Guests participated in a silent auction during a cocktail hour that featured original artwork, sent from Nigeria, by the benefitting orphans depicting their life goals and dreams followed by the main runway presentation that featured participating mothers dressed in one-of-a-kind designs by Akinsanya’s Maryland-based L-Shandi fashion collection complimented with jewelry provided by Christine Hanes of Fezelry Designs.

Participants included Master of Ceremonies Maureen Umeh, FOX 5DC Emmy award winning anchor, Aba Kwawu, Founder, The Aba Agency, Jessica McFadden, Founder, top online DC Metro area Mom site “A Parent in Silver Spring”, Kelly Collis, Tommy Show on Fresh 94.7, Founder, City Shop Girl, Maimah Karmo, Founder, Tigerlily Foundation, Rebecca Cooper, Anchor, WJLA Channel 7, Maggy Francois, Fashion Design Director, West Potomac Academy, Tanya Dallas-Lewis, Musician and Journalist, Christine Brooks-Cropper, President, Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce, Chichi Emeson, Executive Director, Miss Nigeria in America, Inc., Natalie Jobity, President, Élan Image Management, Mia Redrick, Owner, Finding Definitions, Kristie Hale, CEO, Impulse Design Group, Inc., Susi DuPuis, Personal Assistant to CEO & CFO of BP Alternative Energy North America, Monique Lighart, Realtor, Long and Foster, Neneh Diallo, Director of Communications, Millennium Challenge Corporation and Cristhel Barron, PR & Events coordinator at LJ Bamboo, Doyin Daramola-Boatin, Doctor of Pharmacy, Dekalb Medical Hospital.

Other VIP guests included His Excellency Ambassador and Mrs. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye, Head of Chancery I.F. Ajadi and Minister E. Asuquo, Tope Dada of United for Kids Foundation, Sam Carradine of the Peace Corp Nigeria Alumni Association, Christine Warnke, Tommy McFly, Miss Universe Ghana Awurama Simpson, performers from the Star Makers Academy and singer Tanya Dallas-Lewis.”

-Courtesy photo

1. Stay physically active.
2. Maintain a healthy weight.
3. Limit your alcohol intake
4. Increase your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables (dark green leafy vegetables), whole grain breads and cereals.
5. Reduce your fat intake. There is an over-consumption of fat in most American diets. Try to reduce your fat intake.
6. Reduce your intake of second hand carbohydrates with no nutritional value
7. Conduct personal routine breast self-examination- Women should conduct breast self-examination on a monthly basis from age 20 onwards. Any new or suspicious lumps should be immediately be reported to your doctor.
8. Have your breast examined aka breast cancer screening – It is recommended this takes place every three years from age 20 to 39 and once. Mammogram begins every year or two from age 40.
9. Reduce Stress. Live life simply.
10. Be happy!

For more information or if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, please visit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation for more Information.

“Safe sex” was a class session where sex educators came to our school, provided condoms and of course demonstrated how a condom should be worn. A condom was placed over a banana to show us how to practice putting a condom on. Girls were encouraged to also know how to do this. For many of my peers, this drew loud giggles and laughter while others swore out loud they would never eat a banana again. Through it all, I do not recall ever hearing another alternative message i.e. it is okay to wait to have sex because there are huge emotional, psychological and spiritual implications that come with sharing yourself with another, especially as a teenager. In any event, sex was no big deal and overtime, it seemed everyone was having sex. Sex had become more of a casual kiss on a first date. All of these took place in the early 90s and by the mid-90s, yet another buzz word, ‘sexually transmitted disease,’ emerged.

Over a decade later, do teens get it? In September 2011, Reuters reported the following, “young people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed . . . The “Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception” study prepared for World Contraception Day (WCD) reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner increased by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the USA and 19 percent in Britain in the last three years.”

These increases in numbers are exactly what Dr. Nelson Alawode, an OB/GYN and Ladybrille Man of the Month, would like to decrease, substantially. Dr. Alawode was born on October 31st, 1952, in Oyo State, Nigeria. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Portland where he obtained a B.S. degree in Pre-Medicine in 1976. In 1981, he obtained his MD from Bowman Gray school of Medicine and attended the University of Maryland Hospital to complete his Residency program in OB/GYN.

Hearing him talk about sex, it might initially appear he is out of touch with reality. Dr. Alawode advocates abstinence, especially among teens and believes all, especially teens, should wait until marriage to have sex. Really? As in who thinks that way or even does that in this day and age? Adults can’t even wait yet teens are expected to wait? Why? Upon a closer look, however, Dr. Alawode’s position is actually backed by both his personal and professional hands on experiences in the medical field as an OB/GYN.

“I know we say (to our youths) take your condom and go do what you want to do. But I don’t believe it is the right answer,” he insist firmly as I challenge his views on pre-marital sex and its interconnectedness with high rate of pregnancy and STDs, especially among youths. “Back then, (our main concern during) the Woodstock era was just Gonorrhea and Syphilis. (Today), we have about 28 sexually transmitted diseases we are dealing with,” he informs me.

“29.3% of 9th graders (roughly about 14-16years) admit to have had sex and 6% of those admit to have had more than four partners. 62.4% of 12th graders (roughly about 17-18years) admit to have had sex and 20.2% have had four or more partners. 21% of all births in the United States in a year are by women who are between the age 15-19,”he adds.

He should know. On a personal level, Dr. Alawode experienced a life changing event while he was rotating through the department of OB/GYN as a medical student at Wake Forest. During that time, he helped deliver a baby for an 11 ½ year old girl. The birth was completed through cesarean section. It was an experience so profound, he knew something had to be done. In trying to ascertain the deeper message from that experience, Dr. Alawode concluded his mandate was to take a message that was far from politically correct to as many youths as possible. The message was that of abstinence. Ultimately, he launched his non-profit ‘Abstinence Teen Choice’ to push the abstinence message.

“I am doing this because it seems we have forgotten our youths and no one is teaching them what they need to learn, truly, about what is involved with sex,” said Dr. Alawode as I probed further on his motive for establishing ‘Abstinence Teen Choice.’
With the creation of ‘Abstinence Teen Choice,’ Dr. Alawode spends his time teaching teens to understand the psychological implications of having multiple sexual partners so they realize that multiple STD’S can be transmitted from engaging in sex with one or multiple partners outside a committed relationship.

Believing that if youths are given pertinent information, they will make wiser and beneficial choices about their sexual health and relationships, Dr. Alawode educates teens by providing them with one-one-time where applicable, educational materials and numerous relevant resources to point them in the right direction.

I asked how the parents of the teens he educates have been reacting to him. “A lot of parents ask me, where were you when I was growing up? Both spiritually and emotionally, teens need to be told what happens and the adverse consequences of being sexually active,” he adds.

“What you are saying is not the norm and to some it would appear that you are pushing your Judeo-Christian values on youths. Why should anyone listen?” I ask.

“I am not forcing this on anybody,” he responds. “I believe (teens) should know and have these issues at the forefront (of their minds). I don’t think we are doing children any service by not discussing these issues. I do not believe that if the whole world is doing it, it necessarily makes it right.”

Dr. Alawode explains to me that he talks to youths frequently and at nineteen (19) they have had as much as thirty partners. “ . . . if you’ve been around five partners, you’ve been around over 30 people. If you’ve had 12 partners, you have been around over 4,000 plus people, according to the American College of OB/GYN, ” he explains.

Indeed sex education that includes abstinence is very critical to the overall well being of youths. After all of our discussions on teen sexual health, I wanted to know about women’s overall health. What do we need to be going as women to ensure we are on the right track with our health? Dr. Alawode gave me the following checklist:

• According to the American college of OB/GYN, women should not get a pap smear until they are 21. “The number one cancer in the world is cervical cancer but for the USA, it is not an issue because of pap smears,” explains Dr. Alawode.
• Dr. Awolade adds that women in their 20s should also be up to date on immunizations especially if they are college bound.
• Once a woman reaches her 40s, then a mammogram check up should be added but this is not routine. However, he points out a woman with any family history of breast cancer should begin her mammogram checkups in her 30s.
• At 45, women should check blood sugar levels because diabetes can be a problem.
• Once a woman clocks 50, a mammogram becomes routine until 65.

Dr. Alawode’s Abstinence Teen Choice Campaign kicks off, officially, this fall worldwide.

-Uduak Oduok

Kneeling on the floor of my storage amidst boxes, I dug through and discovered so many things. I saw love letters written by ex’s. Love letters which as I pored through, made me grateful for the privilege to have had persons in my life who loved me that much. I saw articles I had written in college. I laughed at the maturity I displayed, even then, because I began college during my mid-teens but wrote as if I was in my thirties. I saw my numerous diaries. I have always been a writer and have loads of diaries where I have conveyed my thoughts. Writing is my therapy. Poring through those diaries, I chuckled. How sweet and refreshingly beautiful it is to be that young, naive and full of hope. Time flies so quickly!

I saw items from my time in Nigeria as a child and my”Ladybrille” titled scrap books that I have kept. It was interesting to see the journey I have traveled so far. As I continued reflecting, I opened one of my storage boxes and in it, I found pictures my older sister took of me in my fitness attire during the time I was a certified fitness trainer for one of the larger fitness gyms here in California. I chuckled.

My mind, all of a sudden, drifted into deep thought as I realized that through all of my journey: the highs and the lows, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the consistent message was the power of good health. For the most part, with good health, I saw how quickly I bounced back each time life’s curve balls hit me. My disposition was generally very optimistic and I came back even stronger after overcoming life’s hurdles thrown at me. There was one instance, however, in the journey, as I observed on my timeline, where life threw its dangerous curveballs at me. It hit me right where it was intended to and it took me quite a long time to get back up. Reviewing that particular timeline, I saw that my good health was actually replaced with bad health and so logically, it made sense it took me that long to bounce back.

Welcome “Ladybrillers” to another month of an action packed powerfully intelligent and brilliant articles, we hope. I hope it is a month that we can inspire you to take responsibility for your health and be the powerful person you can be, with good health. Good health is a critical component of enjoying a good life.

This month, we look at your overall health with an emphasis on our Ladies. Ladies, as we age, it becomes very important to really zoom into our health and overall well being. To have a candid talk about health, we invited Dr. Nelson Awolade, our Ladybrille Man of the Month and an OB/GYN, to help inspire us and give us our basic health checklist for each decade we clock in  our lives- 20s onwards. Dr. Awolade also talks to us about sex, paying keen attention to our teenage girls.

Years ago, Dr. Awolade had a life altering experience when he delivered a baby for an 11 ½ year old girl through C-Section. That experience moved him to wake us up, as a society, about the kinds of behavior we are modeling for our young girls as well as push the abstinence message for teens. The options for our young people should not be restricted to, “here’s a condom you are going to have sex anyways.” This is absolutely unacceptable and is and has proved to be a liability for us, as a society. Our young people need to hear the alternative message that they can and should wait to have sex. Stay tuned for his interview.

Matching the health message of our Man of the Month, is our Ladybrille Woman of the Month Sarah Khanna, a rising and successful food blogger based out of Egypt. Many within and outside the USA struggle to lose weight daily, but it is not as complicated as it might sound. Nutrition is key and 60% of the battle is getting our nutrition right in addition to exercise, rest and stress reduction. Our diet reflects our mental, physical and emotional state of mind. What can and should we be eating? Khanna’s mouth watering yet healthy recipes nudges us towards the right direction.

Finally, it is breast cancer month and that fact is not lost on us here at Ladybrille. All of you, at some point, have heard or know women who have had breast cancer? I have known quite a few. I also have an aunt who died as a result of breast cancer. During college, I also had a scare when I discovered a lump in my left breast. From the tips and information I received earlier on, I knew to routinely conduct a breast examination. It was during one of those examinations that I found the lump. Thankfully, it was benign and being a “fix it” kind of girl, I went ahead with the medical procedure to have the lump removed. I continue to routinely do my breast examinations.

I hope our article on ’10 tips to Prevent Breast Cancer,’ serves as a useful guide for all of our ladies. For our men, we hope you pass it on to the special women in your lives.

Have a healthy and successful month ahead and I wish you all brilliant blessings.

Here is to good health!

Yours truly,

Uduak Oduok, Esq.
(uduak@ladybrille.com)
Editor-in-Chief
www.ladybrillemag.com

1. The gym has both better and more equipment than you can afford
You will have a much more successful workout in the gym, versus at home, because of the wide variety of gym equipment selections offered.

2. Exercising in the gym will make you feel good
You will be on an all day high from the dopamine (feel good hormones) that is released when you exercise.

3. It will make you look good
The consequences of working out is that you LOOK good!

4. You will get toned muscles
If you incorporate weight training into your exercise routine, as opposed to only cardiovascular exercises like running, swimming etc., you are guaranteed to see sexy lines and definition as your body becomes more toned.

5. It will help you challenge yourself
Working out is also a way to challenge yourself with your fitness goals. Once you reach one fitness goal, you can break your own records by raising the bar and moving on to a higher threshold you set for yourself. For those who love challenges, it will keep you even more focused both in and outside of the gym.

6. It will help you lose some weight and lower your fat percentage
There is nothing like working out in the gym with a community of people who have the same common goals. The beautiful side effect is that if you stick with your fitness plan and challenge yourself, you will shed some pounds and lower your cholesterol levels.

7. Reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity and other
Shedding pounds and lowering your cholesterol levels means you decrease the chances, substantially, of heart disease, obesity, cancer and osteoporosis.

8. More fun than exercising alone
It is undoubtedly much more fun to exercise with other people than to exercise alone.

9. Ensure that you meet your fitness goals
Meeting and exceeding your fitness goals will be much easier when you have access to a gym. You can hire the services of a personal fitness trainer, participate in exercise group classes and overall make it more of a fun experience to ensure you meet your fitness goals.

10. Meet new people
As an added incentive, the gym is a great place to socialize, make new friends and who knows, meet “The One.”

Hopefully, these reasons made you all excited and ready to start with your new gym routine. When you do start, take things slow and warm up and stretch before and after exercise.

Now go do it!

-Bola Oyedele
-Photocredit: Ploomy

“The lack of safe drinking water in Africa is no secret. Every year, preventable waterborne illnesses claim the lives of millions of Africans. No single organization can resolve Africa’s water crisis, but together, with a combination of civil society, non-governmental organizations and government, we can make a positive difference on Africa’s water challenges.

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has been involved in community water programs since 2005. To date, 34 water projects in 19 countries have been supported, in partnership with and co-funded by USAID (United States Agency for International Development) under the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) and other partners. Within The Coca-Cola Company’s three-tier global water stewardship strategy which is focused on Reducing, Recycling and Replenishing the amount of water used in Coca-Cola beverages and their production, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s focus is on Replenishing – or community based water interventions.

The Replenish Africa Initiative, or RAIN, is therefore the signature community initiative of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. Backed by a six-year, $30 million dollar commitment by The Coca-Cola Company, in partnership with other donors, RAIN’s goal is to provide over 2 million people in Africa with access to drinking water by 2015. RAIN will launch over 100 water access programs across Africa, including sanitation and hygiene education programs.

In collaboration with various partners, volunteers, patrons and organizations, RAIN is not just for the immediate future of Africa, but also for the long-term sustainability of its resources. RAIN is also The Coca-Cola Company’s contribution to help Africa meet the UN Millennium Development Goal on water and sanitation.”

For more information on RAIN, click here. Also for our Ladybrille readers, support Coca Cola’s efforts but also be sure to support Saran Kaba-Jones, Ladybrille Woman of the Month, January 2010 who continues to work hard and steadfastly for access to clean water and sanitation in Liberia. Visit Face Africa.com here on how to do so.

Over half of the population in African countries uses mobile phones. This creates an unprecedented opportunity to leverage the mobile phone platform to revolutionize the delivery of healthcare to entire populations at less than 25% the cost of traditional delivery models. The summit brings together leading stakeholders from the health, telecommunications, ICT, finance, academic, developmental sectors (and others) together in Africa to address issues of scalability and sustainability in the m-health space. As we build on previous related initiatives around the globe, please join us to exchange ideas, discuss innovative solutions, and create innovative collaborations. For more information on the conference and to register, please go to www.mhealthafricasummit.com

Date: December 2, 2010 – December 3, 2010
Location: Labadi Hotel, No. 1 La Bypass , Accra, Ghana

Former journalist Rene Syler, who underwent a preemptive double mastectomy last year because of her high genetic risk of breast cancer, will join Gabrielle and Kelly Price on THE MO’NIQUE SHOW on Friday, October 22 at 11:00 p.m.*

In a half-hour special report, BET News pulls back the curtain on the whole truth about breast cancer and black women – that their deaths are preventable, and that it is social and economic inequity that has betrayed them – not their own bodies. To tell the story, BET takes viewers to the city of Chicago, where the 38% national breast cancer mortality rate for Black women has exploded to an astronomical 116%. HEART OF THE CITY: CHICAGO’S CANCER DIVIDE will air on Sunday, October 24 at 10:00 p.m.*

In addition to the on-air programming, BET Networks launched a micro-site dedicated to breast cancer awareness on bet.com and will run PSAs to raise awareness about the disease. The Network is also collaborating with the American Cancer Society and Like the River Salon to donate a special day of beauty to African American breast cancer survivors on October 24 in Atlanta, GA.

For more information on “BET Goes Pink” and resources on breast cancer, please log onto www.bet.com/news/betgoespink.

*All times EDT

~Getty Images

Brigitte Kobenan, Executive Director, Autism Community of Africa (ACA) was instrumental in organizing this event due to the fact that her first child, Vinny is Autistic. This is what prompted her to form her non-profit organization ACA so as to create a platform to share her experience and help African families in need, by providing information and resources.

Jeff Sell, the Vice President of the World Autism Organization says recent data on the prevalence of autism is alarming. “When my boys were born, it was one in a 1,000, now it’s one in a 100. We have a worldwide epidemic, we have a worldwide problem,” he noted.

Cameroon has been the leading country in Africa to address this developmental disorder. Centre Orchidee Home, under the directorship of Madame Bell, was recognized for its effort in addressing the issue of autism and was awarded the first ACA Achievement Award. Ms. Naomi Begala, a representative from the Embassy of Cameroon, Washington, D.C. received the award on behalf of the Centre. She says she is honored that Cameroon can serve as an example and lead the way as a recipient for the award.

The main highlight of the evening was the performance by Linda and Brian Ha. Brian, an autistic boy and his sister Linda, a professional Salsa dancer, entertained the guests with their steps. “It just goes to show that people living with Autism can lead normal lives with adequate support and help,” said Linda.

Nothing was more compelling than the story of Dawn Cooper Barnes, wife of Ambassador Nathanial Barnes of the Republic of Liberia. Barnes, who has been caring for Zwannah, her 19-year-old autistic child, described it as a life changing experience. She expressed many of the ups and downs that her family has gone through while caring for Zwannah but also remarked that traditional African families although may understand the value of extended family, they are superstitious with regards to mental abnormalities. “Children in Africa living with autism may be thought to be posses of evil spirits or bad omens, said Barnes. “ It is important for the public to be better educated, teachers need to be trained in special education, and resources centers and centers should be available for children with autism so that they can lead better lives.” Barnes expressed that it is most crucial for one to show love and understanding in dealing with children with autism.

The evening ended with an award presentation to Julius Coles, President, AFRICARE, for his dedication and contribution towards development assistance in Africa. Coles has dedicated most of his life to working in Africa. In recognition of his achievement, the first Julius E. Coles Humanitarian Award was introduced by the organizations Racines Heritage and ACA, and will be awarded to a recipient during the 2010 annual gala. Coles was also bestowed as honorary Chief of Cote d’Ivoire and given the title Chief Koffi Coles.

Kobenan will continue to raise awareness and share her experience with other African families confronted with the same issues. “Many people are afraid or ashamed to disclose their child’s condition for fear of rejection, said Kobenan. “We would like to help provide the necessary information, resources, tools or finances to assist people so that they can better care for their children. “ Proceeds from the gala will go towards ACA to build the first Autism pilot research center and in Abidjan.

Sponsors of the gala included Western Union and Racines Heritage along with ACA partners Centrifuge Group, EBraiding, Ladybrille Magazine  and LyoR Cosmetics.

For more information on Autism Community of Africa (ACA) visit autismcommunityofafrica.org.

To read the keynote speech click here.

~Funke Adebonojo
~Photo: Jeff Sell, VP World Autism Organization

“Leukemia interrupted Seun’s dream of being the first Nigerian in the Winter Olympics,” says Rihanna. “But together we can help him make his dream come true! We need to find him a bone marrow donor! Please sign up with DKMS!”

Keep up with Seun Adebiyi and/find information on becoming a bone marrow donor  here.
Listen to Seun Adebiyi on NPR’s All Things Considered  here.
For a well written write up on Seun Adebiyi, click here.