B is for Babies and Better Health
April 3, 2013
Here in the US we are blessed with many places mothers can take their children for maternal education, immunizations and care. Around the globe many mothers are not so fortunate. There are many global initiatives to help change this situation and improve the health of babies thus giving them a strong start in life. The upcoming Global Newborn Health Conference in South Africa is a wonderful event that will offer NGO’s, researchers and health experts the opportunity to come together. Through their collaborative work they will develop programs that will positively impact newborn health around the globe. The conference will challenge these experts to answer the questions ”Why are so many newborns in the poorest countries dying? And what can we do as a global community to save them?”
UN Photo/Albert González Farran
I encourage you to join me in spreading the word about this important event on April 15 -18 in Johannesburg, South Africa You can follow these organizations on Twitter for conference updates. You can also follow Dr. Gary Darmstadt (@gdarmsta), on Twitter. He is the Director of the Family Health Division of the Gates Foundation and will be tweeting daily “Did You Know?” facts about newborn health
UN Photo/Fardin Waezi
A is for Adventures in Ananse
April 1, 2013
A to Z Blogging Challenge
Today is the beginning of my A to Z Challenge Adventure part 2!! I can’t believe it but I am going to join the blogging fun again. My apologies to you for not giving any updates here for so long but my life as mother wife and more has been unrelenting lately. But I have missed my blogging moments and have decided to use the A to Z challenge as a wonderful opportunity to rededicate myself to the primary focus here Ananse Adventures ….. Ananse is the Adinkra symbol for Creativity. I hope to be tremendously inspired as I reach out creatively throughout this Challenge and the rest of the year.
So stay tuned for more Ananse Adventures right here in the Mocha Life !!
Ananse is the Adinkra symbol for creativity and wisdom
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1000 Shillings – Supporting Ananse
December 13, 2012
1000 Shillings
Around the globe there are many who sell their creative work to support themselves. Many times in third world countries the artisans do not receive adequate monetary compensation for their beautiful work. It is unfortunate that some large corporate organizations who can afford to pay higher sums, purchase the artistic work at very low prices and re-sell the work for quite large profits.
The organization 1000 shillings is working to highlight and showcase the beautiful bead work of several Ugandan woman at fair trade values. This wonderful organization was established to offer these women a platform to sell their beautiful products on the world market. Each sale will help the artisan to build towards establishing their own local business. This in turn will improve the life of the children and families of each woman. These sales also will improve the local economy thereby benefiting the entire community. With an improved local economy there is bound to more access to education/schools, improved infrastructure and more healthcare.
Ananse is the Adinkra symbol for creativity and wisdom
The beads being sold are all limited edition unique pieces of jewelry. With this being a season of giving we all should consider purchasing gifts that can truly make an impact!! You can learn more about the artisans, their beautiful jewelry and the great work being done at the 1000 Shillings webpage.
This post is a part of the Global Team of 200 Project developed by Mom Bloggers for Social Good. To learn more about how you can support this platform for positive change in our world visit MomBloggersforSocialGood.com
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A New Holiday Tradition – Giving Tuesday
November 25, 2012
Each year we all enjoy many holiday traditions with family and friends that bring big bright smiles to those we love. Here in US the Friday after Thanksgiving has become a HUGE shopping date known as Black Friday. The development of the cyber world has brought the addition of Cyber Monday ….. a big Internet shopping date. We all now have the opportunity to add a great tradition to this string – Giving Tuesday!!
This coming Tuesday November 27, 2012 many charities, families, businesses and individuals are coming together to transform the way people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. What a wonderful new tradition to add to the holiday giving season!!!
There are many ways to join this great giving campaign. Visit the Giving Tuesday website and find resources, ideas and most importantly great ways to get involved.
Together we can make a difference and create a tradition of generosity!
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Nutrition and Notes – World Food Program Delivers in Bolivia
October 22, 2012
WFP
Around the globe there are so many children that go to bed hungry each day. The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. Through voluntary donations this non-profit organization is bringing nutritious meals to hungry children in many countries of the world. School meal programs provided by this organization act as a nutritional safety net for poor families. This helps keep children in school thereby giving the family a brighter future.
The Huarimarca School located in Bolivia is just one of the many sites where The World Food Program offers school meals daily. The WFP has created a wonderful opportunity for us to join them in getting to know the children attending this school. They are currently collecting notes, messages Huarimarca School . What a wonderful chance to send a positive note across the miles showing support and encouragement to these little students.
To send a note to the students at Huarimarca School
(click image below)
Send a note or question
WOFORO DUA PA A -Adinkra symbol that represents support and encouragement
This post is a part of the Global Team of 200 Project developed by Mom Bloggers for Social Good. To learn more about how you can support this platform for positive change in our world visit MomBloggersforSocialGood.com
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United Kingdom Sankofa Wishes
October 15, 2012
Sending beautiful Sankofa wishes to those celebrating Black History Month in the United Kingdom this month!! Peace and blessings always.
Sankofa is the Adinkra symbol that reminds us to Return and Get what has been left behind.
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naturally Isis Presents 2nd annual Natural Hair Parade
Duafe is the Adinkra Symbol for beauty and this morning I was sooooo honored to be able to speak with a true pioneer and ambassador for African Beauty across the Diaspora–
the amazing Naturally Isis.
For the second year Isis Brantley of Naturally Isis brings us the Natural Hair Parade and Festival in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas.
This parade and festival is the first of it kind celebrating African Beauty. Naturally Isis is always teaching and sharing concepts of empowerment thru self love being a huge focus of this parade and festival.
If you are anywhere close to Dallas Metro area I encourage you to head over and join the fun
….. on Saturday, September 1st to be a part of this amazing event.
Listen in below to my chat with this amazing lady and learn more about Naturally Isis, her inspiration to host this special event – truly a beautiful labor of love and about all the special activities planned for September 1st.
Here is a link to the chat we enjoyed
I encourage you to consider offering donations to this amazing event to assist with the education and empowerment of women through DUAFE
Please contact the Outreach Coordinator at (404) 944-6439
or visit Naturally Isis Natural Hair Online
Naturally Isis teaching about the tradition of Duafe
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UK DOCUMENTARY: KICKIN IT WITH THE KINKS (TRAILER)
August 29, 2012
KICKIN' IT WITH THE KINKS is a documentary that explores the complexities of haircare among women and especially among women of African descent. While many have opted to be part of the growing trend of 'going natural' others continue to go through great lengths to achieve unnaturally long flowy hair.
The history of afro-textured hair is re-visited, norms derived from these explored and the dangers of chemical products unveiled.
Celebrating Olympic Aya
August 5, 2012
This week I have been blessed to be able to follow all the amazing physical feats of the athletes in London for 2012 Olympics. Seeing the wonderful array of countries represented has been a true treat for this “student of the world” !! One of the things we all admire about the Olympic athletes is how much they have gone thru and endured to get to the level of performance we see during the games. This concept of endurance and resourcefulness is expressed in the Adinkra symbols as Aya. If the Olympics had been developed in Ghana the medals probably would have had the Aya symbol engraved on them. It is said that those who wear the symbol have truly endured many adversaries and outlasted much difficulty – something I am sure the Olympians could easily discuss with us.
Adinkra symbol Aya represents endurance
I have enjoyed seeing the tweets of support for these amazing athletes from around the world in my Twitter timeline. This morning I received several RT ‘s from @Afridiziak that she received via the UK Postal Service (@PostOffice) about the stamps they have created celebrating UK gold medalists. Here is the stamp they have created for the UK Olympian Mo Farah. He truly is an athlete that exemplifies the concept of the Aya symbol during his career as a long distance runner.
Mo Farah Olympic Gold Medalist
So this is a salute to celebrate the wonderful athletes and the strong message they tell the world — Wave the flag of Aya over all you do and you will see amazing results.
Get Crowned via Instagram!
July 9, 2012
Queens x Crowns is on instagram and ready to crown YOU! Follow QxC at [queensxcrowns] and tag your photos "#queensxcrowns" to have your crown featured on the timeline! You can follow on twitter at the same handle! QxC also has to shout out this awesome artist Rik Lee who drew this beautiful illustration! You can find him on IG at !
