. Through personal growth, I can relate to others more effectively and feel their pain and triumph through their eyes. I’m able to write emotional and heartwarming stories. Because of my pain, I can find peace

with myself and create WAN POT magazine for everyone to share their life journeys and learn from each other's stories and life experiences. I want to use this platform to share life’s experiences, triumphs, and tragedies with the masses. The world is full of experiences if we can all have the courage and opportunity to share our stories, I believe that others going through similar situations will have the opportunity to learn, especially the younger generation. Information is power. We need to share life experiences and life’s lessons to educate our people and perhaps keep some of them from making or repeating the same mistakes we made. There’s a saying, the smell of the food while it's being cooked, does not determine its taste. Take time to get to know one another, share love, share knowledge, be good to each other. Don’t just look at a coin from one side, always look at the order side. There’s always a story behind the face. Be kind to one and other. There’s nothing wrong with sharing Love.

I can find peace with myself and create WAN POT magazine for everyone to share their life journeys and learn from each other's stories and life experiences.

Wear a Mask

Save yourself and save others. Covid19 is real Protect your environment

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Africa Covid-19 Cure

The African continent and the black race Most Underrated, discriminated right in the face We survive, we adapt, and we strive with grace; At any time, in any given place A pandemic came, threatening humanity Gripped in fear, afraid of its mortality Death spikes, society losing its sanity Hospitals filled with patients, breathing pantingly. Where is the cure, where is the vaccine? Behold, in African traditional herbs; No one ever believed Our African concoctions, our pride indeed Ginger, Lime, garlic, Tree back and the rest Boosting immune, making humans stronger Africa Covid-19 organics, the original total healing for all they say, or was it? Change in mindset, our hope in future Fairness in judgment, all lives matters As we observe the relevance; of African race around the world. By Francess Kay

WANPOT - Health is wealth

DEPRESSION Francess Kay

ost people feel unhappy at times which is sometimes a normal reaction to losing someone or in struggles of life. Powerful sadness includes feeling stranded, hopeless, and worthless which lasts for many days sometimes weeks and keeps you away from living your life. If you are feeling so it is something more than sadness. It could be clinical depression, don’t worry it is a completely treatable medical condition.

you know what type of depression you have it will be great for you to control your symptoms and get the most effective treatment. 1. Mild to moderate depression This type of depression is the most common type of depression. It is more than simply feeling blue, the symptoms of mild depression can restrict your daily life, taking away joy and motivation from you. Those symptoms become bigger in moderate depression and can result in a decline in self-confidence and self-esteem.

What is depression?

Depression is the most common and serious medical illness nowadays that harmfully affects how you feel, how you think, and the way you act, and Luckily, it can be treated. It causes a feeling of sadness or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed which

results in emotional and physical problems.

Types of depression

There are various kinds of depression that come in many shapes and forms. Explaining The severity of depression such as mild, moderate, or major—can be intricate, so if

2. Major depression Major depression is a type of depression that is much less common than mild or moderate depression and is considered as severe, with relentless symptoms. If major depression is Left untreated it can badly disrupt one’s life and it typically lasts for about six months. Some people go through just a single depressive episode in their lifetime, but major depression can be a periodic disorder.

WANPOT - Health is wealth

3. Atypical depression Atypical depression is a form of depression which comes under major depression with a specific symptom outline. It answers better to some therapies and medications than other types of depression so recognizing it can be helpful.

Symptoms of Depression varies with types

· Feeling depressed · No interest in activities once enjoyed · Changes in appetite with weight gain or loss without dieting · Disturbed sleep pattern · Loss of energy · Increase in purposeless physical activity · Feeling guilty or worthless · Difficulty in thinking or making decisions · Thinking more often about death or suicide

What are the Risk factors of depression?

Depression can happen at any stage of life but more often begins in the teens. More females than males are diagnosed with depression, but this may be due to because women are willing to get it checked by a medical professional.

The risk Factors which triggers depression include:

· Some personality traits, such as low self-esteem or pessimistic · Traumatic events, such as some kind of abuse that can include physical or sexual abuse, the loss of a loved one, a complicated relationship, or a financial crisis. · Family history of suicide or any mental disorder. · History of anxiety disorder, disorders related to diet or post-

traumatic stress disorder · Drugs Abuse · Chronic illness that includes cancer, stroke or heart disease

How Is Depression Treated?

Depression is counted among the most treatable of mental disorders. Around 80 to 90 percent of people with depression ultimately respond well to the therapy. Approximately all patients gain some release from their symptoms. Before diagnosing depression, a health professional conducts a thorough diagnostic evaluation, which includes an interview and sometimes a physical examination. The evaluation identifies specific symptoms, family history, cultural factors, and other factors to arrive at diagnosis then plan a course of action. Medication: antidepressants might be advised to help change one’s brain chemistry and These medications are not sedatives or tranquilizers. These medicines may produce some enhancement within the first week or two of use and for full benefits, the course may be extended to two to three months. If you are taking antidepressants and these are not effective, then It is important to let your doctor know about it. Psychotherapy: it is also called as “talk therapy,” which can be an effective treatment for mild depression; for moderate to severe depression, it is often used in along with medications. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is also one of the effective ways of treating depression. CBT is a kind of therapy which

is focused on the present and problem-solving. It helps a person to identify inaccurate thinking and then change behaviors and thinking. Psychotherapy may involve a family or couples therapy which can be helpful to address issues within these relationships. Electroconvulsive Therapy: this medical treatment is most commonly applied to patients with severe depression who have not answered to other treatments. It involves a shortlived electrical stimulus to the brain while the patient is under anesthesia. A patient characteristically receives ECT two times a week for a total of six to 12 procedures. It is usually carried out by a team of trained medical professionals including a psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist, and a nurse.

Self-help and Coping can do wonders There are tons of things you can do to reduce the symptoms of depression such as regular exercise helps generate positive feelings and improve mood, getting enough sleep regularly, consuming a healthy diet, and avoiding alcohol. Depression is a real problem and help is available all the time you just must reach out to your loved ones and with proper diagnosis, treatment, you can defeat it. Don’t be shy to visit your family physician, talk about your concerns, and request a complete evaluation. This is how one can start to address their mental health needs.

WANPOT - Health is wealth

Three Ways to Care for Yourself During Stressful Times

his year has been challenging for many of us. We have all been through some stressful times. When circumstances are chaotic, it is easy to throw up our hands and let everything go. But, these are the very moments that you should focus on your well-being. Building healthy habits now will help you in the long run.

Here are three ways to care for your health during difficult times. These tips will give you more energy, help with stress levels, and as a bonus, they will enhance your appearance. (Yes, really.) Prepare Meals and Schedule Mealtimes – When crises hit, schedules go out the window. However, this is precisely the time when a routine can help your physical and mental health. Daily routines, like meal plans, reduce guesswork and lessen anxiety. Understandably, you might reach for comfort food and takeout. However, poor quality food causes serious health conditions, including digestive issues, cancer, and even depression. Not to mention that the carbs, sugar, and salt can cause bloating, dental problems, and acne. (1) Consider taking this extra time and turning mealtime into something that is nourishing for you and your family. Pick regular times to eat and stick with that schedule. Having a plan will give you peace of mind and be

good for your health. Drink Your Water – Though the memes about endless cups of coffee or drinking bottles of wine are funny, they aren't helpful for your overall wellness. These coping mechanisms tend to backfire, making it harder to get quality sleep. A lack of proper sleep increases your stress levels. Leave the alcohol and caffeine to Instagram, and turn to water instead. Water is beneficial for your body and your health. Dehydration is a dangerous thing. Did you know that being dehydrated by as little as 1% affects your mood, attention span, and memory? (2) Next time you are feeling overwhelmed, reach for the water bottle. You'll be replenishing your body without reducing the quality of your sleep. Set Screens Aside – With the world in turmoil, it feels necessary to stay informed. You

may also have extra time on your hands. For many, this combination means far more time sitting in front of screens. However, this leads to headaches, lack of sleep, and can contribute to depression. A better option for your health is to use this time for movement. Go for a walk, take a bike ride, or do an online yoga class. There are many options for everyday movement, and the benefits of exercise include improving your mood, increasing energy levels, and helping with skin health. In Conclusion – if you have stepped away from healthy patterns in the last few months, that is understandable. However, now is the time to take care of yourself and get back on track. Choose one of these tips and make it part of your everyday routine. Once you have one tip down, start on the next. You will feel better, and your health will improve.

Works Cited:

(1) Brissette, Christy. "This is your body on fast food." The Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2018, www. washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/sneaking-a-little-junk-food-doesnt-mean-all-islost/2018/02/26/828b75fa-1b36-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html. (2) Lieberman, Harris R. "Hydration and Cognition: A Critical Review and Recommendations for Future Research." PubMed,

WANPOT - Health is wealth

A Healthy Smile, A Sign Of A Healthy Life

There is a major link between poor oral health and systemic health which involves the problems related to the heart, the brain, and other organ systemsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all the more reason to maintain your oral hygiene is for the sake of good overall health. The relation between our mouth and overall health? Good dental care is more than just keeping your teeth and gums healthy rather itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about whether your entire body is healthy or not. Many overall health-related problems affect your oral health and vice versa. Plaque buildup around your teeth may upsurge your risk for

1. Brush properly

Do you brush properly every day? The way you brush your teeth is important because doing a great job while brushing your teeth decides the good health of your teeth. Take your time, and move the toothbrush in gentle, circular motions to remove dental plaque. Unremoved plaque can harden that leads to calculus buildup and ultimately causes early gum disease called gingivitis. Flossing is as important as brushing so take out a floss piece and clean the spaces in between your teeth.

2. Clean your tongue

The tongue is one of the places where Plaque builds up fast this can lead to bad breath and other oral health problems. Gently brush your tongue every time you brush your teeth and get a pretty healthy smile.

3. Reduce intake of sugary and acidic foods

id you know that keeping your mouth

free of cavities, plaque, and tartar buildup can do wonders? Of course, everyone wants white teeth but the benefits of a beautiful smile are more than just the appearance of teeth.

heart-related problems by activating inflammation elsewhere in the body and ultimately causes, atherosclerosis. Gum problems and recurrent infections in your mouth may mean your blood sugar is too high, a sign of diabetes. How to maintain a healthy smile? Brushing your teeth twice daily, a low-in-sugar diet, and regular dental visits, you can help decrease the risk of such diseases like dental decay, gum disease, and systemic health problems. Keeping your teeth clean and healthy can help to overcome bad breath (halitosis) which makes a person more confident while speaking. Some of the important points to maintain a beautiful healthy smile and healthy body are given below.

Ultimately, sugar forms acid in the mouth, and these acids lead to cavities. Excessive intake of sugars and bad fats can also cause many systemic health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and many more problems so keep a balance for a healthy mouth and a healthy you.

4. Visit your dentist twice a year

Visiting a dentist twice a year is crucial to get a professional cleaning and checkup done. Not only can a dentist eliminate calculus and look for decays, but they will also be able to spot potential health issues and refer you to the right medical professional. A healthy mouth with cavityfree teeth is a great asset with an important role to play in our lives. Our teeth help us chew and digest food, also helps to talk and speak give our face its shape. A healthy smile also has other day-to-day benefits such as It gives us greater confidence, as well as impacts our social lives, careers, and relationships so maintain your oral health for a healthy and confident you.

WANPOT - Sport

SPORTS AND PANDEMIC Francess Kay

uring both world wars, sports face a historic setback. Sportspersons were enrolled in armed forces where they became “players to warriors” and had to “win or die”. Many sportsmen and women were injured and killed. Despite this, all the battling countries tried to maintain at least a veneer of normality to keep up civilian morale. It was anything but easy.

On the onset of a wave of pandemic fear, leagues suspended, training sessions discontinued, seasons came to halt, fans disappointed and dismayed, players depressed and distressed, fields deserted and everything related to sports were almost abandoned-from marathons to football tournaments, basketball games to athletics championships, handball to ice hockey, sailing, rugby, skiing, cricket, weightlifting to wrestling and more. The novel virus has shattered all sports. · The Olympics and Paralympics have been postponed and going to held in 2021. Due to which,

WANPOT - Sport

coaching rooms, gyms, stadiums, fitness studios, pools, parks and playgrounds, and physiotherapy centers goes on the screen. This online system also proves to be worthwhile in this pandemic. · e-sports has accelerated in lockdown situation and video gamers can hold a big event without infecting a single person. · Morning or evening walks that are long forgotten become to existence. · People indulge in yoga, hiking, cycling, and other stress releasing and weight loss exercises.

the Japanese government and the organizers stand the loss of 277 million U.S. dollars · Not only millions of sports professional jobs are globally at risk and also sporting services industries that were supporting leagues and events are going to suffer. · Professional athletes are under pressure because the sponsors would not be going to support them as agreed earlier. But a ray of hope came, with the start of indoor and online games and fitness schemes. Everything from the fields, stadiums,

The round the clock sports entertainment has come to a halt this pandemic season. But still, there are other options out there, like Virtual sports as it comes in all forms- such as football, basketball, tennis, and many more. Although it's not a true replacement of fans' charm but proves to decrease the stress they are going through. Liverpool holds 18 league titles but none since 1990, but this June the club changed doubters to believers by winning the English Premium League first time. No doubt Liverpool has waited long to make the club's history but also proved itself the best in England. Jurgen Klopp and the men were only six points away from making the history when this pandemic outbreak. It's the only league title secured by the club in 30 years. Liverpool dominated the season with only one blow out from Watford on leap year day. Some supporters cannot hold back and gathered outside Anfield to rejoice the team's historic triumph. On Thursday evening, club's members celebrated at Stamford Bridge as Manchester City were beaten by Chelsea. The crater of all major sports brings anxiety and despair

among zealous fans. They are missing that emotional outlet, socialization, competition, and joy sports bring to them. During the lockdown period, social media users increased by 40% in the UK. Fans are lamenting the loss of sport by sharing their discontent on social media. Sports brands, other than updating their fans, also entertained them using different techniques. Through Gamification, approach fans think what content would stand out in a very busy space, that they would want to play along with, without thinking hard to figure it out. In the premier league approach, noteworthy on twitter, the audiences are asked to guess a certain team. Sportsmen, to keep their fans motivated and notified, started different Fitness challenges on social media. Players are improving their strength by doing bodyweight exercises in their comfort zones, are enhancing their flexibility, and working to improve their skills. Coaches are connecting with their teams, sending their players' workout schedules, and giving instructions in the best possible way. Above all everyone is spending time with their family, giving them more time than would otherwise little possible.

WANPOT - Financial

Effects of Covid-19 On Our Financial System Francess Kay

WANPOT - Financial

OVID 19 drastically affected the economy. As the economy was already lingering due to WW2 the cost of a COVID 19 patient at this is immeasurable. The economy allows us to thrive. Where the whole world was squabbling; to build its economy better than its neighbor; the spread of coronavirus has dramatically affected the scenario.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS Airlines around the world are going to bankruptcy; they are asking their Government for help. Airlines are a low margin business because the cost is high. So if an airline is shut off for 4 weeks; that is trouble. Neither the Government is opening the airlines neither the people are buying tickets for the future because they don't know till when the pandemic will last. British company Flybe went bankrupt by 1st week of March. Donald Trump allocated 59 billion dollars for airlines but not the entire world has such a good economy. Tourism is a big industry. Even the revenue made by tourism runs the economy in many countries. Europe has 50% of the tourism in the world. France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Turkey, China, Dubai,

Persia, Saudi Arabia, the UK like countries are dependent on tourism in a big way. Spain makes a revenue of 100 billion euros per year. On an estimate, the pandemic has resulted in the loss of more than 400 billion euros by now and there are still many more to come. With tourism, travel guides, tour companies, local markets, photographers, amusement places and parks, transport; everything is going down and the burden is on a common man who is struggling to feed his children. Oil consumption has touched the ground since the lockdown. Companies are paying people to take the oil cause if the oil is not taken the wells will get busted. On an estimate, the oil firm has served a loss of 1 trillion dollars. The stock market is getting down because investors are taking their money out as the business in the entire world is crumbling. On average there has been a loss of more than 84 million dollars by now. Sports events have been shut down. The ticket they sell, the promotions that companies make, the ads on TV and the internet, investment in leagues everything is off. The world is suffering a huge loss but also the ones who were cleaning the stadiums, those who were selling food there, those who were arranging the seats, those were setting the headlights and in short, an average man is getting slain at the end. At the onset of this disaster, physical shopping behavior changed seemingly overnight. Due to lockdown market is completely shut down and people have no other option except to stay home. Cash is the most preferred mode of transfection among many countries across the globe but the novel virus knock down their usage as well. People preferred home-made

food and beverages due to fear of the disease. Parties and gathering ceased and cafes, restaurants, and hotels shut down. Fast food business flopped up to 60% all over the world. POSITIVE EFFECTS The technology sector is a significant impact; the electronics value chain is disrupted due to limited availability and raw materials supply is increased. On the positive side, remote working not only increased but also upgraded and elevate the demand for technology products. With the onset of the disease, supply increased to an unpredictable level of pharmaceutical industries. The demand for medical instruments that needed to treat, prevent, and diagnose COVID-19 that includes ventilators, diagnostic tests, and personal protective equipment like gowns, gloves, surgical masks, etc. But this pandemic is surely a godsend for the environment. After the lockdown is put in place in many countries, there was lesser traveling done by people, industries were closed down dropping the pollution significantly, due to decreased emission of nitrous oxide, lead and carbon monoxide in environment patients of asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, and many others decreased. Citizens in Northern India are seeing the view of Himalayan Mountain for the first time in their lives. In Venice, swans return to the canals and the clarity of the water is increased. During this period people learn to manage their needs in a low budget. People feel how it liked to survive without necessities of life and also reduce their extra expenditures and throw off their trivial desires.

WANPOT - COVID19 Pandemic

PANDEMIC: by: Francess Kay

"An Opportunity for a Life Change"

arch 2020 marks the time of the most drastic change that this generation probably will ever face. The world shut down for a seemingly infinite period as the threat of being infected from Covid-19 ruled the frightened and panic-stricken minds of the majority. Over 180 countries have been affected by this viral illness and the only preventive measure that is thought to be helpful for the masses is to stay indoors. First, it felt like a simple feat, just staying at home, nothing too hectic. However, after a month or two in the same vicinity, unable to leave the premise to even go to school or universities, it became more of a challenge for the majority. The instructions of staying indoors strictly prohibit any gatherings be it celebratory or mourning. What came after months of not doing what we were used to doing daily, not even being able to get coffee in the morning, made us realize different things. People observe major changes in their daily lives, sleeping schedule, and work ethics as the lines between personal and professional begun to blur into a hazy faĂ§ade. Psychological changes due to pandemic One of the most prominent changes people face was in the way that they perceived life. The things which usually seemed essential for a normal day's beginning and end, all just vanished. No morning rush at the traffic signals, no running late to the office, and definitely, no late attendance for the classes. The world seemed to revolve around electronics in the post-pandemic society. All the universities and most of the schools opted for a curriculum that can be taught via a computer screen. The students or the teachers don't have to leave their comfortable couches to get to the class. You can wake up

five minutes before the class and still make it in time! Similar situations are observed with the people having office jobs; they no longer need to get all dressed up to attend the office meetings. Just a suit, shirt, and a tie would do in front of the web camera. The notion of "work from home" which previously seemed to be unfathomable became a norm. Breaking the societal norms in pandemic The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 was the very necessary push to make everyone realize how cumbersome and dull some of the most beloved traditions were. These traditions, such as a marriage party, a funeral, or a birthday celebration, were thought to be unavoidable instances of spending an insane amount of money for almost all. However, after the pandemic and it became nearly impossible to hold such gatherings. People, though, didn't stop getting married, being born, or succumbing to death. These realities made us recognize how less important these rituals are and what true happiness is. Importance of the healthcare profession Healthcare professionals have always been respected in society. However, since the last few decades, it had become a challenge to get funding to research for a new drug or a disease. This pandemic made most of us realize how essential it is to invest in the future of the healthcare system and the working professionals. It showed us how owning a pair of Ray-Bans, and donning an HermĂ¨s

bag would not save you, but having a trained physician with the right medicine just might. Learning new skills: With the instructions of avoiding non-essential outings came an excess of free time. This time was previously occupied with either the commute to and from the office or school or meeting with friends. All of this free time came with a dire question, what to do? The new schedules and staying at home made many of us opt to learn new skills. Some people even got to check out their bucket lists and learned the skills they have been putting off due to not having enough time. Cooking, baking, exercises, and digital skills are among the most popular ones that people have opted for since the pandemic hit. Conclusion: Though it is a tough time on humanity as a whole, the 2020 pandemic of Covid-19 is not only bad in terms of human development. There have been amazing instances of bravery and companionship amongst all the anxiety and panic. People have shunned their centuries' old believes and have opted for a more healthy social approach for things like equality, justice, and helping the needy. Isolation and loneliness have made us all realize how irreplaceable healthy human interaction and connection is.

WANPOT - Letter

WANPOT - Cover Story

Executive editor reader’s interaction – teaser

by: Francess Kay

Weekend Work-BALANCE!

Congrats! It’s the

weekend! You made it through another week. Those magical two days that make the most stress filled week worth it. Everyone lives for Saturday and Sunday, don’t they? What if you work in the service industry? Then you look at Friday night like office workers look on Monday morning. It sends a shiver down your spine, doesn’t it? The fact is, according to the experts, weekend happiness is only an illusion. The fact that you have time off from work, isn’t it? But the idea that you get to recharge and relax is. For most people, they

do more on the weekend than they do during their workweek. Crazy, right? Sure, they might not have the dreaded buzz of the alarm clock to worry about, but they will probably wake at the same time they do for work and have a CV’s receipt sized to-do list. While “getting together with friends” or “watching TV” might be on the list, there will also be things like “clean the garage,” “mow the lawn,” “do the shopping,” “wash the dog,” and “pine for the time when I was a child and all these ‘adult’ things were my parents’ problem.” That last one hits home. Another sad fact is that most people who took a break from work usually go for a vacation to ease their stress. During this time off, they take several vigorous exercises to keep themselves in shape, I guess. Please don’t kill the messenger, but I speak the truth. Surely, those who had taken this few days off,

only enjoy the first few fleeting moments of their vacations. On the weekend eve, before they even get home from work, “It’s Friday, let’s party,” his or her brain is already doing calculations about how much free time they have before resumption. How many vacations of yours have been partially ruined by the depressing thought that you have fewer free days in front of you than you have behind you? “Oh no, I only have six more days before I have to go back to work…bummer.” The only piece of advice experts have is to “live in the moment.” Because that’s all, you need to stay happy, the other way out is acquiring enough wealth to own a business so that you don’t have to work and every day is Friday at 5 PM. Chances are you’d find a way to worry about that too. See? We just did it again and this time. We did it together.

WANPOT - Letter

Dear Wan Pot readers, My name is Olive, and I am 26 years old. I work as an HR professional in a big MNC. This story is a synopsis of my journey of loving, heartbreak, and thriving. When I first met Ryan in 2018, I was a hopeless romantic woman who kept love before everything else in life. At that time, I was working in a small company that created Marketing videos for clients & customers. I wasn't happy with my non-increment of pay or the kind of work I received daily. Nonetheless, I secretly started applying for new job opportunities on LinkedIn. At ABC international, where I was then employed, weekend partying was very normal activities among colleagues. Every Saturday, we would hit the clubs and drink until we dropped dead. On one of those days, while I was in a pub, boozing to my heart’s content, I got a call from the CEO of one of the companies I had applied for a job. I wasn’t prepared to receive that kind of phone call this late “come on, who calls you for an interview at 9 pm!” I picked up the phone, but man, I was so drunk, and this CEO guy over the phone started rambling on about his company and what it does. I wanted to shout at the top of my voice and tell him, “Hey man, would you just cut it! I am trying to have a good time with my friends.” However, I didn’t, even though I was drunk, I knew I needed the job, so I behaved and pulled myself together quickly and listened to him. “So, you are shortlisted for a face-to-face interview that we will have on Monday, at 10 am sharp.” I remembered mumbling something incoherent over the phone. “Are you alright?” the voice over the phone asked me. I am good at many things, but the one thing I can never, no matter how hard I try to excel at is lying. So I replied, “Umm…Hey Rana... Rany...What did you say your name

Executive editor reader’s interaction – teaser

was again? Sorry…whatever.” Thinking about it now, Lord, I had too much alcohol in me! “Umm... I am out with my friends drinking in a bar; this is not perfect timing for an interview.” “Oh, that is alright,” he continued talking in the same soft voice, “I like your honesty. But, hey, did you hear what I told you a while ago about the interview at 10, Monday?” “Hey, I am drunk, not deaf.” And surprisingly, this young stranger CEO guy on the other side of the phone started laughing. That was one thing I always liked about him. Ryan could laugh at anything and make you feel at ease at the same time. The interview went great. I was selected on-spot and asked to join the office team the very next day. My pay package was great, and my job description was perfect. Everything was great about this new place. The best part, however, was my boss, Ryan Johnson. Whenever we were together, we weren’t two grown-up adults, and we made up our own rules as we go! For instance, we had to implement

employees’ work from home policy to suit our needs, and instead of hiring the air-conditioned meeting room cabin, we will have the discussion over a long drive in his Mercedes. We would take mini smoke breaks and binge on Pizza. Days and nights went on at the same pace. I was oblivious to the fact that I was falling in love with him even though I knew absolutely nothing about him. It happened so naturally that I couldn’t give myself time to think if we were in the same league. Every evening, after the office, we would go to his villa located right outside the city and make love, go for dinner and enjoy life; we were almost living together. People at the office were always asking Inquisitive questions, and we were the point of conversations among coworkers. However, we both ignored them and moved on with our work and self-isolation. Ryan will not allow me to make friends at the office, we were always together, and he was incredibly supportive and protective. Fast forward to 6 months

WANPOT - Letter

later. Ryan called me in his office and handed me an envelope; I was extremely excited about what will be the content in the letter, I had a big smile on my face, thinking it was a promotion letter which we discussed two weeks ago; however, he wasn’t the laughing and smiling Ryan that morning, his face tells a different story from what his body language was convening outer. In a rush, I opened the envelope in front of him, even though he asked me not to, to my astonishment and disappointment, I was given a resignation letter. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Last night I had both luxury & love, and today, I was deprived of both. Then, I couldn’t complain because there were other people at the office opposite his office and I didn’t close the office door when I entered his office earlier. I just couldn’t insult him in front of them. I respected and loved him too much for such behavior. I asked him why, however, his answer was, it’s beyond me, I tried to protect you; however, I just can’t anymore, I am so sorry, in time you will understand and always remember that I love you. This is the first time he has ever used those words, I LOVE YOU, it sounded so sweet, it gives me goosebumps, and I just wanted to rip off his clothes and make love to him right there and then, however he could read me like a book and, therefore he turned his back towards me, in other for our eyes not to meet. I immediately stormed out of his office and went straight to my hostel room. In the evening, I tried calling him. But he wouldn’t pick up my calls or reply to any of my text messages. I don’t even know the actual reason why sacked me, but according to the letter, it stated irresponsible conduct at work. I just couldn’t think straight, it’s like everything around me was dead, including my very soul, I was used to his way of life, I was in love with him, I just wanted to hear his voice telling my it was one big misunderstanding. I knew what I did afterward was absolute madness; however, I was in such deep emotional agony that I took a knife

and slit my wrist, wishing I die. By the grace and love of God still upon life, my roommate came just in time and rushed me to a nearby hospital. By then, I had fainted because of all that blood I had lost. While the doctor was treating me, she called Ryan to tell him what had just happened. Ryan shouted at her asking her never to call that number again and put the phone down on her. In the morning, when I finally regained my senses, I saw Ryan standing over me with another woman. She was about my age, well educated, well respected, and looked powerful, too, by how she was looking at me as if she knew me more than I knew myself; she never spoke a word throughout their visit. It didn’t take me long to understand that this woman was his wife. “Ryan had a wife,” the thought was even sharper than the knife’s blade, which I used to cut myself. I just wanted the floor to open up, and I buried inside of it. One million thoughts ran through my mind within a short period to time. How come I never knew he was married, how come he’s only wearing his ring now, how come I was at his house every day and never saw any indication of a married man. Was I that dumb and blind? Now, he was yelling at the top of his voice. “One more phone call or message from you, and I will hand you over to the cops, and believe you me, I will make sure the prison key is thrown away for a very long time, and you will come out like an old woman. Are you crazy! For god sake, stop bothering me!” it was all one big mistake. Helping you doesn’t mean you have to take advantage of my family and me. My wife and I have this for you; this is my act of kindness; please do not call my phone anymore, and I want absolutely no contact from you or that friend of yours. However, this time, his tone of voice was calm and sweet. He places an envelope on my lap and holds his wife’s hand. That was it! I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up, garnered all the strength I could, and gave him a tight slap on his face. I left the hospital

room but not without wishing him good luck with finding a new Human resource manager for his office. By the time I came back, I had seen them leaving the Carpark with their bodyguards and luxury cars. When I opened the envelope, I noticed they wrote me a cheque for half a million dollars, in a small piece of paper note saying. FOR YOUR TROUBLES, REBUILD YOUR LIFE AND MAKE SOMETHING WORTH IT, I AM SORRY. It has been seven years now. Ryan still blocked me on his phone. To be honest, I don’t care, even though I sometimes call to hear his voicemail. One day I was supposed to give a talk as a keynote speaker at a millionaire club. I was on stage, giving my speech when I saw this dark chocolate, tall, handsome man Stressing at me from the crowd. All I could see was him; everything else went black, our eyes met, and was fix at each other gaze. After my talk he asked me for a dance, I was hesitant at first; however, I fell for it, and as we were dancing, he told me he was single and had been following all my footsteps for ten years. He told me his ex-wife was the owner of the company; her parents died and left him in charge. However, there was no love between them; it was all about family name and reputation. She sacked me and paid me off because she found out we were in love. She had a reputation to keep and a family name to uphold. My problem now is that I have a committed relationship and we are about to get married in seven months, Ryan has shown up, and I am still in love with him, I also own him all that I am today and that goosebumps yet again happened when I saw him. I am kindly asking you for your input, if you were in my situation, what would you do? What advice would you give to me as a Sister, a daughter, a friend, and a cousin? Please follow the #wanpotletter

WANPOT - Cover Story

F r a n c e s s K ay

WANPOT - Food

Jollof Rice

3 cups of jasmine rice or regular jasmine rice soaking 2 dried bay leaves 2 medium-sized red onions (1 sliced thinly, 2 roughly chopped), divided 4 carrots 1/2 a head of cabbage 2 bell peppers 3 scotch bonnet/ habanero peppers 1 cup of vegetable oil 2 cup tomato paste 3 cloves of garlic One packet of mix vegetable 4 small Maggi cube seasoning 1 tsp black pepper Salt to taste

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Instructions How to Cook the Rice 

Used a food processor to blend the scotch bonnet peppers and garlic into a rough paste and in a large pan, heat the oil and add the sliced onions and blended paste. Season with a pinch of salt, stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste, stir fry for 4 minutes. The tomato paste may start to brown a little.

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Add magi cube, black pepper, (your choice of seasoning). At this stage, taste the sauce for salt, and adjust to your preference and cook for another 5 minutes on low fire.

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Add the mixed vegetable to the sauce and the rinsed rice, add 7 and a half cups of water, stir well and cover the rice with a double piece of foil (I used 3 plastic bags) and put a lid on the pan, this will seal in the steam and give the rice more flavor, cook on low-medium heat for 15-20.

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Serve hot with fish, chicken or meat stew

WANPOT - Travel

WANPOT - Cover Story

My Mother Land Sierra Leone

Freetown, Sierra Leone

WANPOT - Cover Story

frica the world second largest continent

Africa the world richest in Mineral Resources Africa yet so poor and drained by its predators

The Children Are The Future

Africa the continent of dreamers and well-wishers Africa the continent of givers and takers The continent of wealth and most importantly the continent of LOVE. As the sound of the talking drums from West Africa to the djembe drum of South Africa call us in the diaspora back home, please join me and let us influence the next generation of inspiring leaders through our life’s journeys.

Sharing is learning learning is sharing Share your story with us at www.francesskay.com fkay@francess.com

LOVE TO BE PART OF WAN POT

NEXT PUBLICATION?

Get in contact with us  www.francesskay.com  fkay@francesskay.com francess.wanpot@gmail.com  Francess Kay  Francess Kay Wan Pot encourages everyone to share. Any Nationality, Any Background, We all have a life journey Let’s inspire, Let’s educate, Show some LOVE LOVE LOVE

he chronicles of Sinka exposes the reader to the realities that an African female child is exposed to. Especially in the not so modernized regions of the continent, ranging from female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, lack of education and martial law. The chronicles achieve by taking the reader on a journey through life from the view of Sinka Kanu.

The Chronicles of Sinka It takes the reader on an adventurous tale with many twists of fate. And the often unfortunate luck of the protagonist. It also shows a strong resolve that was able to surpass and survive all that life threw at it and shows what true love really looks like. The chronicle ends with a transformation in Sinka that makes her a solution to the problems of many with regard to sexual abuse and a source of hope to many.

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WAN POT MAGAZINE

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WAN POT MAGAZINE

WAN POT MAGAZINE