Big Idea of SACCO Began by African Women To Attain Financial Freedom

For as long as I can remember African women have been meeting together and doing something constructive at least once in a month and contribute foodstuffs and other items. This made sure that their children never went hungry. They even managed to save something small to cater for some of their sort of idle husbands to go and drink in the village. This is in fact the origin of SACCOs, where a group of people with a common goal pool their resources together, empowering themselves and achieving financial freedom.

Soon after the idea of merry-go-round was birthed, several women working in the same company came together and decided to give a certain amount to one of them so she could do something constructive. Long before bank loans women could acquire a sizable amount of cash just from among themselves. Indeed, there is might in togetherness such as what these women set their minds to do however daunting it seemed, they managed to do. Later they ventured into greater things like buying land and houses.

The latest venture that the women have undertaken is financial helping each other buy gifts for their parents. That basically involves a group of women pooling together and visiting the parents of one of them, showering them with gifts which meant the daughter was in exchange showered with blessings.

All these ventures by our mothers, wives, aunts, sisters and eventually daughters show that indeed the SACCO movement originated from our women. These are some of the milestones achieved by women in Africa and by that they deserve a salute. Financial freedom is achievable when people to together their resources.

Parenting Tips On Modelling The Behaviour Of Our Children

As parents, our behavior influences our children more than anyone else. We are a role model for them to follow. Do the things you would want them to do as well. If you want them not to use foul language, keep your language clean. Allow me to say that children have changed little since Joseph's brothers sold him to the Egyptians, and the father's role has changed a little too. Traditionally, fathers were known as the authority figures especially when it came to enforcing discipline.

The father's role is to be there after mom has had the baby; he should try and share any job around and also pay attention to the child's discipline, talk and listen to the child. A father's most important job though is to love the child. It is important for both parents to be involved in enforcing good values in their children.

Parental attention is very important to a child, this means focusing on the positive and correcting any negative behaviour; this way you encourage a child to behave well. In some cases you can actually reward a child for doing a certain good thing, though be careful not to over do it. It should not be like bribing them to behave well. They should understand that rewards come with responsibility.

Try re-directing, where by you explain to the child either verbally or physically the better way to behave. This guides the child and also communicates to them what works for you and others. It works even in small children since they are capable of reading your body language.

Parents should create rules for their family and make the children know the consequences of breaking them. This gives them direction. More importantly, we should be our children's friends. Encourage them to open up to you and talk to you about their fears, what makes them happy and their thoughts. For example instead of shouting them down or spanking them (which will either make them shut down or become rebellious) because they misbehaved, try talking first and find out why they did it. Good luck!

Looking Out For Signs Of A Bad Nanny

Baby cries uncontrollably when you are about to leave; When baby is about four months old they start discerning between family members and strangers and some suffer anxiety towards people they do not know. They also suffer anxiety when the parent is about to leave but this settles down as they grow older or get used to the stranger. Since you can decode your the cry of your child, you can tell if they are crying out of fear or if it is just a normal cry. Make a point of returning home unexpectedly and see what goes on after you have gone.

No bonding yet; If baby and nanny have not bonded yet even after a prolonged period of time and baby dislikes the nanny and gets upset by the simple sight of her, it is a sign of trouble. It is important for baby and nanny to have the right chemistry to make it work.

If it is impossible for you and your help to work as a team; Your relationship with your help is very important since you can tell how efficient she is. Beware of a nanny who does not talk; she might be keeping ill feelings towards you which will in turn affect the way she treats your child. For instance, if she chooses not want to follow your instructions especially on hygiene issues or being critical of how you raise your child, although you should welcome constructive suggestions, is not a good sign.

When your help invites people to your place; Your place is her work place and should be handled with etiquette just like another official place. The problem of bringing people to your house when you are away especially fellow nannies and boyfriends is that she will neglect the work that is supposed to be done. In addition, she should respect your privacy.

If your help doesn't keep schedules; If she does not live in your house, then she should be able to arrive a few minutes before her call time. A good caregiver should also keep time with feeding, sleeping and bathing times and if this is not the case then she is unreliable.

Expecting That Little Buddle Of Joy?

Every mother will fully agree with me that the joy of holding that little baby after birth is an explainable feeling. Whether you had planned for a baby or not, being a parent is an experience that can never be quantified. Carrying that little one for nine months makes one wake up to a reality that your life is not yours alone anymore.

As you live through the first trimester’s morning sickness (for those who have it), take it easy. You do not have to struggle much with your emotions and mood swings, learn how to control them. A balanced diet is a must irrespective of how wild your cravings are. Start your antenatal clinics early and avoid missing them.

Be keen to have prenatal exercises. Be sure you bask on the sun often to get a good dose of vitamin D, which is essential for bone development of your unborn baby. Your gynecologist might prescribe some multi-vitamin tablets too. It is advisable to go for an ultra sound scan too so as to know the position and progress of the baby.

Prepare early, buy what needs to be bought when you can still walk around easily. When shopping for your baby’s clothes, do not buy many because they outgrow them very fast. Enjoy your pregnancy, unless you have complications, being pregnant does not mean that you have been condemned to suffering.

Buy nice clothes that will reveal your beautiful figure. For those who stare at pregnant women, please note it is rude, and if you must look then do not make it so obvious. Enjoy your pregnancy and good luck when the day finally comes for baby to be born.

Mothers' Unconditional Love

From when a mother knows she is expecting a baby, the maternal instinct right away triggers a protective instinct that tries to ensure no harm befalls the baby. Even that weird occurrence, which sometimes is an overwhelming craving for certain foods or non-foods while pregnant, is the body's' way of saying that certain minerals are missing from the system and you need them to ensure the baby gets optimum growth in the womb. My wife and I being first time mother and father are leaving nothing to chance to ensure the best for the unborn baby. My wife will always flinch whenever anyone or thing move very close to her. She is not alone many mother invest a lot to their unborn babies, a true testimony of a mothers' love to her child that is independent to the child's physical appearance. As much as some parents lock up their children because of physical deformities and the stigma societies attach to these abnormalities. But most mothers love their babies unconditionally. This ensures the survival of infants to adulthood, thanks to God for these instincts. Just like the American poet (James Agee) puts it "A mother never realizes that her children are no longer children". Even when they are grown old she believes that they remain her little children.

Listen to this Irish saying "A man loves his sweetheart the most; his wife the best, but his mother the longest"

My friend told me five years ago it's his mothers' instincts that saved him from certain death when he got a bout of pneumonia. He had a piercing pain in his chest, which he would stoically endure even as it looked very serious. One reason he resisting going to hospital was he had emptied his pocket at the beginning of the school term. And he thought the pain would eventually go away. But his mother who is also a grand mother had not retired from parenting arena. She said this was not a laughing matter and that she was not going to the village until my friend saw a doctor. And with that she fished from her large purse Ksh 3,000. To my friends surprise the doctor told him he had pneumonia. Every mother has a sixth sense that's impossible to argue with.

A priest tickled his congregation when he talked of this mothers' unconditional love. He spoke of the obligation to congratulate the new mother, there is really no comeliness in the infant to talk about when she cannot honestly exclaim "What a beautiful boy" then simply says "What a baby."

Let me conclude with this gem "Child bearing myth number 1: Labor ends when the baby is born."