·Make a difference in the life of an orphan/less privileged child?
·You can feed not only the belly but the mind of a less privileged child?
The naira a day initiative is a concerted effort to raise funds to feed at least fifteen thousand less privileged children over the next 12 months.
Through out 2008, by giving a minimum of four thousand naira (which will translate to less than 10 naira a day) you will be ensuring that the disadvantaged children will have access to a good meal and a level of basic quality education.
Linkachild will be working with partner organisations to achieve these set goals.
We invite you to partner with us by making a minimum donation of N4000 on or before Monday March 31st 2008 to be a part of making the future better for the less privileged.
*Cheques should be made payable to LINKACHILD (A Naira A Day Initiative)
linkachild Ltd/Gte RC 631048
3,Adebisi Omotola Close, Off Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island – Lagos, Nigeria.
NAIRA ACCOUNTS
GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC
2147732241110
FOR BRITISH POUND TRANSACTIONS:
BANK: STANDARD CHARTERED BANK
CLEMENT HOUSE
27 CLEMENT LANE
LONDON EC4N7AP
ACCT NO 01254512801
ACCT NAME ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC
SWIFT CODE: SCBLGB2L
SORT CODE: 60-91-04
FOR US DOLLAR TRANSACTIONS
BANK: DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY NEW YORK
BANKERS TRUST PLAZA
13 LIBERTY STREET
NEW YORK NY 10006
ACCOUNT NO. 04087350
ACCT NAME: ECOBANK NIGERIA PLC
SWIFT CODE: BKTRUS33
FED. WIRE: 021001033
Please Note: A t the point of payment donor should please state categorically that further credit should be applied to the Linkachild Account domiciled at the Ecobank bank Head Office Branch Victoria Island Lagos with Account Number:
Pounds: 433861926
Dollars: 433861934
Join us lets build the future together…
–
Olusina Bello (Administrator)
Linkachild Ltd/Gte
08033854523, 08024727801
Cece Winans- When I listen to her music it always ministers to me, she comes across like one that is a true worshipper- one that loves the Lord with all her being giving Him the praise in every way. Apart from being an award winning artist (six times Grammy awards winner), Dove award winner, Soul train award winner and actress… she is also a teacher and mentor…Her album Throne roomis my all time favourite, not just the melody but the words always bring healing and joy to my soul, I feel sometimes listening to her songs and feel like I am intruding in her personal time with God. I most admire about her is a passion for the youth, especially young girls. In Oct of 2005, Cece developed and hosted the Always Sisters conference which focuses on support for young women ages 13-26yrs, where she offered words of encouragement and self esteem was discussed. This is her passion that young women will walk in the fullness of God glory and self worth of their everyday lives. At the conference she presented the young ladies with tiaras as a token to the girl, Shesaid…”My prayer was that they know God and know who they are”…”He is the only one that can really teach you who you are, how beautiful you are, how powerful you are, that you deserve the best and not to settle for less” This are the kind of things I like to see and hear..Older women mentoring the younger ones and empowering them on who (we) are as women/princesses and should be treated as one by ourselves and others. Cece has been married for over 21yrs with two children (boy/girl) Cece the wife and mother has managed to balance her personal and professional lives with relatives ease….this for me is a woman living a life with purpose.
Oprah Winfrey- Born January 29, 1954 is the American multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Show, the highest-rated talk show in television history. She is also an influential book critic, an Academy Award -nominated actress for The Color Purple. And a magazine publisher of O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the most philanthropic African American of all time, and the world’s only black billionaire for three straight years. She is also, according to some assessments, the most influential woman in the world {} raised in rural poverty by her grandmother, born out of wedlock by a mother who was a housekeeper and father a coal miner, at the birth of Oprah, but later became a councilman. Regardless of background and a challenged home life she was able to rise above it all at 13yrs received a scholarship to attend Nicolet High School in the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, Wisconsin after which she won an oratory contest, which secured her full scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically black institution, where she studied communication. This is a woman that has accomplished so much in the world of media I could go on, but what I would like to spotlight and truly admire is her Leadership Academy forGirls in South Africa, she intends teaching a class via satellite. Oprah is not married, but instead has been in longstanding relationship of over 20yrs with partner Stedman Graham. She never had children of her own but had this to say about the girls of her Leadership Academy….”I never had children, never even thought I would have children. Now I have 152 daughters; expecting 75 more next year. That is some type of gestation period…I said to the mothers, the family members, the aunts, the grannies — because most of these girls have lost their families, their parents — I said to them, “Your daughters are now my daughters and I promise you I’m going to take care of your daughters. I promise you.”
I found doing the research for this list quiet reflective and it sure did reinforce things about myself that I am absolutely sure are no coincidences anymore… all the women that I admire, truly sum me up …Out of the box, Passionate, Motivational, Strong, Natural nurturers, Called to run “their own” race, Unique with a large heart of service to others and effective to their immediate society and the world!
None of these women are perfect and have made mistakes in their lives, they have had their share of challenges and adversity, but it never stopped them…
We are sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. “We’re taking a survey,” she says, half-joking. “Do you think I should have a baby?” “It will change your life,” I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. “I know,” she says, “no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations….” But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking “What if that had been MY child?” That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of “Mom!” will cause her to drop her best crystal without a moment’s hesitation. I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby’s sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy’s desire to go to the men’s room rather than the women’s at McDonald’s will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give
it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years-not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.I want her to know that a caesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honour. My daughter’s relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children’s future. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter’s quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. “You’ll never regret it,” I finally say. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter’s hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. This blessed gift from God . . . that of being a Mother.
I would like to give my baby girl a shout-out as she celebrated a land mark Birthday on the 30th of August..She is my little miracle baby, born 6weeks early weighing 1.9kg. I am so proud of you…My Ruchelle Aisosa Chizoba aka Ruchie, you are the best first born I could have had, you are such an example to your younger brother and sister, and also a great help to me. I find it so sweet how your beautiful dark eyes water (gets teary) any time you’re a paid a compliment, your smile, so captivating, not to mention your intelligent and creative mind…
PS: congratulation on making school council
Happy 10th Birthday my Ruchie-girl
We love you and pray all of God’s blessing in your life.
Hi guys…It’s been along break and a very necessary one too on so many levels, I guess the different aspects of it would reflected on my future posts.
My last post was all about Link-a-child and a particular Orphanage I was drawn to help, I asked for your assistance and I must say thanks to those that acted on the cry.
I must update you on the development on my trip regarding the orphage in Igbo Efon called Hope for all Foundation Motherless babies home
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, I was broken hearted at the state I saw my babies (My baby Sola and the other babies) there had been no improvement ….if any it was getting worse. To help get things going and improved I got talking with a friend about getting her church involved since it was nearer the Motherless babies home, only to find out that a lady by the name of Sabina God bless her, truly an angel ( I will be talking about her and the work she does in the very near future) Sabina had been to the same Orphanage and was very disturb about the state the babies where living in.
This for me was divine intervention cos of the way we both had been drawn to the same Orphanage and passion for the babies’ welfare. Sabina later told me that she had seen other Orphanages and was deeply sadden at the state of things at Hope for all foundation Motherless babies home in Igbo Efon Lekki. We found out that the babies were not getting vitamins, but the babies have since been secretly administering the vitamins to the babies without the Homes administrator Ms Regina Adegbite knowing cos she may not give the babies (why you say? I do not know). The whole situation gets even more bizarre
We arranged to visit the orphanage together the following day which was a Sunday, so after service we set off, me, Sabina, my sis-law Celina and my friend Sis Osaretin who had linked Sabina and I together.
As we walked into the room where the babies slept, played and eat the smell was overpowering, they all were sick with diarrhea full with dirty nappies that looked like they had not been changed all day , the had all lost weigth and where skin and bone , we later found out that the babies where not getting any medication for their diarrhea…this is no exaggeration, it was that bad!
In a mixture of vexation, hurt and pain we immediately insisted and assisted the babies to have their bath and changing their nappies. One at a time they were bathe we each got down to drying them with one towel between five children, they had no rash cream or baby powder.
QUICK NOTE: they did not have these things not because they were not donated or given, cos as an example, I know a couple of weeks before, Celina my sis-in-law had donated 25,000 Naira worth of baby milk and nappies, Sabina had donated petroleum jelly and powder previously too ( so you say where did all that go? I don’t know)
While we were assisting in getting the babies bath and dressed the administrator was nowhere to be seen, she knew we were around. Five babies where been looked after by one young lady!
It gets worse..while we were talking to the administrator one of the little children by the name of Tolu who was brain damaged due to the way he was delivered (his mother standing and him delivered head first) like any 2yr old boy went playing amongst some donated gift items…what happened next was the nail in the coffin for me….Ms Regina Adegbite slapped the little boy on his face! In front of 4 mothers, when she was confronted about her action she said she would do it again, that the boy was stubborn. Sabina had mentioned that when she was at the orphanage sometime before that Ms Regina Adegbite had smacked my baby Sola in her present…now we saw it for ourselves. If she could do that in our presence what would she do in our absences?
After the slap, I had to excuse myself less I did something that would not have been lady like. Sabina carried Tolu and was comforting him she had tears in her eyes and prayed over him and the other babies…her heart was so broken
These children are at risk!
At risk of malnutrition!
At risk of abuse (emotional/physical)
At risk of death!
CHILD WELFARE IN NIGERIA WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ….More on trying to get help for the babies of Hope for all Foundation Motherless babies home Igbo Efon, Lekki
The kind of help I trully would like is to move the babies away from that place to another safe orphange ….cos there are plenty of very well run homes in Nigeria.
Yes I said I’ll update you all about the Orphans in Igbo Efon Lekki Lagos, Nigeria called Hope for all Foundation Motherless babies home and Link-a-child.org.
Well it’s been a while so I thought I’ll let you all know what happened the last time…cos I’ll be needing your help this trip.
I should be going back home in a couple of weeks and I would love for some donations and contributions…
No! I don’t want you to send them to me…This call out is to Naija bloggers and all that come to this blogsite to join me to make a difference no matter own little..
I have pictures of some of the gifts, toys and food that was donated to the kids on my last trip…a couple of our friends gave us (hubby and I ) some money to help brighten the kids room( would love to do more ) but will have to start with the room they sleep and play in….
So we painted the room and put up some stick on kiddies characters on the wall and loads of toys for the babies…
Was not very happy cos “my baby Sola” had lost so much weight, but was reassured that it was due to teething…
At first I felt we did not do enough, but when I saw the kids light up at the sight of the toys… I thought to myself just little things like this can make a difference!At first a couple of the kids were frighten of the soft toys..but later relaxed and started playing with them.
There is still a lot to do …They need new beds and mattresses, a couple of drawers for the kid’s clothes and to tidy up the room…and many more…
Please I am not asking you to send me money…..But contact Linkachild.org and request your donations/contributions of money/toys or food stuff for ….
Hope for all Foundation Motherless babies home.
I would encourage volunteers to please come/make yourselves avaiable and join linkachild.org and be part of this organisations; also for donation to the organisation to help support there continuous work in funding other projects and supporting other orphanages…
BENEFFITING ACCOUNT: LINKACHILD (ACCT NUMBER 4338691926)
Please notify by email amount donated and for which home or if the donor would rather have linkachild use their own discretion for use of the donation .all emails should be sent to info@linkachild.org
Hello all, hope we all had a pleasant weekend and those that where able to celebrate with their fathers did so.It’s good to know we ALL have a heavenly Father that loves us unconditionally, that for ever protects and has made ALL provision available for our wellbeing.With His hands opened we can freely come to Him and call Him Father!
Father God I thank you!
I am a Christian and love the lord with all my heart, I am not religious but, one with a personal relationship with God the Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. I am not perfect, I make mistakes and still have things I struggle with.I thank God, for I can do nothing to attain or sustain perfection all by myself. What make me righteous ( right standing, able to be called righteous ) and able to stand before God almighty is not my “good deeds” or “good behaviour” it not my intelligence or lack of it…it’s not the eloquence of my words , wealth or fame, but simply the fact that I have ask Jesus in to my life as Lord and saviour and He with the sheared blood of Calvary has washed me and now God the Father sees me through the blood of God the Son, Jesus Christ.
For it is in Him I am made righteous!
I enjoy blogging and the freedom of expression, people can say what they have a passion for, it helps build networks and gets like minded people miles apart to share and grow in there ideas..It creates friendships…We all have our different points of view, but all are still respected…at least some do, these brings me to my topic for this post….which is going to be in two parts.
I find it really saddening and to be honest down right angry when in this blog village of ours ….one that calls himself a Christian, does not but do the work of the devil and tear down others that are of one blood and family (apparently he is the only one that has the mind and knows the mind of God) …I call him the “righteousness police”, he has taken the place of the HolySpirit, but I guess God has not informed the rest of us!
The one I refer to is a Nigerian blogger and “entrepreneur” based in Nigeria (guess he would do anything to get attention) This is something I would not normally do, but I believe it’s fair, as he does not have any sensitivity, respect or plain and simply; does not have the Spirit of God in him (IMO) based on his conduct.
All he does is ridicule, Christian Ministries all over the world and in Nigeria with his arrogant, haughty , self righteous ,wicked, insulting, holier than thou tone! (I don’t see the fruit of the spirit in any of those characteristics) If you do please let me know.The bible tell us to question/test doctrines…Religion should never be the opium of the people…we should not shut our heads and reasoning faculty in the name of religion, but ask questions, read the word of God for ourselves, pray for understanding and wisdom to implement what we learn, for the edify of ourselves and others, never forgetting the Love of God.
But this is not what this person does…and that is why I have called him the ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN!!!!! What is worst is he is a Pastor of his own ministry…
Our Father….On the 3 Sunday of the month of June, 17th to be precise will be Father’s day, so I taught we talk about the office of a Father and celebrate them . A lot of people may not have had a good experience with there fathers, but some have and still do.With the increase or single mothers and teenage pregnancy the role of fathers is beginning to get distorted and even lost…young man are not taking up the responsibility, maybe because a lot of them never had a father/father figure in there lives too ( it hard to reproduce what you never had) Just getting a girl pregnant does not make you a father…A fathers role in a child’s life consists of love, protection, provision, direction and correction
To expand on this further I would like to introduce a lady that her blog has become a daily read for me, she is inspiring and eloquent as she explains her different topics, and I know she will do just that with this topic, I give you OlubolaOluyemi of www.mumsdadschildren.blogspot.com
Fatherhood is the state of being a father. It is the ability to hold the position and authority of a father in the family. In the holy bible “Fathers” is used in the sense of seniors, and of parents in general, or ancestors.
God’s fatherhood should be a typical example for all; it emphasizes the irreplaceable role of fathers in our individual lives.
The most important predictor of criminal behaviour is not race, not income, not religious affiliation. It’s a father influence. It is important that men know that bringing up children is a very important part of their life.
The greatest praise that men can give to motherhood is for them to share in the role because the presence or absence of masculine leadership in the home determines how the children turns out and this also determines the future and survival of any nation.
Fathers as Mentors/Mentors as Fathers….
Serving as a trusted counsellor or teacher to another person. Most children develop their perception of life by merely watching their parents. Children’s image of their father may have possibly affected their perception of God, which in turn affects their self-image. When a child has a negative perception of his father or the father figure in his life it is possible that the child will develop a negative attitude towards others.
For example:
If your father is pushy, inconsiderate of you, violate and used you, you may see others in the same way. You probably feel cheap or worthless in their eyes, and perhaps feel that you deserve to be taken advantage of by others. You may feel that even God will force you—not ask you—to do things you don’t want to do.
Also if your father is a weakling, and you couldn’t’t depend on him to help you or defend you, your image of God and other people may be that of a weakling. You may feel that you are unworthy of people’s comfort and support, or that they are unable to help you. If your father is overly critical and constantly came down hard on you, or if he didn’t believe in you or your capabilities and discouraged you from trying, you may perceive people in the same way. You don’t feel as if you’re worth other’s respect or trust. You may even see yourself as a continual failure, deserving all the criticism you receive.
But when you have a positive perception of your father or mentor, you’re likely to have a positive attitude towards others, God and future.
Author: Olubola Oluyemi.
So I say to all those men that have walked and are walking in the office of Fatherhood…we celebrate you!For those about to step into this office we encourage you and say; it is a privilege to be able to influence a generation.
On the 17th please take time out to celebrate our Fathers and Father figures.
Let it not be only one day in the year…but continuously.
For those who there Daddy is no more with us…..This is for you.
He was the first man in my life and showed me how I was to be treated in the future, with love (yes! Official card-carrying member of “daddy’s pet club) Sitting at his foot, looking up at this man with his strong arms that made me feel protected, wide smile (mine is just like his) He was my template for the future of what I would desire in a man… (Husband) strong manly man, loving, intellectual and God fearing.
Listening to highlife music takes me back to the times of innocence, when he would wake up at the weekends, wearing his silk like, gold and brown patterned morning coat over his brown pj’s sitting in the veranda with his morning coffee, black with 6cubes of sugar, 2 boiled eggs with some salt in the side ( now I see why I love the smell of coffee so much and why browns/gold are my favourite colours) all this he did while reading his morning paper and sometimes talking to neighbourhood electrician or one of the other neighbours that live in the compound.
Now I know why I love music so…cos he opened our ears to a varied type of music… with his LP collection from Bobby Benson , Art Alade, Marian Makibe, Mayanka belle, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, and all the classic like Mozart to Handle, what did he not have in his collection?..Ah! Not to forget Fela, Voice of the cross…whoa! It brings tears to me eyes… Why should I not love this man that contributed to the making of Me! …No one is perfect… and he is not…. Nevertheless, he is my Daddy! And I love him so.Happy Father’s Day … Daddy!Want to say alittle something about your Father…check out http://community.africanloft.com ….go on say it in words, picture or video!Father’s Day 17th of June……
Hello all…I’ll like to say this is the end of this phase in my life …if you follow my blog you would hv noticed a change. I started this blog as one person.but have grow into another..Life experiences have opened another perspective… its grown my faith… an myself. I started ... Continue reading »
