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#7QUESTIONS| “I FIND SOLACE IN MY WRITINGS” – SALOME AUGUSTINE

Taraba State born Salome Augustine is  a teacher, a global citizen, and a volunteer. She answers our famous #7questions
1. What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is the fear of not being able to face my fears. (Feeling too inadequate)
2.  In your darkest moments, what do you do?
In my darkest moments: I cry sometimes. I find solace in my writings and I listen to lots of music. I talk to friends who I know understand me better but above all, I project myself in the future because I know after the tears, the eyes see more clearer.
3.  What is that one thing you would like to change about yourself?
The only thing I would love to change about myself is not letting anyone bully me into accepting what I don’t like/want.
4.  Where do you see yourself five years from now?
 Five years from now I see myself in a UN or AU office as of an African youth envoy making positive change, especially concerning the global goals.
5.  What keeps you going?
The things that keeps me going are the facts that I know personally  that one man can be the change the world needs. And also seeing that my generation are doing much to make the world a better place to live.
6.   What is your stand on feminism? Do you consider yourself a feminist?
Even though some people have given feminism another definition entirely, for me I believed feminism is a great movement. Going by the historical events that dated back from 19th century till date. I’m glad that feminism promote the equality of women and of girl child.
Yes I considered myself a feminist.
7.  What keeps you up at night?
What keeps me up at night most times are my thoughts. Sometimes mood swings.
***Want to be featured on our #7questions? Send a mail to info@womenofrubies.com
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“I AM COMMITTED TO ENDING ALL FORMS OF NATURAL HAIR DISCRIMINATION IN AFRICA” – CHIOMA JOY EZECHUKWU-ALAEBO

Natural hair advocate; Chioma is a 26 year old young entrepreneurand final year student of Abia State Polytechnic, studying Public Administration.

Her unfortunate experience with hair relaxers and dyes launched her into advocacy. Chioma, who had spent the last three years of her life growing a healthy natural hair, is a social innovator who creates awareness on natural hair advocacy. She founded Black Hair Community and other online platforms where she has trained more than 1000 women across Africa how to grow healthy natural hair with ease. She also launched her cosmetics brand; Favent Beauty Cosmetics 2017, Because of her passion for Natural Hair Care Education, and published her first book “Healthy Hair Secrets” same year. A book that explains what every woman’s healthy hair checklist should be.

Chioma is committed to ending all forms of Natural Hair Discrimination in Africa and encouraging African women to embrace their natural hair. She is currently working on a Natural Hair Documentary in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (10) that will expose the hair discrimination against African women and their children.

On the 25th of May, 2019, she hosted the first ever Natural Hair Growth Hangout in Aba, Abia State, where she had guest speakers and lots of natural hair lovers in attendance, the event went viral on Facebook and opened her up to more opportunities globally.

In her words: “Our hair is more than just hair. It is our identity”.

The beautiful “Naturalista” who is also happily married to her supportive husband shares her story with me in this interview.

Childhood Influence

My childhood really prepared me for what I do today. I was born into a family where mum was a petty trader and dad , a carpenter; I was faced with visiting the markets after school. Though, I had always wanted to be a lawyer, my childhood and environment rather prepared me for business and entrepreneurship. After secondary school, I couldn’t further my education immediately because of lack of funds. I was left with getting a job at Tonimas Nigeria Limited Aba to work as a factory worker. My experience in that company left a vacuum in my life that being just an employee will never fill. My stay there was one of the things that inspired me to be a business owner. Not just a business owner like a mere trader. But, to become a company owner. I stopped aspiring to be a lawyer immediately. And started dreaming to own a company of my own. The saying that our environment influences our thoughts is so true. I saw how a company is being managed , how jobs are being created, and how money is being made. As an 18 year old Igbo girl, It affected my thought pattern.

Inspiration behind your Black hair community initiative and my  book Healthy hair secrets

When i was in JSS 2, I wrote one funny novel in form of a drama. I will say reading lots of books in primary school inspired the writing of the novel then. And, I have always wanted to be an author but don’t really know what to write on. I grew up knowing that the novel I wrote then was a trash compared to the books I see people publish. So, I had to let that aspiration of being an author die. Fast forward to 2017, I met a phenomenal lady by name Edirin Edewor on Facebook who advertised a free webinar to teach young people how to write a book with ease and publish it on Amazon. I had to grab the opportunity immediately. At the end of the power packed webinar, I learnt all that I need to actually become an author and I bought her book ” A-Z of E-book Publishing “. Having created a niche for myself in the Beauty Industry already, I decided to write a book that will give answers to numerous questions asked by various women concerning natural hair growth. Healthy Hair Secrets which is a hair care checklist, is a book I’m still proud I wrote. All thanks to Edirin Edewor

Reception

My journey into the Natural Hair Care Industry since 2016 to this point has been a roller coaster. Sometimes, I feel so bad and frustrated because of what I encounter daily on this journey. When i was starting, I reached out to some women who are already in the Natural Hair Care Industry to learn one thing or the other from them as a newbie. I got turned down and ignored by most of these women that I had to push myself harder learning most of the things I know today on my own. It was frustrating. It affected my self-esteem and confidence. I felt I wasn’t enough. The mental note this experience created on my mind is still fresh that I hardly go to women to seek for help or advice today. The experience made me determined and I am happy with the great reception I get daily from my customers, clients and prospective ones, I believe that the world is actually my stage. I’m just scratching the surface now. More grounds to conquer.

My Inspiration

The hunger to solve the Natural Hair problems faced by African women, and the successful stories of African business women all over the world inspire me to never back out of this journey but stay put in working hard and smart.

Greatest reward

Apart from being awarded the 2017 Start-up of the Year by Vision Alive Foundation after I launched my cosmetics brand- Favent Beauty Cosmetics, my greatest reward for what I do has been the recommendations and referrals I get daily from my customers and clients. They keep telling everyone about me. They keep announcing me to the world. They keep recommending me whenever someone laments about her natural hair. To many, these things may not be rewards. But to me, the recommendations and referrals are my greatest rewards for what I do.

Challenges as a Natural hair advocate

Not having a physical school here in Nigeria that offers Trichology ( the study of human scalp). Though there are online schools that offer this course, having a Nigerian physical school that teaches this will make a lot of sense. It is the foundation of every hair care business and should be offered in Nigerian schools just like every other courses. The absence of this is really affecting the natural hair care practice in Nigeria. Also, not being able to solve the problem of a client after trying out possible solutions is really challenging though I refer them to certified Trichologists. Getting natural hair women that are open to collaboration and partnership is tough. Really tough. But we will keep digging.

Media should do more

The media platforms and social media influencers in Africa are not helping in projecting the advocacy for natural hair. They will charge you to feature your works on their platforms. When you write to them to invite you to a radio show for you to educate the African women on the dangers of using unsafe hair care products like relaxers and permanent dyes or how to take care of their hair, they will ask you to pay them. When you can’t pay them, you won’t be featured and  a lot souls keep living in ignorance.

My Natural hair documentary project in line with the UN SDG

 I got the inspiration for this project after coming across and witnessing first hand a lot of abuses faced by myself and other African women just because of our God given natural hair. When I returned natural, I was bullied by my coursemates in school but I was able to pull through. That wasn’t the case of my younger sister who is also a victim of  hair discrimination, verbal abuse and bully .The Natural Hair Documentary will  tell the story of Afro hair as an African identity, the dread hair discrimination against African women and their children, the emotional, physical and verbal abuse faced by African women and their children just because of their Afro hair, the inequality eating deep into our society just because of Afro hair, and the way forward. In line with the United Nation’s SDGs (10 target 3), my team and I are working to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard through this documentary project.

Being a Woman of Rubies 

My story! Yes, my unique story is and will remain an inspiration to so many women out there. My goal is to use every possible medium or platform to solve the natural hair challenges  faced by African women being my greatest weapon, and my inspiration to be a natural hair care giver and problem solver. All these attributes make me a Woman of Rubies.

Appreciation of black women “Naturalista”

We are not well appreciated at all! The verbal abuse, bullies, hair discrimination, mockery, assault, etc, it’s so alarming. Who did we offend? Why the hate? Why can’t we enjoy growing our God given natural hair ?

Advice for women who are having trouble with their r natural hair way and basic natural hair tips for beginners

Moisture is the Key! And to keep your hair moisturised, it is imperative to know the porosity level of your hair. Hair Porosity which simply means the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, is what actually determines the products your hair needs and what your hair care regimen should be. Growing a healthy natural hair will become easy for you when you learn to treat your hair rightly. Stop using hair products because every other person is using it. Find out what actually works or can work for you. First step is carrying out a porosity test on your natural hair.

HOW TO TEST YOUR HAIR POROSITY LEVEL:

* Wash your hair thoroughly to get rid of any product buildups and air dry.

* Cut out a strand of your clean hair.

* Drop the hair strand in a glass of water.

* Pay attention to see if it sinks or floats.

* If it floats, it is low porosity hair.

* If it sinks, it is high porosity hair.

* And if stays at the middle of the water, it is normal or medium porosity hair.

Congratulations, now you know the porosity level of your hair.

This will help you know the products and hair care regimen your hair needs.

Advice for young women who want to go into my line of work

Hey Queens! My advice for you is a simple one. Do not stop learning. Be knowledgeable. Be your greatest cheerleader. Equip your brain. Remain focused. Volunteer and intern when you see an opportunity to do that. Attend events and network with like minds. Read books. Finally, invest in your personal development in any way that you can because  personal brand sells faster. The world is your stage. See you at the top.

You can join my Facebook group (BLACK HAIR COMMUNITY) or follow my personal blog instagram page (@naturalhairadvocate) and my business page (@faventbeautyorganics) to learn natural hair tips that are result oriented and works.

Growing your natural hair can be very easy when done the right way.

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31-YEAR-OLD WOMAN BECOMES YOUNGEST MAYOR IN HISTORY AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH HIV AT 17

She had been a good girl and must have wondered what cruel fate must have been forced on her. Her life immediately changed. She was maligned by her family members, with a different bottle of water to drink water.

They also felt the need to be extra-careful on anything Jo-Ann had used. It wasn’t their fault, but a limited information in a dark world without sufficient information on a disease they knew nothing of, but that it kills.

In 2013, Jo-Ann told Namib Times that, “It all started out as being an innocent young child at school, and then I fell pregnant. I was 5 months pregnant at the time when I received a phone call from the doctor saying I needed to come in immediately. I got there and there was a crowd waiting to tell me I have AIDS and was going to die.”

She later told UNICEF that, “The only thing I knew about HIV was that it was a death sentence. I didn’t want to die. I was only a kid and had a lot of dreams. Even my own mother changed when I told her about my status. And the same thing happened over and over again in the family, in the community, in the city. I just couldn’t be with others anymore. I was denied all rights.”

The then young girl reached her breaking point when her school’s principal told her to stop coming to school, “That was my breaking point, because I loved school, even if I were pregnant and HIV-positive. At that moment I was hopeless.”

When her mother started planning her funeral, she left for her grandmother’s place in Witvlei, Namibia. She accepted her. From there, she started learning about HIV and enrolled in a UNICEF programme on antiretroviral drugs that separated her disease from her child.

“Remi is 13 years old now. He is my strength and my courage. He made me wake up every morning and keep dreaming, keep believing and have hope.” She says of her son.

After Remi’s birth, Jo-Ann returned to school and earned a qualification in project management, then became an advocate for HIV/AIDS and told her story in her book, A Diary from the Land of the Brave.

From there, she rose to distinguished assemblies like the 2007 United Nations General Assembly, before becoming the toast of Witvlei to become their mayor at 26 and pioneered a huge housing project for the poor and desolate.

She says, “In 2010, the same community that had thrown stones at me, that literally had wanted to kill me, asked me to stand before them and show them that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Then she became the Public Relations Officer of a German initiative in 2016 after she got out of office. In 2016, there were 19.4 million people living with HIV (53%) in eastern and southern Africa and 6.1 million (17%) in western and central Africa, according to statistics by HIV.

 

Culled from pulse.ng

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SAHLE-WORK ZEWDE BECOMES ETHIOPIA’S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

Ethiopian members of parliament have elected Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, making her Africa’s only female head of state.

(Photo: BBC)

President Sahle-Work, at her swearing-in ceremony, promised to work hard to make gender equality a reality in Ethiopia, and promote peace in the country:

“I urge you all, to uphold our peace, in the name of a mother, who is the first to suffer from the absence of peace.”

She was voted in after the unexpected resignation of her predecessor, Mulatu Teshome. President Sahle-Work has previously served as an ambassador for Ethiopia in Senegal and Djibouti. She has also held a number of UN positions, including head of peace-building in the Central African Republic and, most recently, the UN representative at the African Union.

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UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES CALL FOR BAN ON VIRGINITY TEST

A group of United Nations agencies has issued a joint statement calling for a ban on tests meant to assess the virginity of any female.

The statement, issued during the World Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Brazil, stressed that such tests are both unscientific, and a violation of human rights. The UN agencies are: the UN Human Rights Office, UN Women and the World Health Organisation.

The group said, “so-called virginity testing also often referred to as hymen, two-fingers or per vaginal examination is a gynaecological inspection of female genitalia carried out in the false belief that it can reliably determine whether a woman or girl has had vaginal intercourse’.

In a global call to eliminate violence against women and girls everywhere, the UN agencies said that “this medically unnecessary, and often times painful, humiliating and traumatic practice, must end.”

The practice is a long-standing tradition documented in at least 20 countries, and spanning all regions of the world. Women and girls are often forced to undergo virginity testing for various reasons, including requests from parents or potential partners to establish marriage eligibility or even from potential employers.

It is mostly performed by doctors, police officers, or community leaders on women and girls, in order to assess their virtue, honour or social value. In their statement, the UN agencies explained that the practice has “no scientific or clinical basis” and that “there is no examination that can prove a girl or woman has had sex.”

 

 

Credit: LIB

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OMOTOLA JALADE-EKEINDE HONORED BY UN AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL 100 PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Nollywood actress and film maker Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has been unveiled as one of the Most Influential 100 People of African Descent.

She was honored in New York City, following the opening of the 73rd UN General Assembly.

Omotola made the announcement on her social media saying,

“Honoured to be one of the Most Influential 100 People of African Descent at the United Nations by @mipad100“.

Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) award distinguishes excellence in people of African descent from over 50 countries worldwide in support of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) 2015 – 2024.

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NEW ZEALAND’S PM BECOMES THE 1ST WORLD LEADER TO BRING AN INFANT TO THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

On Monday 24th of September 2018, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made her debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

She was accompanied by her 3-month old daughter Neve Te Aroha and her partner Clarke Gayford. The Prime Minister’s recent appearance makes her the first world leader to bring an infant to the UNGA.

During the six-day stay in New York, Ardern’s partner who put his job on hold to be a stay-at-home dad, will be Neve’s primary carer.

Watch video:

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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UN ANNOUNCES JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG NIGERIANS

UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has disclosed that there are 37 career openings for young Nigerians in the world body.

Mohammed disclosed this, weekend, at a Cultural Night organised by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems.

She said the openings are available via the Junior Professional Officers’ Programme, including internship for young graduates.

JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria – one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.

The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.

JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.

“Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system”, she said referring to older Nigerians.

“We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we don’t give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes.”

According to Mohammed, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.
She said: “Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.

“The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.

“And it’s really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.

“It’s not just what we do for the world. Can’t we take those expertise back home?”

The UN too official further condemned what she termed alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria, saying it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.

She said: “When I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, can’t recover from.

“But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl.

“She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; that’s violence against girls; that’s violence against women.

“But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play.

“I know we would spend some money in Nigeria on this initiative but we all have a part to play individually and collectively in trying to bring it to zero.”

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UN ANNOUNCES NEW APPROACH TO TACKLE SEXUAL ABUSE

UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the UN will not be associated with the vile and vicious crimes of rape, sexual violence, exploitation and abuse in any way.

Guterres stated this in the Secretary-General’s report, ‘Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: A new approach’, outlined a victim-centred strategy that is rooted in transparency, accountability and ensuring justice.

The Secretary-General’s report particularly focused on preventing and responding to such abuses committed by those serving under the UN flag, like the peacekeeping personnel.
“Such acts of cruelty should never take place. Certainly no person serving with the United Nations in any capacity should be associated with such vile and vicious crimes.
“Let us declare in one voice: We will not tolerate anyone committing or condoning sexual exploitation and abuse. We will not let anyone cover up these crimes with the UN flag,” he said.

Guterres said that promoting gender equality throughout the UN system, including its missions and peacekeeping forces, would help advance parity and at the same time decrease incidents of abuse.

“Let us do so in the name of all who look to the UN for life-saving protection and support – and on behalf of the tens of thousands of UN personnel around the world who deliver that assistance with courage and commitment to the highest ideals,” he stressed.

He noted that exploitation is also deeply rooted in gender inequality and discrimination.

The report focused is based on four tracks, including the rights and dignity of victims;and ending impunity for those guilty of crimes and abuses.

Others are drawing on the wisdom and guidance of all those who have been affected, civil society, local communities and others to strengthen and improve UN’s efforts; and to raise awareness and share best practices to end the vicious scourge.

The report also emphasised the need to engage with UN member states and called for a high-level meeting on sexual exploitation and abuses in 2017 on the margins of the general debate of the 72nd session of the General Assembly.

The report further noted that the UN chief would seek member states’ support to establish a system-wide consolidated confidential repository of case information to be placed under the supervision of the Special Coordinator on Improving UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

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AMINA MOHAMMED SWORN IN AS FIFTH UN DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL

Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Environment, has been sworn in as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the UN at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, administered the oath of office on Mohammed.

Guterres said “I want to say that I am extremely, very, very proud that you accepted to join our team. Thank you very much.”

The Deputy UN chief, after her swearing in, immediately swung into action by declaring open the 2017 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Segment on Operational Activities for Development.

Her speech at the ECOSOC event was her first official engagement, followed by a brief press encounter with UN correspondents.

Mohammed, who was appointed by Guterres on December 15, 2016 as his deputy, was supposed to have assumed office on January 1, 2017.

She, however, delayed the assumption of her new role at the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to complete some ongoing responsibilities she was handling at that time.

The office of the UN Deputy Secretary-General was formally established by the General Assembly in 1997 to handle administrative responsibilities of the Secretary-General.

As the fifth Deputy Secretary-General, Mohammed will help to manage the UN Secretariat operations and ensure inter-sectoral and inter-institutional coherence of activities and programmes.

She will also support the Secretary-General in elevating the profile and leadership of the UN in the economic and social spheres, including further efforts to strengthen the UN as leading centre for development policy and development assistance.

In accepting the appointment, Mohammed said she was humbled at the opportunity to serve humanity.

She said “the opportunity and responsibility to serve people and the planet as UN Deputy Secretary-General is truly humbling.

“I am most grateful for the confidence and trust demonstrated by the UN Secretary-General-designate António Guterres and President Muhammadu Buhari. The next phase of my continued service to the people of Nigeria at the global level will certainly build on the rich insights and lessons drawn from engaging with leaders, colleagues and stakeholders across our beloved nation”.

She recalled her positions of responsibilities over the last three decades and her contributions to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and recently working for environment protection as part of Buhari administration’s vision to transform Nigeria.

Mohammed served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.

She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the SDGs.

Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on MDGs.

She provided advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.

Born in 1961 and educated in Nigeria and the UK, Mohammed is married with six children.

Source: Bellanaija

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