“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.” —Gail Tsukiyama
Happy Mothers Day to my mommy who gave me life and showed me how to live.
4 Lessons from My Mother
1. People only throw rocks at the tree bearing fruit
2. Don’t eat the fruit of laziness
3. Those born out of the fire do not wilt in the sun
4. There are a lot of people suffering we must be decent in the way we live
Yaseen Theba is the Director of Vision Group – Vision Tactical and Vision Branding – Co-Founder of Operation SA and Chairman of the Muslim Association of South Africa.
The Muslim Association of South Africa, led by Yaseen Theba, is currently feeding people in need of food due to the COVID19 Lockdown.
Yaseen is the kind of human we all should be and the kind of person I aspire to be because he does the right thing simply because it’s right thing to do.
Muslim Association of South Africa’s Website: http://muslim.org.za/
Muslim Association of South Africa’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/MuslimAssocSA
Donate to help the Muslim Association of South Africa feed South Africa
Muslim Association of South Africa LILLAH ACCOUNT
First National Bank (FNB)
Account Number: 62779526725
Branch Code is: 253305
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJXXX
Ref: (Donor Name)
The above post was shared as part of my new weekly Difference Makers series featuring individuals, businesses or NPOs making a difference
Freedom is what we do with what has happened to us – that’s what I’ve realized
Today is Freedom Day in South Africa – a day marking 26 years since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy – and while it is ironic that we are spending Freedom Day under lockdown due to COVID19 I’m grateful that when this is over we will have a democracy to go back to.
Executive Vice Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, Smile Train
Susannah Schaefer is Executive Vice Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer of Smile Train, an international organization focused on empowering local medical professionals to provide free cleft lip and/or palate surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally.
Susannah joined Smile Train in February 2013, after serving as a member of the organization’s Board for over ten years. In her role as CEO, she leads Smile Train’s vision to expand access to healthcare and increase local capacity in countries in which Smile Train helps children. During her time as CEO, Susannah led an organizational rebrand, seeded funding for hundreds of thousands of new smiles, expanded cleft surgical training and education programs throughout the world and helped to establish organizational partnerships in Haiti and Rwanda. In addition, Susannah led the team in developing Smile Train’s ground-breaking Virtual Surgery Simulator, further accelerating cleft surgical training and enhancing the organization’s “teach a man to fish” model.
Susannah came to Smile Train after almost twenty years in operational roles, bringing a vast network and past experiences to the team. Previously, Susannah served as Vice President, Director of International Marketing at CA Technologies, where she led implementation of the company’s international marketing strategies. Earlier in her career, Susannah was the Director of Marketing, Asia for CA Technologies, where she built the organization’s presence throughout the region and hosted the first regional CA World conference in China.
Susannah is a Trustee of The Smile Train UK and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the State University of New York College at Oswego.
Website: https://www.smiletrain.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smiletrain
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmileTrain/
The above post was shared as part of my new weekly Difference Makers series featuring individuals, businesses or NPOs making a difference
April 6, 2020
Vision Tactical –
Private Security company Vision Tactical has lended it’s helping hand by supporting local NGO’s deliver much needed essential items during the 21 day COVID-19 lockdown.
Intervention and Specialized Support Units are making sure that essential items which need to be distributed to hundreds of people on a daily basis reaches its point of destination safely.
Team members also mobilized to manage the coordination of the distribution while ensuring that all protocols and necessary safety procedures are followed.
Director of Vision Tactical, Yaseen Theba says that it’s positive to see how many NGO’s and volunteers have come forward and rose to the challenge of assisting the needy during a very challenging time.
“The members from the Muslim Association of South Africa found out about the dire need for essential food items required at the Bakazela Settlement, they then immediately purchased the items, and came out to distribute.”
Theba says that every helping hand counts at this point in time.
“During this challenging period, being proactive and positive is the only way to move forward stronger and together.”
Those wanting to contribute:
Muslim Association of South Africa LILLAH ACCOUNT
First National Bank (FNB)
Account Number: 62779526725
Branch Code is: 253305
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJXXX
Ref: (Donor Name)
Smile Train is an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate.
Many children with untreated clefts around the world live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Cleft treatment is safe, and the impact on the child is immediate.
Seeing the flaws in mission-based models, Smile Train was the first cleft-focused organization with a model of true sustainability – providing training, funding, and resources to empower local medical professionals in 90+ countries to provide 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care in their own communities.
And through our sustainable “teach a man to fish” model, Smile Train is not only raising the standard of cleft care and safety – we’re setting it. The support we provide has elevated the standards of care for cleft patients at our partner hospitals around the world, ultimately elevating the standards of care for all patients.
As a result of our efficiency, and with the help of our donors and partners, Smile Train has supported safe and quality cleft care for 1.5+ million children and will continue to do so until every child in need with a cleft has access to the care they deserve.
Website: https://www.smiletrain.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Smiletrain
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmileTrain/
The above post was shared as part of my new weekly Difference Makers series featuring individuals, businesses or NPOs making a difference
“After Spain relinquished its colonial control of the territory [Western Sahara] to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975, the latter soon withdrew its claims to the territory while Morocco gained de facto control of the area (and with it, control over its rich mineral resources). The battle for Western Sahara ensued for 16 years before a ceasefire agreement was reached along with calls for a referendum on its national status that would ostensibly never come.” – Catherine Constantinides
When I heard about the Western Sahara and the fact that half the Saharawis (the people of Western Sahara) still live in the refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria (where they fled to during the war) surviving on nothing but foreign aid in inhospitable climatic conditions while the other half of the Saharawis live in occupied-Western Sahara subjected to violence at the hands of the Moroccan authorities I knew I had to do something particularly after I heard that the Saharawis in the refugee camp and the Saharawis in the occupied territory are separated by a 2720 kilometre wall, called The Berm, built by Morocco to maintain control of the Western Sahara and separate Saharawi families . The Berm is extraordinarily dangerous to attempt to jump over because on either side of it Morocco placed 7-10 MILLION ACTIVE LANDMINES additionally, The Berm is manned by 120 000 Morocco soldiers daily.
In 2017 I paraglided off Signal Hill to raise awareness about Western Sahara and the plight of the Saharawi People because I believe none of us can be truly free if some of us are oppressed.
Yesterday I dedicated my 29th birthday to the Saharawi People of Western Sahara. For Little Mohammed, Ahmed and every child in that camp who doesn’t know a life outside of itThis illegal occupation began before i was born but IT WILL END BEFORE I DIE.
“To me – old age is always ten years older than I am.” -Bernard Baruch
Today is my 29th birthday and my first one since the passing of Gerda and to pour salt of my wound we are currently in the midst of a pandemic so yeah today isn’t the happiest birthday I’ve ever had but I’m grateful that my family and I are alive and relatively healthy (PLEASE GOD LONG MAY IT STAY THAT WAY)
The only thing that’s constant is change – that’s what I keep realizing
Last night President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that with effect from 23: 59 on Thursday, March 26th South Africa would placed on a 21-day lockdown to stop the spread of the Corona Virus which means only essential services personnel can work, only essential business will remain open and that during the 21-day lockdown the general public can only go out to seek healthcare, buy groceries, perform banking activities or collect social grants. The next few weeks will be hard for everyone in this country and the world but I plan to live kindly, lovingly and generously as I always strive to do.
Thank you to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government of the Republic of South Africa for the bold and decisive leadership exhibited this was a painful but necessary step in the fight against the Corona Virus.
“The “nervous system environment” a girl absorbs during her first two years becomes a view of reality that will affect her for the rest of her life.”― Dr. Louann Brizendine, The Female Brain
Recently I finished reading The Female Brain by Dr. Louann Brizendine I found it absolutely fascinating how a woman’s brain chemistry changes to accommodate for each new phase of her life. I recommend this book to every woman particularly if you have a daughter of your own.