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Michelle Obama is encouraging children stuck at home to keep reading

As the pandemic has put a close on schools at the moment, studying should not be put on hold. Michelle Obama has partnered with PBS for a weekly reading series for children. The Public Broadcasting Service is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor.

PBSKids announced the “Mondays with Michelle Obama” partnership via Twitter saying, “In this weekly read-along series, she’ll read 4 of her favorite children’s books (one book every Monday)… [starting with ] “The Gruffalo.”

 

PBS KIDS

✔@PBSKIDS

Join us for “Mondays with @MichelleObama!” In this weekly read-along series, she’ll read 4 of her favorite children’s books (one book every Monday). It begins Mon. @ 12pm ET with “The Gruffalo” on @PBSKIDS & @PenguinRandomHouse Facebook pages!

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Busola Dakolo shares a message of courage to everyone in this tough times

Busola makes it clear that  it was her way of telling people to be brave enough to deal with an unpleasant situation.

She wrote:

“So I wore my husband’s double breasted suit,Tie and shoes. My idea of saying, it is a Tough world out there, So Man Up.”

Photo Credit: @busoladakolo

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Halimah Tauheed: LOVE

Dear Alexandria,
I know that you are full of questions.
Would you ever get that full-funded scholarship to Canada?
Would you ever get a job that paid enough to let you stop stretching funds as far as they can go?
Would you eventually meet Mr. Tall, fair, rich, handsome and kind who wants you to make you his Mrs.?
Would you ever have kids?
Would you ever be slim and beautiful?
Would you ever have a house of your own and finally a bedroom with floor-to-ceiling curtains?
Would you ever write a fantastic piece?
Would you ever find solutions to your problems?
Would you ever find your way?
Would you ever get a break?
First of all, I want you to know that you questions are valid and getting answers to them would make life just fantastic. But have you ever considered that the “problem” might stem from your outlook on like generally. From the way these questions are structured, it is proof that you tend to see the dark side of things first or most of the time. Have you ever considered looking for the silver lining i.e see things from a more positive angle?
Worst case scenario, you are not destined to get a scholarship, would it be so bad if you had to continue your education in Nigeria?
If you want to be slim, then work towards it. Eat healthier and exercise. Staring at the mirror daily won’t help you. And who says you are not beautiful? You? Society? Never hold yourself to the standards of what society accepts as “beautiful”.
You don’t have a fantastic piece yet but with practice, who is to say you won’t?
You don’t get a break when you have not worked your shift. Are you putting in the work?
I think it is time that you accepted that the answers you seek would never be handed to you that easily. There is no fairy godmother for that. The answers would reveal themselves as you make your journey through life, sometimes after a detour or two along the way.
Maybe you need to be asking yourself some other questions.
Why you are afraid to take the next step in the dark?
Why are you hesitant to stumble along the way?
Is it so important to know the answers you seek before you embark on the journey?
Would it be so bad if you didn’t receive the answers you sought but were still gifted with equally good answers?
Why do you continue to live in fear?

We know that COVID-19 has brought on the end of the world as we know it, but were you assured that you are going to see the new world from the get go?
We all know that the world would end someday, that we would die someday yet we are enjoined to live till the very end.
What are you waiting for?
I know it is very hard to watch people around you have all these things on a platter but know that everyone struggles. Every single person, some more than others.
I know it is difficult to look at yourself and see who you really are but I want to assure you that you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for.
You are a smart, strong, wonderful and beautiful person.
You do so much for everyone else. It is time to expend the same energy on you. You are so much stronger than you know. You just need to push a little bit harder and keep pushing.
Don’t give up and don’t give in.
You need to work on not getting angry so much.
Forgive everyone who has hurt you and release the pain you have carried for so long.
They say you are patient, a little more won’t harm anyone.
Don’t try so hard to be heard. Those who matter do.
Smile a little bit more.
I know life has not made it easy to trust anyone, but try.
Don’t worry about the ones you expect help from. Know that help will always come.
Your sister really admires how much you used to pray. Don’t lose that.
Don’t stop looking after your hair. And maybe you could start washing it every week.
And never stop being kind. It is the most important trait you can ever have.
I am so sorry that it took this long to say this but better late than never.
Remember that it is okay to stop along the way but never abandon the journey that is life.
And happiness is not a destination.
It is the entire journey.
With all my love,
You

 

About the Author

Halimah currently works as a lecturer at the Department of Library and Information
Technology,Federal University of Technology, Minna. She relaxes by reading and watching movies.
She is in love with cake and chocolate.

Halimah believes that a woman can achieve all that she aspires to be.

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Meet Ramla Ali, first Muslim woman to win a boxing title for England

Ramla Ali who was bullied at school for being overweight, took up a boxing career. Now she’s a British boxing champion, a model and the first Muslim woman to win a boxing title for England.

The amateur featherweight boxer was prepared to be the first boxer to represent her home country Somalia at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo this August until the corona virus pandemics struck.

As a child, her family fled Somali during the war after her eldest brother, who was just nine at the time, died as a result of a grenade that was thrown into their front garden as they played. Her family took refuge in London.

Due to her beginnings, she doesn’t seem to have a birth record. Although she believes she is between the ages of 27 and 30. “I genuinely don’t know the date, the month, the year,” she told Evening Standard.

Ramla-Ali
Pic Credit: Getty Images

A major secret she kept from her family is she took up boxing to knock off her weight, her mother thought it was immodest for women to play sports.

“When you come from an African household, education is key, ” her mother used to say, but she is her “number-one fan” today.

According to her, the first time she entered her local gym in East Ham, London, she had to wait up to 40 minutes to use the changing rooms because there were no facilities for women. “I was the only girl there,” she said.

In 2016, she became the best amateur boxer in the country in her weight division; she won the Elite National Championships, English Title Series and the Great British Elite Championships. In 2018, she represented her birth country, Somalia at an international level.

Somalia had no boxing federation so Ali and her husband and trainer Richard Moore created a boxing federation in the UK. Ali now travels around the world for competitions.

Ramla-Ali
Pic Credit: Getty Images

As model she was shot for British Vogue’s September 2019 “Forces For Change” issue, she said: “To see girls that look like me, with an afro, on the cover of magazines is amazing.”

“Beauty is 100% strength within yourself,” Ali said. “You have to feel it – that’s what beauty means to me. There are so many pretty women out there, but if you don’t feel like a beautiful person inside then you’ve gone from a ten to a two. As cheesy as it sounds, I truly believe that.”

She is gives back to her community by volunteering to teach self-defense classes to “predominately hijab-wearing” women, between the ages of 20-40, in south London once a week.

Full article here

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A 68-year Old First Time Mother Successfully Delivers Twin

A 68 year first time mother has been delivered of twins in Lagos University Teaching.

Her pregnancy was achieved artificially through IVF. Delivery through Ceaserian Section. Everything was successful as mother and babies are doing fine. With LUTH taken to their twitter page to break the news below;

This happens to be the oldest confirmed verifiable mother in Nigeria and in Africa.

God Is Good.

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Meet Courtney Adeleye founder of Mane choice haircare product, and her CEO young daughter

The Mane Choice has been a well known haircare product for years. And founder Courtney Adeleye, has been passionately educating, encouraging and inspiring other women in America and globally.

Now, she is teaching her 5-year-old daughter, Lily Adeleye the ropes. She is keen on teaching that one needs to take full control of their financial futures.

Adeleye can be found helping others going through financial hardships and dropping gems on lessons that she has learned in business. Her products are on the shelves in hundreds of Target stores and her daughter’s Frilly hair bows can now be found not too far from her mom’s.

“From the time Lily was 3, I knew then she had a business mindset. At an early age, as she watched me build a successful business from the ground up, it exposed her to many possibilities and goals, so with that, we didn’t wait until she was an adult to help her pursue them.”

And if you ask Lily, she’ll tell you she is the boss. “I own my own company. I don’t just like it, I love it,” exclaims Lilly. In fact, she is the youngest CEO ever to retail at the superstore.

According to Adeleye, this accomplishment is one near to her heart as a mother and a businesswoman. “Being the first Mother/Daughter duo to hit shelves in one of the largest retail stores in the world is still surreal to us. It’s history. It’s life-changing and it should definitely be celebrated,” says Adeleye.

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Why China must pay Nigeria, other African countries – Ezekwesili

There has been a widespread financial challenge globally, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. As so, Oby Ezekwesili former Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa division has therefore called on China to take responsible actions to support Africans financially. She shared her opinion in an op-ed for Washington’s Post, below:

The covid-19 pandemic has dealt a severe injury to Africa’s development prospects and worsened the conditions of its poor and vulnerable. Although there are calls for voluntary international aid to support the continent during this difficult time, this is far from the best solution.

The continent must be accorded damages and liability compensation from China, the rich and powerful country that failed to transparently and effectively manage this global catastrophe. Africa’s economic gains since the last global crisis have been eroded. It is time to make offending rich countries pay the poor ones a global risk burden tax for delaying their rise out of poverty.

Today, Africa is home to more than 70 percent of the world’s poorest people, with more than 400 million living below the poverty line. It is no surprise that it is disproportionately vulnerable to this crisis. It should not suffer even more because yet another powerful country failed to act responsibly.

China should immediately announce a complete write-off of the more than $140 billion that its government, banks and contractors extended to countries in Africa between 2000 and 2017. This would provide partial compensation to African countries for the impact that the coronavirus is already having on their economies and people.

The analysis of the balance of compensation due to Africa can then follow from discussions with the Africa Union and its member countries, alongside global and regional organizations including the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the European Union.

Our world is long overdue for a change of approach in the way it manages global risks that leave the poor worse off due to failures of the rich and powerful. The current model of development assistance is broken and can never deliver any real change of fortune for the most vulnerable. We need a new model that strengthens people to engage in the design of their pathway out of poverty and builds economic resilience.

The current conditions mirror what happened during the 2008 global financial crisis. In my time as the vice president in charge of the World Bank’s operations in Africa, we had to mobilize internal and partner resources to mitigate the severity of the economic recession suffered by the continent. Exogenous shocks dealt a lethal blow to the countries’ decade-long steady rises of economic growth, which had averaged 5 to 6 percent annually until tumbling to 2.4 percent in 2009.

This sharp fall ended Africa’s upward economic growth trajectory and sent per capita income tumbling. It increased inequality and the number of Africans in absolute poverty. Such fragile and low economic growth rates for a continent with one of the world’s highest concentrations of young people and annual population growth rate of about 2.5 percent is a key reason for widespread multidimensional poverty — a threat that carries seeds of global insecurity and instability.

The economic shock caused by the coronavirus has badly reduced the opportunity Africa would otherwise have had to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. The African Union Commission estimates that Africa’s gross domestic product will shrink by as much as 4.5 percent, resulting in 20 million job losses.

This has dangerously hampered the possibility that Africa can generate jobs for young people and women, or increase literacy levels by reducing the number of out-of-school children with access to quality learning opportunities. It will result in lessened ability to reduce maternal and child mortality, improve nutrition and food security, make reliable energy available and accessible, improve the availability of quality roads, water, sanitation, and other infrastructure, and such other investments in public goods.

China, a country that only within the past four decades has managed to lift more than 850 million people out of poverty, would understand how critical it is for African countries to accelerate inclusive growth. While economies in Asia, Europe and the Americas have announced hefty emergency stimulus packages for their people and businesses, countries in Africa struggle to meet short-term food needs.

Most of Africa’s countries simply do not have the buffer required for fiscal relief in times of crisis, because they were already severely constrained by budgetary crises caused by poor domestic revenue mobilization, high public debts and low productivity. The parlous public finances of these countries worsened due to volatility in commodity prices as the pandemic worsened.

Africa faces frequent shocks caused by climate, terrorism, health issues, food insecurity, crime and other sources of risk. Most of these perils emanate from the failures of the rich and powerful economies, but end up inflicting a disproportionate share of the poor and vulnerable.

China should demonstrate world leadership by acknowledging its failure to be transparent on covid-19. Beijing’s leadership should then commit to an independent expert panel evaluation of its pandemic response. China and the rest of the Group of 20 countries should engage with the Africa Union and countries to design a reparations mechanism.

It is time for rich economies to show that our world is capable of doing right by the poor and vulnerable.

China must pay.

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How Much Water is actually Needed to Drink to Lose Weight?

Water is essential when it comes to losing weight. According to the medical website Everyday Health, water is an important part of all body functions and processes, including digestion and elimination. When you’re on a diet, water also acts as a weight-loss aid because it can help you eat less. How much of the water do you actually need and what role does it play in the body?

How does water reduce metabolism?
People who drink water instead of sugary drinks are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off, according to the website Healthline, whose editorial team is comprised of medical clinicians. This is because sugary drinks contain calories, so replacing them with water automatically reduces your calorie intake. Studies have shown that drinking 17 ounces (0.5 liters) of water increases resting metabolism by 10–30% for about an hour. This calorie-burning effect may be even greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy to heat it up to body temperature.

Water can also help fill you up. Studies show that drinking water a half an hour before you eat can help you eat less, according to the National Library of Medicine. One study of overweight adults found that those who drank half a liter of water before their meals lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t.

How much water do you need?
Everyone says eight glasses (8 ounces) of water a day. But that’s changed. It actually depends on your size and weight, and also on your activity level and where you live according to WebMD. Overall, you should try to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75 to 150 ounces of water a day. If you’re living in a hot climate and exercising a lot, you’d be on the higher end of that range; if you’re in a cooler climate and mostly sedentary, you’d need less.

What are the digestive health benefits of water?
Water also helps you digest your food properly, states WebMD. Water allows your kidneys to function properly and filter everything they need to and allows us to eliminate effectively and not be constipated. People who don’t get enough fluids in their diet tend to be constipated.

Additionally, the single biggest cause of painful kidney stones is chronic dehydration. When you don’t get enough water, calcium and other minerals build up in your urine and are harder for your body to filter out. They can form the crystals that make up kidney and urinary stones.

Original source :WOMEN WORKING

https://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/the-importance-of-water-in-your-diet-plan.aspx
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-ways-to-boost-metabolism#section2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21750519
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17519319
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24179891
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19661958
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-for-weight-loss-diet#2

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#RubyGirls| “Charity runs in the blood of my family” – Miracle Sulieyol Igbokoh

Miracle Sulieyol Igbokoh popularly known as Mimi is a Law graduate of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun state and also the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Campus.

Mimi who hails from Benue State is the founder of Mirabell Child Education Foundation, an impactful NGO where she and her team reach out to school children and widows.

Let’s meet you. Who is Mimi?

My name is Miracle Sulieyol Igbokoh, I am from Benue State. I am a Law graduate from Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State.


Also a fresh graduate from the Nigerian Law School, Abuja Campus.
I am the Founder of MIRABELL CHILD EDUCATION FOUNDATION.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are reading, making research, travelling, singing and making friends.

What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is to fail my parents, siblings and everyone that look up to me.

Best quote

There is no impossibility for him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard.
The fearful are the failing – Sarah J. Hale.

You are the founder of Mirabell Child Education Foundation where you reach out to school children and widows. What inspired you to start your own foundation and what fueled your desire to start?

Charity runs in the blood of my family.
Growing up, I have always watched my parents make sacrifices for people to our detriment.


I remember one time, we had nothing at home to eat, someone called my dad and requested for an urgent help, my dad at that time just received a payment he was supposed to use to get food for the house and pay our fees, instead of using the money to do the basic things we needed at home, my dad used the money to assist his friend.
So growing up and witnessing how it is so easy for my parents to give, it became a huge part of me and it has also helped in shaping me into the lady that I am today. So for me, charity has always been an inborn pleasure. Right from when I was growing up, I have always loved to put smiles on the faces of people around me. There’s this fulfillment I have, when ever God helps me to meet the need of people. It makes me happy.
I feel like being a care giver is my purpose in life.
I received God’s go ahead to register the NGO on the 24th February 2014. Registering the NGO was to make it official, so it can be accessible to everyone who is interested in being a sponsor or a partner.

Did your upbringing in anyway contribute to everything you do now?

YES.
My immediate environment constitute 75% of the things I do.

What are the major challenges young people who desire to have their own foundations face? Any personal experience and how were you able to deal with these challenges?

It is not easy starting up an NGO.
Almost everyone these days wants to have an NGO, and most who are in the position to help, have supported NGO’S that ended up using the funds that was donated to them for personal use instead of impacting the lives of the people that need it the most.
So getting financial assistance is difficult.
It’s not like I have outgrown that stage, but God has been faithful and has always come through for MICEF.
Since the official registration of my NGO, it has been my personal resources and support from my parents that has financed our outreachs.
During our most recent outreach in February, where we reached out to a school in Mararaba, Nasarawa state and we reached out to widows in Shiloh praise International church in Bwari, along Kaduna road. We had supports from my family, siblings and a few friends. For now, we don’t have sponsors yet, so for me I’ll say getting funds are the major challenges in owning an NGO.

Mention three women who inspire you to be better

1. Mrs Anthonia Igbokoh (My Mom)
2. Mrs Gloria Elijah
3. Mrs Ibukun Awosika

If given the chance to be the President of Nigeria for a day, what will you change?

I would try to eradicate poverty by making sure there are industries in every community within the 36 state in Nigeria, to ensure families in the bottom level get an opportunity to feed at least three times in a day, by creating employment opportunities for their children who are graduate or for themselves.
These industries would serve has a means of employment.

You are a graduate of Law from Joseph Ayo Babalola University and also a graduate of the Nigerian law school, Abuja campus. How has the study of Law influenced you as a person? Any future plans in that field?

Studying law has sharpened my mind, strengthened my understanding and deepened my experience across the full range of humanities and social sciences. It has also broadened my breadth of understanding. Having a law degree equips me for almost any profession that requires intellectual strength combined with a practical approach to the world.
And yes, I have plans of God in the judiciary, God willing.

Notable activities or achievements of Mirabell Foundation? Any memorable or defining moment with the foundation?

The defining moment for me, was during our last outreach to the widows in Bwari, during my interaction with the widows they said our coming was a divine intervention for them, telling me how even getting a cup of rice was difficult for them, I felt fulfilled being able to reach out to them.

The number of widows we had was beyond our expectation.

Another defining moment for me, was how God miraculously provided all we needed for the outreach, two weeks to the outreach we only had 5k in the account, in the space of few days God used the C.E.O of Peaceful Peace Import and Export Investment Company to donate 100k, that was someone I have never met or spoken to before. I was really overwhelmed with joy. It was a defining moment for me, because it was the first 100k support we have ever gotten from an outsider.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

With the help of God, I see myself in the next 5 years impacting more lives and becoming more. I also see us having an office for Mirabell Child Education Foundation and not just reaching out to people within Abuja, I see us touching lives in the 36 states of Nigeria and even outside Nigeria as a country.

If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them?

My advice to them would be; They should believe in themselves, with the help of God they can achieve anything they set their hearts to do.
And they should make proper use of their time, in order to achieve their goals in due time.

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How Regular exercise could benefit your immunity

Staying at home has become a s part of social distancing measures to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus. In some countries currently, people are being encouraged to exercise once a day.

Although, there have been some wrong assumptions that exercise suppress the immune system. This is wrong because exercise benefits our immune system. In fact, it has been found to improve the way people respond to vaccines.

A study has show that people who are active get fewer respiratory tract infections per year than less-active people. So, exercise doesn’t suppress immunity – instead, it may help the immune system function better.

At a basic level, the immune system has three main lines of defence. Exercise helps maintain the normal function of each of these.

“Regular moderate intensity aerobic exercise – such as walking or jogging – is beneficial for maintaining normal immune function. You should aim to do about 150 minutes of these types of exercise a week,” stated some UK lecturers.

Resistance exercise such as Weightifting also has clear benefits for health and wellbeing in general, being a resistance ecercise, it alleviates psychological distress, and helps in maintaining strength, balance and coordination.

Due to the current circumstances, it’s important to exercise in isolation and maintain good personal hygiene, washing hands following exercise.

In addition,  you should also pay attention to getting a good night’s sleep and maintaining a healthy diet to give the body its best chance at fighting off infections.

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