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Kids Zone: Effect of false promises on your Child

I must say many parents have good intentions when they make promises to their kids; almost every parent wants to keep their kids happy and as such, they do not intentionally break their promises, knowing that it would affect or disappoint the kid, but this is not an excuse. One of the golden rules of parenting is to do what you say and say only what you will do. While some parents are very faithful in keeping their promises, never making promises they cannot keep, some others (though with good intentions), are unable to keep some of their promises when the time comes to deliver.

Patience Dickson: A leading voice for women with diasbilities

Patience Ogolo Dickson is the founder of Advocacy for Women with Disability International (AWWDI), a Non Profit organization that promotes the rights of girls & women with disabilities. She hails from Delta state, Nigeria and is also living with a physical disability. Dickson has never let her disability stop her from charting a course to success or speaking out for women in a similar situation. Her quest to empower women and girls with disabilities and ensure an Inclusive development plan prompted her to create AWWDI in February 2009. Since its inception, Dickson has covered significant ground through various AWWDI programs such as skill acquisitions and empowerment for Women and Girls with Physical disabilities; Advocacy programs, ensuring inclusive representation on panels, committees, and human rights treaty bodies among others. The program has spread from Delta state, to Abia, and other south eastern states in Nigeria, while having its…

Dad, Daughter and the Puberty talk

Oftentimes as parents, we find ourselves at a point where we have to broach the puberty topic with our kids and young ones. Many parents still find this an “uncomfortable” topic. I remember years back when I first started menstruating, all that talk was done by my mum; when going back to boarding school and we had to make a list of items we needed for school, we were made to take the list with the “girlies” (such as underwear, sanitary pads etc.) to my mum, while the other bulk was given to my dad. When I think back now, I wonder what would have happened if my dad had been a single parent with three adolescent girls. Dads sometimes feel that the puberty talk is for the woman to do, I know single dads that have had to ask their sister, or colleague to talk to their daughter about…

Helene Gayle: Working towards an AIDS free world

Helene D. Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., is CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, a nonprofit organization that brings together stakeholders to address complex global and social challenges. Gayle was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She earned a B.A. in psychology at Barnard College, an M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.P.H. at Johns Hopkins University. She is board certified in pediatrics, completing a residency in pediatric medicine at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Gayle is an expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues; with 20 years of service at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), she was appointed as the first director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, and achieved the rank of Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service. Gayle also served as the AIDS coordinator and chief of the HIV/AIDS division for the U.S. Agency…

SDGs: Giving Women a Fighting Chance

Since the transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, conscious efforts have been made to bridge the gender gaps especially in developing economies. One of such ways is the encouragement of girl-child education in rural settings through various free education schemes. Also, governments across emerging economies have dared to implement percentage quotas for women in politics and the workforce. These have helped close the gender gaps to some extent but will these approaches ensure that the set goals are met before the deadline of year 2030? While we ponder on new ways by which this gap can be closed, the Governor of Edo State Nigeria, gives a lead with his new style of governance which is 100% women-friendly. Governor Godwin Obaseki recently decided to revamp facilities in the Government house including a mechanic workshop which had been abandoned and he chose to engage…

Building Healthy, Loving Relationships

Psychology instructor Holly Parker shares her thoughts on the makings of a strong relationship. Romantic relationships, in all of their complexity, are a fundamental component of our lives. And as the poet Rainer Maria Rilke mused, “There is scarcely anything more difficult than to love one another.” What makes a good relationship? Holly Parker, a clinical psychologist and instructor of the course The Psychology of Close Relationships, offers her advice on how to have healthy and loving romantic relationships. See the best in your partner and the relationship Research on perception and attention shows that we see more of what we look for, so if you’re looking for signs of kindness, that’s more likely to stand out to you. How you think about and interpret your partner’s actions, intentions, and words also affects how you feel and understand a situation with them, which in turn affects how you behave toward…