Celebrating Smile Train on World Smile Day #WorldSmileDay

With Dr. Esther Nyambura and Sibusisiwe Yona from Smile Train

“A simple smile. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.”– Dalai Lama

Today, on World Smile Day I honour everyone at Smile Train working tirelessly to provide free cleft surgery to those in need. Susannah Schaefer and Esther Nyambura you are remarkable leaders. I’m proud to be an ambassador for your organization.

Every day, 540 babies are born with #cleft, a birth difference that causes difficulties in eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. To make sure that no child is left behind, Smile Train will focus on the needs of #540Today to ensure millions of smiles tomorrow!
Support http://smiletrain.org

Margo Adonis and Her Superhero Catherine Constantinides #PlantingSeedsOfHope2020

Catherine on the left and Margo on the right

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all, our most pleasing responsibility.”― Wendell Berry

September is Arbour Month here in South Africa and in honour of that I would like to applaud Margo Adonis , Founder of Visions of Change, who in 2018 as part of the Miss Earth South Africa programme Margo Adonis started her #PlantingSeedsOfHope Campaign and since then she has planted 850 trees (and no, that’s not a typo – 850 trees ). Margo Adonis THE PLANET THANKS YOU, WE THANK THANK YOU.

[Side note: I absolutely loved that Executive Director of Miss Earth SA Catherine Constantinides was there to assist Margo this week – the Margo-Catherine bond is very adorable]

Thank you to Margo’s partners Miss Earth South Africa, Department of Environmental Affairs, Western Cape Government, Reliance Compost, Stashers    and many more – thank you all for supporting Margo

Breath of Life Campaign One Month Later

“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” —Carl Sandburg

Today marks one month anniversary of my campaign benefitting  Breath of Life(a place of safety for babies here in East London, South Africa) in memory of Gerda Bence.  . Goal is R51 000 and raised so far R26 928.  THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH to Terence Naidoo (Founder of Truzo Pty Ltd), David Boutin, Beverly Bernhardt, Meg, Suntosh Pillay, Penny Tarr, Bianca, Melissa, Maqsuda, Mr. Khan, Betty Roy, BG,  Nihara Paul, Michelle Parks, VK, Caelyn Barter, everybody who donate anonymously  and everybody who spread the word on social media – truly appreciate all of you.

If anybody wishes to make a donation they can do so https://backabuddy.co.za/in-loving-memory-of-gerda

Celebrating My Superhero Catherine Constantinides and Her Values

“Leaders don’t just get listed in history books they live amongst us. The world awaits our great contribution.” – Catherine Constantinides

Today is one of my favorite days of the year because it’s my Superhero Catherine Constantinides’s birthday I’ve never been the kind to get awestruck by people but whenever I’m around My Superhero or am talking to her on the phone I turn into a child excited by Christmas morning and I allow myself to be that way only around her and for her – she deserves to know every day that she is adored by me. Happy Birthday Superhero I LOVE YOU to the moon and more than the stars.

In the video below I talk about the values I love most in My Superhero Catherine Constantinides

#WorldHumanitarianDay I dedicate to my team of supporters

“The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet….Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places….We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”– J.K. Rowling,

On this World Humanitarian Day I wish to thank some of the people who’ve supported me repeatedly on my ten-year-long humanitarian journey who are my family, my late physiotherapist [who died a year ago today], David Boutin,  Beverly Bernhardt, Sharon K. D’Agostino, Barbra Royce, Gaynor Young and many more. From  wells and smiles to diaper drives we’ve done most things……..THANK YOU         

Fundraising for Breath of Life in loving memory of Gerda Bence

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”― Nelson Mandela

On August 19, 2019, my physiotherapist of 16 years, Gerda Bence, tragically died in a car accident at the age of 51 and so to celebrate 51 years of her beautiful life and to mark the first anniversary of her death I’m aiming to raise R51 000 for the Restore Trust’s Breath of Life house.

What is Breath of Life and what makes it unique?
Breath of Life, an initiative of the Restore Trust, is a place of safety for vulnerable babies in East London, South Africa. The place of safety has the capacity to take care of up to 6 babies simultaneously.

What’s unique about Breath of Life is that the babies live with House Mom, Michelle, House Dad, Andrew and House Siblings, Jazmyn, Lily-Anne and Alex-Rose (along with carers who are there to help the family take care of the babies) ensuring the babies have stability and love until they are adopted or reunited with suitable blood relatives.

Why am I raising money for Breath of Life?
I am raising money for Breath of Life because I believe every baby deserves to start life on a level playing field and Breath of Life provides that by ensuring every baby is loved and cared for until the Department of Social Development can find them a permanent home.

Make a donation to my campaign and in so doing help Breath of Life continue to positively impact the lives of women in crisis and babies still waiting for their forever families. https://www.backabuddy.co.za/in-loving-memory-of-gerda

[Watch] Inspiring Humanitarian Catherine Constantinides Chats to Entrepreneur Allegro Dinkwanyane

“We need to live a life where we can look back and say we took people with us.” – Catherine Constantinides

Recently Entrepreneur Allegro Dinkwanyane chatted to Humanitarian and MY SUPERHERO Catherine Constantinides I learned so much from their conversation that I just had to share it.

Alan Silva: Emotional Acrobat Is Out To Prove To His BULLIES That Size Does NOT Matter! #DifferentIsCOOL

Different is COOL – that’s my message to the world

Recently I watched the video of Alan Silva’s AMAZING acrobatic performance – I LOVE that Dwarfism hasn’t stopped Alan from flying high (literally). Watch “   Alan Silva: Emotional Acrobat Is Out To Prove To His BULLIES That Size Does NOT Matter! “ below:

Catherine Constantinides Remembers Saharawis Tortured by the Moroccan Regime #InternationalDayAgainstTorture #StandInTheSand

torture/ˈtɔːtʃə/

noun

  1. the action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something.

Today on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture my Superhero Catherine Constantinides paid a moving and heartbreaking tribute to the Saharawis of the Western Sahara who have been are currently are being tortured by the Moroccan Regime. The video touched me so much I HAD TO SHARE It – in honour of all those who have been tortured or are being tortured currently in occupied Western Sahara and elsewhere