Unyime-Ivy King's Blog, page 4
November 9, 2012
CONFIDENTLY PLUS SIZE
Elsie -Coco Utong has dreams and is pursuing them with tenacity in an industry that is riddled with challenges. Publishing, especially in our clime, can be a herculean task, but not only has Elsie taken giant strides in, she is there for the long haul. Elsie is the CEO of
Big Sister Magazine
, a niche magazine which focuses on the plus size woman. A year after its debut, she has 6 editions out, (3 of which are on line editions) to her credit. Despite the challenges that have been strewn in her path, Elsie is determined to live out her dreams and make an impact in the area of her passion. She recently had a launch to publicly present her newest baby-
Big Sister Magazine
to the public at the Rodizzio restaurant in the GRA area of Ikeja
.
Elsie
Let's meet you...
My name is Elsie-Coco Utong . I’m from Akwa
Ibom State. I’m the last of 3 children. Dad is late, he worked with Central
Bank of Nigeria while mom is a retired school teacher. I graduated in 2006 from the University of
Calabar where I studied History and International Studies. Shortly after my
national youth service in 2009, I freelanced briefly with National Mirror
Newspapers , Lagos on the entertainment and life style column. I also contributed to an online magazine, Nigerian Models Online.com, presented a love
talk show, Cupid Flavour on Choice Fm Lagos, but above all, I am the publisher of BIG
SISTER Magazine, aka BSM , Nigeria’s premiere life style magazine for the curvy
and plus size sisters.
Adoara Ukoh, at the launch of BSM
What inspired you to focus on the plus size woman?
(Laughs). Almost everyone is harassing me
with that question lately. Well, I might not be on the big side, but I am on
the curvy side which still puts me on the spot. Big Sister Magazine is a life style
magazine for the curvy and plus size sisters. On the inspiration behind Big
Sister , when I made up my
mind that I was going to publish a magazine of my own, it was important that I
had my own concept. I didn’t want to come up with what was already in existence.
I wanted something to be identified with-a brand. I needed to be a first class
version of myself in my own little way and then grow from there, so I was like,
what is this magazine that I would love to see on the stands that I am yet to
see? One of my major challenges as at then was weight control. I was a size 18
going on 20. I later went into dieting
and exercise and after I reduced to a size 12, i decided to do something to
inspire other fuller figured women and I could only achieve that through BIG
SISTER . The idea actually came up in November
2010, by July 2011, the first edition was published.
Elsie with the Ibru sisters at the launch.
What has the reception being like from the public?
Big Sister Magazine happens to be
the first and only lifestyle magazine for the curvy women in Nigeria. We’ve
been able to break away from that norm of the normal flair publications around. The
reception has been so warm from my target audience which is the plus size
sisters. We started the awareness of the Big Sister brand on social networks
just to prepare fans before publication. You won’t believe the first mail I
received was from a fan from Zimbabwe residing in Malaysia. To fans, it was like a breath of fresh air,
they keep wondering why no one thought of this concept all this while. BSM
in the last one year has gradually become a voice that represents the plus size
women. I see Big Sister as a forum where the plus size sisters in the society
can shine, feel free to express themselves and stand out as well.
With Otu, Nigeria's most outstanding male model 2011/2012
What challenges do you face, as a publisher?
Finance
basically, I started with basically nothing. It just took God’s grace and the
passion for what I do to keep me on point. Lack of finance was enough to
discourage me. But I don’t let these things distract me, I
know where I am going and the only option is to be prayerful and
focused.
Won't this be perceived as encouraging obesity?
I was tired
of the regular magazines; they weren’t giving me what I wanted to read, well maybe
in a mild way. I remember reading a caption, in one of these popular magazines, a column, supposedly dedicated to the plus sizes, that said, ‘FAT IS OLD AND ULGY.' I felt that was a
rather mean caption and could kill the self esteem of any plus size person at
the mere sight, no matter how useful the content was. I would like to state
here that BSM doesn’t encourage obesity. A glance at our inside pages, would reveal columns that encourage healthy living, fitness and
self esteem for the plus size sisters. For instance, a week before the official
launch, we teamed up with some of our partners in the industry for pre-launch
activities which included, fitness sessions and seminar sessions where some of the
notable names in Nollywood/plus size industry addressed participants on
the importance of having a good self esteem, style tips for the plus size and
career empowerment. These and more is what the brand is all about. Every
feature in our inside pages is meant to inspire and not spite our target
audience (if other regular magazines do that). Our aim is for our readers to have total control of themselves, have a high self esteem and dress trendy. Their weight
should no longer control them, but rather should be in their control.
If you were not doing this, what would you rather be doing?
I studied International Relations in school
so I would probably be working with the Foreign Service and if I still had to use
my talent, I would have become a makeup artist. I’m artistic in nature.
Any Regrets?
My only regret is the fact that my father
isn’t here anymore. I started writing in his office as a child. I use to write
on the walls of his office, and when he realized that I was messing up the walls of his
office, he started giving me papers to scribble. Those were actually
traces of who I would be. I remember his colleagues then use to call me, ‘young
writer’. Aside that, I would say that BSM has
been worthwhile and fulfilling
in the sense that I’m living my dream and doing what I’ve always wanted to
do. BSM has opened so many doors for me,
it has given me access to a whole lot of personalities celebrities and non celebrities that
ordinarily, I would not have had access to. I’ve had cause to mingle and make
friends with great people from all works of life. People trust me so much to let me into their
personal issues aside the plus size thing. I must say, I’m blessed. This comes
with hard work anyway and at the same time, I wont take the credit, I give it to
God, Almighty.
High points.
Definitely my choice of career and the day I
confirmed the whole Big sister brand.
Favorite past times.
I hang out a lot at the beach, I love
nature, I love swimming, movies and music.
People you admire, who inspire you.
●Locally, I loved the late MEE Mofe-Damijo. She was dedicated to her
career, and rose from a nobody to somebody of repute in the society. Sometimes, I wonder what she would
have been doing now if she were still alive.
●Terry
Mcmillan. She is a writer of repute, I love her story lines, they don’t bore me
in any way. She writes my kind of books.
●Oprah
Winfrey. She is a blessing to womanhood. She is the richest and
most influential black woman alive and it is sheer hard work and diligence that
has brought her that far. She is dedicated to her career.
Elsie
Let's meet you...
My name is Elsie-Coco Utong . I’m from Akwa
Ibom State. I’m the last of 3 children. Dad is late, he worked with Central
Bank of Nigeria while mom is a retired school teacher. I graduated in 2006 from the University of
Calabar where I studied History and International Studies. Shortly after my
national youth service in 2009, I freelanced briefly with National Mirror
Newspapers , Lagos on the entertainment and life style column. I also contributed to an online magazine, Nigerian Models Online.com, presented a love
talk show, Cupid Flavour on Choice Fm Lagos, but above all, I am the publisher of BIG
SISTER Magazine, aka BSM , Nigeria’s premiere life style magazine for the curvy
and plus size sisters.
Adoara Ukoh, at the launch of BSM
What inspired you to focus on the plus size woman?
(Laughs). Almost everyone is harassing me
with that question lately. Well, I might not be on the big side, but I am on
the curvy side which still puts me on the spot. Big Sister Magazine is a life style
magazine for the curvy and plus size sisters. On the inspiration behind Big
Sister , when I made up my
mind that I was going to publish a magazine of my own, it was important that I
had my own concept. I didn’t want to come up with what was already in existence.
I wanted something to be identified with-a brand. I needed to be a first class
version of myself in my own little way and then grow from there, so I was like,
what is this magazine that I would love to see on the stands that I am yet to
see? One of my major challenges as at then was weight control. I was a size 18
going on 20. I later went into dieting
and exercise and after I reduced to a size 12, i decided to do something to
inspire other fuller figured women and I could only achieve that through BIG
SISTER . The idea actually came up in November
2010, by July 2011, the first edition was published.
Elsie with the Ibru sisters at the launch.
What has the reception being like from the public?
Big Sister Magazine happens to be
the first and only lifestyle magazine for the curvy women in Nigeria. We’ve
been able to break away from that norm of the normal flair publications around. The
reception has been so warm from my target audience which is the plus size
sisters. We started the awareness of the Big Sister brand on social networks
just to prepare fans before publication. You won’t believe the first mail I
received was from a fan from Zimbabwe residing in Malaysia. To fans, it was like a breath of fresh air,
they keep wondering why no one thought of this concept all this while. BSM
in the last one year has gradually become a voice that represents the plus size
women. I see Big Sister as a forum where the plus size sisters in the society
can shine, feel free to express themselves and stand out as well.
With Otu, Nigeria's most outstanding male model 2011/2012
What challenges do you face, as a publisher?
Finance
basically, I started with basically nothing. It just took God’s grace and the
passion for what I do to keep me on point. Lack of finance was enough to
discourage me. But I don’t let these things distract me, I
know where I am going and the only option is to be prayerful and
focused.
Won't this be perceived as encouraging obesity?
I was tired
of the regular magazines; they weren’t giving me what I wanted to read, well maybe
in a mild way. I remember reading a caption, in one of these popular magazines, a column, supposedly dedicated to the plus sizes, that said, ‘FAT IS OLD AND ULGY.' I felt that was a
rather mean caption and could kill the self esteem of any plus size person at
the mere sight, no matter how useful the content was. I would like to state
here that BSM doesn’t encourage obesity. A glance at our inside pages, would reveal columns that encourage healthy living, fitness and
self esteem for the plus size sisters. For instance, a week before the official
launch, we teamed up with some of our partners in the industry for pre-launch
activities which included, fitness sessions and seminar sessions where some of the
notable names in Nollywood/plus size industry addressed participants on
the importance of having a good self esteem, style tips for the plus size and
career empowerment. These and more is what the brand is all about. Every
feature in our inside pages is meant to inspire and not spite our target
audience (if other regular magazines do that). Our aim is for our readers to have total control of themselves, have a high self esteem and dress trendy. Their weight
should no longer control them, but rather should be in their control.
If you were not doing this, what would you rather be doing?
I studied International Relations in school
so I would probably be working with the Foreign Service and if I still had to use
my talent, I would have become a makeup artist. I’m artistic in nature.
Any Regrets?
My only regret is the fact that my father
isn’t here anymore. I started writing in his office as a child. I use to write
on the walls of his office, and when he realized that I was messing up the walls of his
office, he started giving me papers to scribble. Those were actually
traces of who I would be. I remember his colleagues then use to call me, ‘young
writer’. Aside that, I would say that BSM has
been worthwhile and fulfilling
in the sense that I’m living my dream and doing what I’ve always wanted to
do. BSM has opened so many doors for me,
it has given me access to a whole lot of personalities celebrities and non celebrities that
ordinarily, I would not have had access to. I’ve had cause to mingle and make
friends with great people from all works of life. People trust me so much to let me into their
personal issues aside the plus size thing. I must say, I’m blessed. This comes
with hard work anyway and at the same time, I wont take the credit, I give it to
God, Almighty.
High points.
Definitely my choice of career and the day I
confirmed the whole Big sister brand.
Favorite past times.
I hang out a lot at the beach, I love
nature, I love swimming, movies and music.
People you admire, who inspire you.
●Locally, I loved the late MEE Mofe-Damijo. She was dedicated to her
career, and rose from a nobody to somebody of repute in the society. Sometimes, I wonder what she would
have been doing now if she were still alive.
●Terry
Mcmillan. She is a writer of repute, I love her story lines, they don’t bore me
in any way. She writes my kind of books.
●Oprah
Winfrey. She is a blessing to womanhood. She is the richest and
most influential black woman alive and it is sheer hard work and diligence that
has brought her that far. She is dedicated to her career.
November 6, 2012
LINDYS GEM FOUNDATION-PLAYFULLY IMPACTING LIVES 2
Q. No of children affected by this initiative.
A. Over 2000 children to date.
Q.
If you were not doing this, what would you rather be doing?
A. I
am an events planner by profession. I love coordinating and organising
events, I love to plan Corporate and children's event. I am passionate
about the amusement industry and I want to bring some excitement in that
area into our country.
Q. What has made this all worthwhile for you? Any regrets?
A.
The satisfaction of seeing children walk into our funday with
drooped shoulders and walk out with their shoulders high; giving
children experiences they would otherwise not have had, empowering
children- hearing them talk with more confidence, reading their
feedbacks and hearing them tell us, 'well done, you touched our lives,'
makes it all worth while. I have no regrets at all.
Q. Turning point /defining moments.
A. the day I married Segun Aderinokun and I am not saying that lightly nor
exaggerating. It was a good decision, infact the best decision I have
ever made. My
exit from GTB. It opened my eyes to see possibilities and brought out
Gods gifts within me.
Q. Your hobbies/interests.
A. One very clear one, I looooooove to dance. I
love hanging out with children, they allow the child inside of me to emerge. I love to travel though I have
not started traveling the way I would want to, but I will. I love to make a difference, fix things, I can't be
somewhere and not have something to offer.
Q. Your mentors- locally/internationally?
A. Hmmmm can't say I have one specifically. I have people who have
touched my life on different levels, e.g my mother, Mary Orok, Pastor Paul
Adefarasin, TD Jakes, Jerry Saville, Joke Silva. These people all have
one thing in common-passion; truly your passion will take u where ordinarily you
wouldn't get to.
Q. Future
plans/aspirations.
A.
I see us running
more programs beyond our annual fun day event during the year. Already,
come next year we kick of our “School adopt an Orphanage initiative”
where we partner with schools to make children of their adopted
orphanages guest to all the school's social events. Our long term plans
include, setting up Play rooms in orphanages,
mobile play houses that will allow us get to the children more
frequently, and visits with the children to international Amusement centers
all over the world. Its all about giving the children memorable
experiences and boosting their confidence in order to make them better people for
a better tomorrow. As you can tell, our
long term plans are heavily dependent on sponsorship, so we need more
buy ins and support from Organisations who can afford to incorporate this
idea into their CSR. I hope to see people
adopt our brand & concept and replicate it all over Nigeria and
Africa. The important thing is to touch lives and build children who
will become great leaders tomorrow.That is what has kept me, made me
overcome the hurdles and brought me this far; passion for God, and passion
for what I do.
We want to be a household brand, associated with giving children
memorable experiences and bridging the gap between the privileged and
less privileged.
Q. How do you get the children that participate in your programs?
A. Referrals,
search. We initially used to work with Link a Child until we exhausted
their list. So, now we ask around for institutions we can work with. For the funfair we just organized, we sourced Sought After women & children and
Compassionate orphanag e from the internet. Golden Cross and I jamido
orphanages were referrals.
Q. Beyond the play/fun?
A. Our
initiative with the schools will allow us keep in touch more often
because the package includes visits with the schools to their
orphanages for fun things e.g music, dance, drama, debate, book clubs
etc. Remember we ride on the platform of play, so what ever we do must
be play related. That is our tool for reaching out. You would also
notice from the pictures that, all the children had on the same T -shirt.
That is also a very important tool for us because it neutralizes the
identity of our children. We give out at all our fun days over 500 T-
shirts, free to all children, so all children become our Gems
irrespective of background.
We
cannot be all things, its important we maintain the niche we have
carved out for ourselves. Our own form of education is indirect in the
sense that we target these children's mindsets to get them to think
positively. There are groups out there who focus or will focus on the
educational needs of these children. For us it is play; it bridges the gaps,
changes mindsets, and stirs leadership abilities within our Gems.
Q. Share a specıfıc story of a child whose lıfe made an outstanding dıfference after theır contact wıth you.
A. I can cite a couple from Citadel of Grace- Sharon, Angel and
Joy. These girls had their world turned round after they participated in
our event. Their home came 1st in our Talent funday last year Oct. So
they were amongst the 25 children that came with us to Calabar. It was
their first experience on an aircraft; the carnival experience was a
dream come true. Tinapa was a thrill. They even got the chance to walk
on the runway as they participated in the DCC charity Fashion show
courtesy of the First lady of Cross River. So you would understand the
tears that flowed as we said goodbye at MM2. It was an emotional moment
as they had made friends with the Estaport girls who were also on the
trip. There is a post on our Facebook page from them.They
were sad they could not participate this year. Our plan is to touch
as many lives as possible. So chances of one getting two or three invites are slim until we
can increase the number of our fundays.
It was time well spent with a woman who is so passionate about affecting the lives of children and who is willing to come out of her comfort zone in order to give back, as mere talk does not suffice. To have a feel of what Lindy's Gems Foundation is doing in the lives of children, and to be a part of this laudable initiative, do click on the link below to see the Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lindysgemsfoundation/
Be a part of the 'doing' team, not just the 'talking' team alone.
LINDYS GEM FOUNDATION-PLAYFULLY IMPACTING LIVES 2
Q. No of children affected by this initiative.
A. Over 2000 children to date.
Q.
If you were not doing this, what would you rather be doing?
A. I
am an events planner by profession. I love coordinating and organising
events, I love to plan Corporate and children's event. I am passionate
about the amusement industry and I want to bring some excitement in that
area into our country.
Q. What has made this all worthwhile for you? Any regrets?
A.
The satisfaction of seeing children walk into our funday with
drooped shoulders and walk out with their shoulders high; giving
children experiences they would otherwise not have had, empowering
children- hearing them talk with more confidence, reading their
feedbacks and hearing them tell us, 'well done, you touched our lives,'
makes it all worth while. I have no regrets at all.
Q. Turning point /defining moments.
A. the day I married Segun Aderinokun and I am not saying that lightly nor
exaggerating. It was a good decision, infact the best decision I have
ever made. My
exit from GTB. It opened my eyes to see possibilities and brought out
Gods gifts within me.
Q. Your hobbies/interests.
A. One very clear one, I looooooove to dance. I
love hanging out with children, they allow the child inside of me to emerge. I love to travel though I have
not started traveling the way I would want to, but I will. I love to make a difference, fix things, I can't be
somewhere and not have something to offer.
Q. Your mentors- locally/internationally?
A. Hmmmm can't say I have one specifically. I have people who have
touched my life on different levels, e.g my mother, Mary Orok, Pastor Paul
Adefarasin, TD Jakes, Jerry Saville, Joke Silva. These people all have
one thing in common-passion; truly your passion will take u where ordinarily you
wouldn't get to.
Q. Future
plans/aspirations.
A.
I see us running
more programs beyond our annual fun day event during the year. Already,
come next year we kick of our “School adopt an Orphanage initiative”
where we partner with schools to make children of their adopted
orphanages guest to all the school's social events. Our long term plans
include, setting up Play rooms in orphanages,
mobile play houses that will allow us get to the children more
frequently, and visits with the children to international Amusement centers
all over the world. Its all about giving the children memorable
experiences and boosting their confidence in order to make them better people for
a better tomorrow. As you can tell, our
long term plans are heavily dependent on sponsorship, so we need more
buy ins and support from Organisations who can afford to incorporate this
idea into their CSR. I hope to see people
adopt our brand & concept and replicate it all over Nigeria and
Africa. The important thing is to touch lives and build children who
will become great leaders tomorrow.That is what has kept me, made me
overcome the hurdles and brought me this far; passion for God, and passion
for what I do.
We want to be a household brand, associated with giving children
memorable experiences and bridging the gap between the privileged and
less privileged.
Q. How do you get the children that participate in your programs?
A. Referrals,
search. We initially used to work with Link a Child until we exhausted
their list. So, now we ask around for institutions we can work with. For the funfair we just organized, we sourced Sought After women & children and
Compassionate orphanag e from the internet. Golden Cross and I jamido
orphanages were referrals.
Q. Beyond the play/fun?
A. Our
initiative with the schools will allow us keep in touch more often
because the package includes visits with the schools to their
orphanages for fun things e.g music, dance, drama, debate, book clubs
etc. Remember we ride on the platform of play, so what ever we do must
be play related. That is our tool for reaching out. You would also
notice from the pictures that, all the children had on the same T -shirt.
That is also a very important tool for us because it neutralizes the
identity of our children. We give out at all our fun days over 500 T-
shirts, free to all children, so all children become our Gems
irrespective of background.
We
cannot be all things, its important we maintain the niche we have
carved out for ourselves. Our own form of education is indirect in the
sense that we target these children's mindsets to get them to think
positively. There are groups out there who focus or will focus on the
educational needs of these children. For us it is play; it bridges the gaps,
changes mindsets, and stirs leadership abilities within our Gems.
Q. Share a specıfıc story of a child whose lıfe made an outstanding dıfference after theır contact wıth you.
A. I can cite a couple from Citadel of Grace- Sharon, Angel and
Joy. These girls had their world turned round after they participated in
our event. Their home came 1st in our Talent funday last year Oct. So
they were amongst the 25 children that came with us to Calabar. It was
their first experience on an aircraft; the carnival experience was a
dream come true. Tinapa was a thrill. They even got the chance to walk
on the runway as they participated in the DCC charity Fashion show
courtesy of the First lady of Cross River. So you would understand the
tears that flowed as we said goodbye at MM2. It was an emotional moment
as they had made friends with the Estaport girls who were also on the
trip. There is a post on our Facebook page from them.They
were sad they could not participate this year. Our plan is to touch
as many lives as possible. So chances of one getting two or three invites are slim until we
can increase the number of our fundays.
It was time well spent with a woman who is so passionate about affecting the lives of children and who is willing to come out of her comfort zone in order to give back, as mere talk does not suffice. To have a feel of what Lindy's Gems Foundation is doing in the lives of children, and to be a part of this laudable initiative, do click on the link below to see the Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lindysgemsfoundation/
Be a part of the 'doing' team, not just the 'talking' team alone.
LINDYS GEMS FOUNDATION-PLAYFULLY IMPACTING LIVES..
Eme Aderinokun
Lindy’s Gems in the Rough Foundation was birthed to address the social development needs of children in orphanages making use
of fun as a platform to get both children from orphanages and
privileged children in the same environment with no bias to status. This Foundation recognizes the importance of play in the healthy
development of every child. A fact well recognized by the United Nations
Commission for Human Rights as the right of every child.
“Gems in the Rough” are children in various homes - orphanages,
institutions etc –precious stones of inestimable value surrounded by
rare conditions who ordinarily would not have access to fun ,
which is why its vision is to build self motivated, balanced and confident children using FUN as a balance into the lives of these
GEMS. Its programs are designed on the platform of fun and mentorship,
with the aim of giving the children cherished childhood memories.
Lindy's Gems in the Rough has been designed to hold every year. Its last outing held on the 20th October 2012.
Eme Aderinokun, is passionate about affecting the lives of children through the instrumentality of play. She is the CEO of Lindy's Events, a Corporate events & Amusement provider company which she founded after 9years as a banker with UBA, Continental Trust, and GTB. She exited the bank in 2005, to flow with the vision for children, which had been burning in her heart. The years spent in the banking profession, coupled with her experience as a volunteer worker in the House On The Rock church, Lagos, prepared and trained her for what she is currently engaged in. As she shared her vision for children, with me, her passion shone through her words and gestures.
Q. Your Bio.
A. Eme James
Aderinokun is a product of the mercy of God. I am very optimistic in my
views, a faith person, a happy, smiley person, an imperfect person
aiming for perfection in a system where all hope seems to be lost if u
get what I mean lol... I've been married to
Segun for almost 8 years and we are blessed with 3 children 1girl and
2boys. I have a 1st degree in Sociology from
University of Lagos, a Diploma in Marketing and an MBA both from the
University of Nsukka.
Q. About Lindy's .
A. Lindy's
Gems Foundation is a CSR platform of Lindy's Events. The idea came as a
need to give back. My first passion is children, so it was natural
to choose that area to give back. The name Lindy's is from the company; Gems in the Rough is our
operative name. A team member at the time we started, helped put it together after we had
narrowed down our options to the area we wanted to make a difference and identified the
type of children we wanted to impact. Gems are precious stones, but when
found in their rough state, they could be undervalued. Some work has to go
into them to get their value or worth, hence, our name. LGF is all about instilling leadership qualities in all children especially less
privileged children riding on play as a platform to reach the children.
We do not believe leadership is just for privileged kids hence our
vision- to bridge the gap between the privileged and the less
privileged. We mold and build the confidence of our children through
fun(our fun days) and mentorship.
Q. Impact created/success stories.
A. Through
the Foundation's activities, we have given the children memorable
experiences, hope, exposure, and friendly alliances with other children. We
have embolden our children and challenged them to think out of their
various environments. We took 25 children to Calabar carnival
for 6 days in December, 2011. I remember what some of them said to me while we
were at Tinapa that, “this is the best Christmas we have ever had, thank you
Aunty Eme for bringing us here”. The feedback we get from the
Orphanages and parents who are involved, is quite encouraging.
Q. Plaguing challenges.
A. There's the problem of support
and buy in from corporate organizations. Our programs which currently include,
our annual fun day in October and general visits to Orphanages and
schools rely 100% on sponsorship. To a large extent, we have been blessed
to have the support that has allowed us stage 4 fun days so far, but it
has been hard. Its tough getting the buy in of Corporate organizations to understand
and support our chosen medium of communicating with the children - Play.
The importance of play in the life of a child cannot be over emphasized.
Play is the balance every child needs. Financial support has been a challenge, its
difficult and tough. We are hoping for partners who believe in our cause
and adopt our programs as one of their yearly activities, which they
include in their budgets. That would reduce drastically our sponsorship
pressures.
Another
challenge is getting the buy in of some schools to come on our program.
Some schools have expressed concerns about their children mixing with
our children from the orphanages and homes. Some concerns genuine, some
exaggerated. A major challenge for these schools include convincing
parents to allow their children participate.
LINDYS GEMS FOUNDATION-PLAYFULLY IMPACTING LIVES..
Eme Aderinokun
Lindy’s Gems in the Rough Foundation was birthed to address the social development needs of children in orphanages making use
of fun as a platform to get both children from orphanages and
privileged children in the same environment with no bias to status. This Foundation recognizes the importance of play in the healthy
development of every child. A fact well recognized by the United Nations
Commission for Human Rights as the right of every child.
“Gems in the Rough” are children in various homes - orphanages,
institutions etc –precious stones of inestimable value surrounded by
rare conditions who ordinarily would not have access to fun ,
which is why its vision is to build self motivated, balanced and confident children using FUN as a balance into the lives of these
GEMS. Its programs are designed on the platform of fun and mentorship,
with the aim of giving the children cherished childhood memories.
Lindy's Gems in the Rough has been designed to hold every year. Its last outing held on the 20th October 2012.
Eme Aderinokun, is passionate about affecting the lives of children through the instrumentality of play. She is the CEO of Lindy's Events, a Corporate events & Amusement provider company which she founded after 9years as a banker with UBA, Continental Trust, and GTB. She exited the bank in 2005, to flow with the vision for children, which had been burning in her heart. The years spent in the banking profession, coupled with her experience as a volunteer worker in the House On The Rock church, Lagos, prepared and trained her for what she is currently engaged in. As she shared her vision for children, with me, her passion shone through her words and gestures.
Q. Your Bio.
A. Eme James
Aderinokun is a product of the mercy of God. I am very optimistic in my
views, a faith person, a happy, smiley person, an imperfect person
aiming for perfection in a system where all hope seems to be lost if u
get what I mean lol... I've been married to
Segun for almost 8 years and we are blessed with 3 children 1girl and
2boys. I have a 1st degree in Sociology from
University of Lagos, a Diploma in Marketing and an MBA both from the
University of Nsukka.
Q. About Lindy's .
A. Lindy's
Gems Foundation is a CSR platform of Lindy's Events. The idea came as a
need to give back. My first passion is children, so it was natural
to choose that area to give back. The name Lindy's is from the company; Gems in the Rough is our
operative name. A team member at the time we started, helped put it together after we had
narrowed down our options to the area we wanted to make a difference and identified the
type of children we wanted to impact. Gems are precious stones, but when
found in their rough state, they could be undervalued. Some work has to go
into them to get their value or worth, hence, our name. LGF is all about instilling leadership qualities in all children especially less
privileged children riding on play as a platform to reach the children.
We do not believe leadership is just for privileged kids hence our
vision- to bridge the gap between the privileged and the less
privileged. We mold and build the confidence of our children through
fun(our fun days) and mentorship.
Q. Impact created/success stories.
A. Through
the Foundation's activities, we have given the children memorable
experiences, hope, exposure, and friendly alliances with other children. We
have embolden our children and challenged them to think out of their
various environments. We took 25 children to Calabar carnival
for 6 days in December, 2011. I remember what some of them said to me while we
were at Tinapa that, “this is the best Christmas we have ever had, thank you
Aunty Eme for bringing us here”. The feedback we get from the
Orphanages and parents who are involved, is quite encouraging.
Q. Plaguing challenges.
A. There's the problem of support
and buy in from corporate organizations. Our programs which currently include,
our annual fun day in October and general visits to Orphanages and
schools rely 100% on sponsorship. To a large extent, we have been blessed
to have the support that has allowed us stage 4 fun days so far, but it
has been hard. Its tough getting the buy in of Corporate organizations to understand
and support our chosen medium of communicating with the children - Play.
The importance of play in the life of a child cannot be over emphasized.
Play is the balance every child needs. Financial support has been a challenge, its
difficult and tough. We are hoping for partners who believe in our cause
and adopt our programs as one of their yearly activities, which they
include in their budgets. That would reduce drastically our sponsorship
pressures.
Another
challenge is getting the buy in of some schools to come on our program.
Some schools have expressed concerns about their children mixing with
our children from the orphanages and homes. Some concerns genuine, some
exaggerated. A major challenge for these schools include convincing
parents to allow their children participate.
October 8, 2012
Celebrating a Milestone
Burning Hurt
Title: Burning Hurt
Author: Unyime-Ivy King
Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2012
ISBN: 1477218114, 9781477218112 Length: 308 pages
Hi people, I have been off blogville for a while. I had a challenging time after I had my last baby, who was born pre-term, last year; but I am thankful to God that she is now a little over a year old, and waxing really strong. During my absence, I took time out to fine tune a story that I have been working on for many months, and just recently, AuthorHouse UK, published that story-my first novel, Burning Hurt. It is a fictional work which explores the challenges of a young girl
raised in a dysfunctional home, cause and effects of the choices we make
in life, and the importance of having a good support system to help
cushion one through the storms of life.
BURNING HURT.
This
story, like a lot of yet to be published stories that I have in my
archives, was inspired by a true life event. As I heard stories of heart
break, caused by people who were simply said to be ‘sowing their wild
oats,’ it made me wonder about cause and effect, which birthed the idea
for this novel. The consequences of some of our wrong, or ill-advised
decisions in life may not always play out the way it did in this story,
but if all I succeed in doing, is make many people have a re-think,
before embarking on an irrational course of action, I would be
fulfilled.
Thank you for coming on this expedition with me. I hope you find this story as intriguing as I did.
A SUMMARY OF BURNING HURT.
Raised in a dysfunctional home, Itohowo
Ekanem, and her siblings experience neglect, and witness the
relationship between their parents, deteriorate. When the man she has
always known as her father dies unexpectedly, her mother re-marries
another man, whom Itohowo believes to be her step father, but it seems
that one set of problems have merely been exchanged for another, as the
situation at home
does not get any
better. This drives Itohowo into the willing and roving arms of Daniel
Ukpong; his warm friendship gives her respite from the challenges at
home, but their relationship too, is shattered by an unexpected life
changing event.
Will Itohowo surmount her storms, or give in to them? Find out in this riveting saga.
Burning Hurt is just a click away, and available for purchase on these sites below, plus thousands of other on line sites, such as:
www.authorhouse.co.uk
http://bit.ly/QXuM9o
http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Hurt-eb...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/read/97...
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Burnin...
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/B...
http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/104341894/B...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Burning-Hu...
http://www.booktopia.com.au/burning-h...
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/burni...
www.uread.com/author/unyime-ivy-king
http://www.allbookstores.com/Burning-...
http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/essays-...
June 6, 2012
Alvinator's Desk: List Of Nigerian Planes And Their Ages - Read This...
Alvinator's Desk: List Of Nigerian Planes And Their Ages - Read This...: In Nigeria The Law Bans All Aircraft Older Than 20 Years(So They Say) Look At The Info Below. Aero Contractors Current Fleet 5N-BIZ 24558 18...
May 2, 2012
Our Abbreviated Generation
Our Abbreviated Generation (The threat of the SMS language)
by Ekerette-Alvin Ikpe on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 10:55am
Hi, everyone. It's been a while since I updated this blog and it's good to be back. I had to step aside briefly-apologies to IBB- after the birth of my baby several months ago to do justice to my role as a mother. I will do my best to keep you updated as often as possible and i do hope you will stay with me. I found this piece most intriguing and decided to re-open communication lines by sharing this wonderful piece by Ekerette-Alvin. I hope you find it as interesting as i do. Have a nice read:
·
I
was pleasantly tickled recently when on opening my face book home page
,the first thing that hit me was a friends status update, where she took
a swipe at the use of the letters IJN in conveying words of blessings,
exhortations ,wishes etc., as opposed to the used of the full phrase, In
Jesus’ Name. Same goes for LLNP (Long Life and Prosperity) We have to
agree that at some point in our written communication and
correspondences, we have been guilty of this practice; yours truly
inclusive. No doubt, the SMS language can make messaging easier. The
language is comprised of shortened phrases, acronyms and abbreviations
that emerged from text messaging but has since bled into the everyday
vernacular of many modern societies. SMS language is useful in text
messaging, as it shortens messages' character count, therefore saving
time and expense. This however does not apply to me because I have
gotten so used to writing my SMSs in full thereby wasting time and
paying more. I come from a background where my father, a class-act in
both spoken and written English, made us believe that the much
celebrated Pidgin English is nothing but gutter language. So bad that
even in church, he does not join in singing songs done in Pidgin
English. So with that mindset, in the course of my development, I have
found it difficult to accept what I consider non-standard alterations to
the language, both written and spoken. We are daily witnessing the
creation of more of this “short codes”. It wasn’t until the recent past,
that I got to know what LWKMD actually meant. For me I just left it at
my good old LOL, LORL, LMAO, and one or two other ones. I get irritated
by some though; like the blackberry popularized, KK, YELZ, and SOWIE
etc. No matter how I feel about these abbreviations, the truth is that
they have come to stay. However, the use of this slang-based language is
not without its disadvantages:
Speaking or writing
with SMS words can confuse those who are not familiar with the
language. Many people within older generations, who do not use
text messaging very often, may not understand a message if it
contains SMS language, particularly acronyms. For example, someone
who does not understand SMS language may receive a message with
the acronym "ROTFL" which means "Rolling on the floor laughing"
and wouldn't know that the message sender thought the subject
matter was funny.
Using the SMS language outside of text
messaging, in speech and emails, can give the recipient a negative
impression of the messenger. When a word from the SMS language is
used in an inappropriate situation, such as a business email, it can
seem unprofessional or simply be misinterpreted as a spelling error.
For example, the SMS word "ppl" stands for "people" and
could easily be confused as a spelling mistake by those who are not
knowledgeable of SMS abbreviations. Furthermore, using SMS words
instead of their English-language counterparts can convey to the
recipients that the messenger is lazy and could not be bothered to
complete the longer version of the word.
The spread of
the SMS language has been criticized for deteriorating the English
language and its rich history. Though languages continually
evolve, the SMS language can be seen as not respecting the
long-standing properties of the English language that has made it
so strong. Furthermore, words within the SMS language that are
very similar to their English-language counterparts can be
confused by young users as the actual English spelling and can
therefore increase the prevalence of spelling mistakes.
I
fear for the generation after us, who will step up the game and take it
to an entirely different dimension. Children these days get exposed to
information Technology and the Internet quite early in life and will
readily accept sms language as a communication standard, at that
formative stage of their lives. The difficulty is how to create a
balance between what is right and what is for ‘fun communication’. This
is the 21st century; yes, and at the risk of sounding primitive, I
believe something should be done and fast too, to make a clear
distinction between Standard English for writing and the ‘fun language’.
We need to do this to preserve the rich heritage of the English
language that our teachers (I studied under some of the best) labored to
teach us. If not, I foresee a scenario where it will move beyond the
written, to being used in ‘formal’ verbal exchanges:
Pastor: GBUA IJN (God Bless Us All, In Jesus’ Name)
Congregation: MN (Amen)
Son: HDWU (Hey Daddy What’s Up?)
Dad: IFS, HWYD (I’m Fine Son, How Was Your Day?)
You can stretch your imagination to the limits by creating more.
HAND, oops, I just did it; I meant to say Have a Nice Day!
Ekerette-Alvin Ikpe
alvyn_ekx@yahoo.com
*This note is dedicated to Mrs Idara Ekanem,whose outburst motivated me to write this piece*
by Ekerette-Alvin Ikpe on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 10:55am
Hi, everyone. It's been a while since I updated this blog and it's good to be back. I had to step aside briefly-apologies to IBB- after the birth of my baby several months ago to do justice to my role as a mother. I will do my best to keep you updated as often as possible and i do hope you will stay with me. I found this piece most intriguing and decided to re-open communication lines by sharing this wonderful piece by Ekerette-Alvin. I hope you find it as interesting as i do. Have a nice read:
·
I
was pleasantly tickled recently when on opening my face book home page
,the first thing that hit me was a friends status update, where she took
a swipe at the use of the letters IJN in conveying words of blessings,
exhortations ,wishes etc., as opposed to the used of the full phrase, In
Jesus’ Name. Same goes for LLNP (Long Life and Prosperity) We have to
agree that at some point in our written communication and
correspondences, we have been guilty of this practice; yours truly
inclusive. No doubt, the SMS language can make messaging easier. The
language is comprised of shortened phrases, acronyms and abbreviations
that emerged from text messaging but has since bled into the everyday
vernacular of many modern societies. SMS language is useful in text
messaging, as it shortens messages' character count, therefore saving
time and expense. This however does not apply to me because I have
gotten so used to writing my SMSs in full thereby wasting time and
paying more. I come from a background where my father, a class-act in
both spoken and written English, made us believe that the much
celebrated Pidgin English is nothing but gutter language. So bad that
even in church, he does not join in singing songs done in Pidgin
English. So with that mindset, in the course of my development, I have
found it difficult to accept what I consider non-standard alterations to
the language, both written and spoken. We are daily witnessing the
creation of more of this “short codes”. It wasn’t until the recent past,
that I got to know what LWKMD actually meant. For me I just left it at
my good old LOL, LORL, LMAO, and one or two other ones. I get irritated
by some though; like the blackberry popularized, KK, YELZ, and SOWIE
etc. No matter how I feel about these abbreviations, the truth is that
they have come to stay. However, the use of this slang-based language is
not without its disadvantages:
Speaking or writing
with SMS words can confuse those who are not familiar with the
language. Many people within older generations, who do not use
text messaging very often, may not understand a message if it
contains SMS language, particularly acronyms. For example, someone
who does not understand SMS language may receive a message with
the acronym "ROTFL" which means "Rolling on the floor laughing"
and wouldn't know that the message sender thought the subject
matter was funny.
Using the SMS language outside of text
messaging, in speech and emails, can give the recipient a negative
impression of the messenger. When a word from the SMS language is
used in an inappropriate situation, such as a business email, it can
seem unprofessional or simply be misinterpreted as a spelling error.
For example, the SMS word "ppl" stands for "people" and
could easily be confused as a spelling mistake by those who are not
knowledgeable of SMS abbreviations. Furthermore, using SMS words
instead of their English-language counterparts can convey to the
recipients that the messenger is lazy and could not be bothered to
complete the longer version of the word.
The spread of
the SMS language has been criticized for deteriorating the English
language and its rich history. Though languages continually
evolve, the SMS language can be seen as not respecting the
long-standing properties of the English language that has made it
so strong. Furthermore, words within the SMS language that are
very similar to their English-language counterparts can be
confused by young users as the actual English spelling and can
therefore increase the prevalence of spelling mistakes.
I
fear for the generation after us, who will step up the game and take it
to an entirely different dimension. Children these days get exposed to
information Technology and the Internet quite early in life and will
readily accept sms language as a communication standard, at that
formative stage of their lives. The difficulty is how to create a
balance between what is right and what is for ‘fun communication’. This
is the 21st century; yes, and at the risk of sounding primitive, I
believe something should be done and fast too, to make a clear
distinction between Standard English for writing and the ‘fun language’.
We need to do this to preserve the rich heritage of the English
language that our teachers (I studied under some of the best) labored to
teach us. If not, I foresee a scenario where it will move beyond the
written, to being used in ‘formal’ verbal exchanges:
Pastor: GBUA IJN (God Bless Us All, In Jesus’ Name)
Congregation: MN (Amen)
Son: HDWU (Hey Daddy What’s Up?)
Dad: IFS, HWYD (I’m Fine Son, How Was Your Day?)
You can stretch your imagination to the limits by creating more.
HAND, oops, I just did it; I meant to say Have a Nice Day!
Ekerette-Alvin Ikpe
alvyn_ekx@yahoo.com
*This note is dedicated to Mrs Idara Ekanem,whose outburst motivated me to write this piece*
May 15, 2011
DRESSED TO KILL-WHAT’S COOL ABOUT BARE SKIN?
&nb...
DRESSED TO KILL-WHAT’S COOL ABOUT BARE SKIN?
UNYIME-IVY KING
The following conversation ensued when Muhammad Ali’s daughters arrived at his home one evening in clothes that were quite revealing. One of his daughters retells the story:
“When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock.
You've got to work hard to get to them."
He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too."
The account above set off a chain of thoughts which led to this article. You are probably observant about latest fashion trends and fads which would practically make your eyes to pop out of their sockets. What, with the wide variety of eye catching/eye- popping outfits that are highly suggestive-what some would call, ‘barely-there’ fashion? A cursory glance at these trends would reveal something of a ‘strip tease’ contest-the ultimate skin game-where she who wears the least, and bares the most, wins. This strip tease fashion is everywhere-church, offices, schools; by both the married and unmarried-nothing is left to the imagination.
Children these days, and the youths seem to be getting mixed signals. The message seems to be, the skimpier, the better, and flaunting one’s sexuality seems to be a sure gateway to more popularity. The general excuse from everyone is, ‘It is the heart that matters; this is what is in vogue-everyone is wearing this.’ In the churches, these eye popping apparels have not only crept in stealthily, they have settled in with bold strides! It was Phillip Massinger, a 16th century sage who opined that, “As the index tells the content of the book and directs to the particular chapter, even so do the outward habits and garments of a man or woman, give us a taste of the spirit and point to the internal qualities of that soul.” Some women and men too, have elevated body baring to an art. Navels are boldly revealed, hips and biceps are exposed, flesh is allowed to peek through transparent coverings, hairy chests and cleavages are amply displayed for whoever cares to look, and undies are unleashed through thin lace coverings. No thanks to Hollywood and the desperate efforts of world class jeans designers, ladies can flaunt their voluptuous curves, even though their dressing completely covers their bodies, clinging to their bodies like, ‘white on rice.’ In following fashion trends, how far is too far? Are these body hugging, see through, low cut fashion we are being bombarded with daily, sleazy or snazzy?
On the other hand, some go to the other extreme and in order not to be termed ‘worldly’ dress like stone age people, compulsory ankle length shapeless skirts, long sleeve tops with high necks, hair and necks covered with a scarf, little or no jewelry or make up. One then wonders-where is the middle ground in all of these? When are tiny tops too tiny? When are hot pants too hot? When can we say the bust lines are cut too low and the skirt slits too high? When are hemlines too short, or tops/trousers too tight? Do we dress the way we do to show pride in the freedom of expression, or for the shock value?
Admittedly, this is an era of increasing permissiveness where movies and the everyday dress sense of celebrities and non-celebrities alike-open shirts showing hairy chests, plunging necklines and see through tops, etc, have blurred our sensibilities making it increasingly difficult for one to set and maintain firm standards. Quite frankly, our society is over sexed with a constant, lust driven, assault on our senses at every turn: scantily dressed men and women on magazine covers/pages. There is a bombardment! Devoid of every gainsaying, is the fact that there is great pressure on men and women to have ideal bodies and be visual objects of sexual stimulation to the opposite sex and be stylish to the point of being overtly seductive.
The way we wear what we choose to wear, and our general appearance, tells a lot about our person. Without advocating dowdiness and dressing 18th century to be seen as being appropriately dressed, our dressing, whether we like it or not, is a mirror of our interior and is an indicator of our personality. Clothes have functional values and serve certain purposes. Clothes do have a moral effect on people’s conduct, and the perception of on lookers. In dressing, the emphasis should be on propriety, decency and moderation. Looking good is good business and good grooming is a sine qua non as there is absolutely nothing wrong with dressing to look good and beautiful. But if you are dressing up to make up for a lack of beauty, then there is a problem because, pseudo-beauty is on sale at the turn of a head in every corner, but genuine beauty cannot be bought over the counter! Undoubtedly, one’s personality, culture, mood, occasion, weather, and especially motive, are factors that influence what you wear-but all these should be placed under the cornucopia of modesty, decency, and appropriateness. Let’s face it, you cannot dress up like one from the red line zone, and expect to be treated like royalty. These are my thoughts on this matter.
