Blog
A Rewarding Trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa
Friday, 17 December 2010 21:48
Last year I visited my daughter in Sierra Leone, while she was working on her Fulbright Fellowship.Prior to my visit, she had told me that many families in Sierra Leone cannot afford sending their children to school. I asked her if she knew what it would cost for a child to go to school for one year. She did a research and told me that with only $50.00 a child could go to school for one entire school year. This includes tuition and school supplies!
I put the word out among friends and family, and raised some money and turned my visit to an education / humanitarian trip. With my daughter as my guide, I visited the country and got a glimpse of warmth of its people and the poverty of this small country, which according to the United Nations, was the poorest country in the world in 2008. This one visit and connecting with people as our Sierra Leonean family turned into an ongoing mother and daughter project.
In 2009 we were able to:
· Sponsor 45 children and send them to school
· Award one college scholarship
· Buy one generator and wire one school in a remote village, which allowed the school to become a community center
This year in anticipation of our second visit, we raised more funds from friends, family and participants of our Great Parenting Academy Live Event in November that was to go towards Njadiun our remote village in Sierra Leone and neighboring villages.
In 2010 with the help of these contributions, we were able to:
· Sponsor 120 children and send them to school!
· Award two college scholarships
· Buy two generators and wire two schools in two small villages, which allow these schools to become community centers
There are seven villages in “our” little chiefdom and last year after we bought a generator for one village and told the other six villages that we would buy a generator and wire the schools for electricity in one other village if they start a small farm/ garden right by their school and grow fruit for children. We did this as an incentive to promote healthy living and getting vitamins and minerals to school children.
This year upon our return, we visited all seven gardens and the top two school gardens won the generators. They are now growing mango, papaya, peanut, pineapple, guava, banana and other fruits that grow fast in that part of Africa. Our education project has now expanded to include healthy living and nutrition for children and families in those seven villages.
Over 1000 children and teachers were our guests on Thanksgiving
Our most rewarding experience however had to be on Thanksgiving Day. We invited all the children and teachers from the seven villages to Njadiun (our main village) and prepared special African food for them. This day, we fed over 1000 children! This was the best Thanksgiving Day ever, since it was such a fulfilling and rewarding experience for both Nilou and I. The most beautiful mother – daughter experience anyone could imagine!
Continuing Education
Through our work we also educate parents and teachers about some of the basic rights for children: such as not beating them or not marrying underage girls. Instead, we encourage them to love and nurture their children, and teach compassion and sharing with each other.
You can see some of our pictures and videos on a special facebook page that we created for this work in Africa:
<script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"></script><fb:like href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Our-African-family/111043162300027" layout="button_count" show_faces="false" width="450" font="tahoma"></fb:like>
Let me know what you think and have a very happy holiday season!
Much love,
Terri
Second Annual Great Parenting Academy Event – A Great Success!
Friday, 10 December 2010 19:08
Our 2nd annual GPA event was another great success and those who attended walked away with practical tools to improve their relationships with the children, partners and spouses.
Each of our guest speakers offered parents important insights, some of which included:
Dr. John Gray: "We are always the model (for our children)" and acceptance and rewards are much more effective than the old paradigm of punishment. Dr. Gray also did an amazing job of explaining how men and women respond to stress differently and how we can be supportive of one another by keeping in mind these differences.
Next on stage was Lynn Lott, who enlisted audience participants to join her on stage to demonstrate the difference between positive discipline and nagging. Just one of the many examples included a scenario of a parent wanting their children’s toys picked up. Two different scenarios included, “Pick up your toys” versus “What is your responsibility to do after you finish playing with your toys?”
Dr. Brenda Wade’s talk complemented the preceding speakers. Tapping her head, Dr. Wade pronounced, “This is a programmable tool.” Meaning we program our own brain, and subsequently, our children’s brains, with the thoughts we think. So, keep those thoughts positive and constructive.
Terri Khonsari spoke at the beginning and during the day before other speakers. The focus of her presentation was raising well rounded children who shine in all areas of life. Those who have passion for what they do and compassion for the community and for the world as one big human family.
Additionally, we had a panel discussion with successful parents who have raised great children and shared their practical ways of handing challenging situations and overcoming problems.
While these short narratives barely touch upon the fullness of the day and the valuable insights provided by each speaker, we will be posting a series of short videos of this day as they become available.
Upcoming Tele-Classes for Parents
The great news is we are planning a series of tele-classes and information sessions for 2011. These series will all be on the phone and you can participate from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world. We are bringing top experts on the most popular topics that parents’ are clamoring for.
Stay tuned!
Join us on November 6th!
Wednesday, 27 October 2010 19:28
Here is what John Gray sent to his contacts and I thought I would share it with you. Have you signed up yet? It will be an amazing day! Look what John has to say:
Family is everything to me. There is no greater joy in my life than hanging out with my wife, children and grandchildren. When you think about it, life is all about building good relationships, especially with your family.
A great family relationship starts with great parenting. Parents with kids of all ages and stages ask me for advice all the time. I respond when I can but I am always looking for ways to reach more of them.
So on Saturday, November 6th, I am joining my friends Terri Khonsari, Lynn Lott and Dr. Brenda Wade at an event for Great Parenting Academy in the San Francisco Bay Area. We will share skills and tips that help you better understand your children and improve your relationship with them - at all ages and stages of their lives. I encourage you to join me.
Click Here To Register
Little things bring big changes...
John Gray, Ph.D.
What Does It Take to Raise Extraordinary Children?
Thursday, 07 October 2010 01:10
A lot has transpired since my last note to you.
While I may have neglected my emails and blogging, I have NOT neglected you or my dedication to bringing you the best parenting resources.
http://greatparentingacademy.com/events/2010event
I have been really busy behind the scenes improving my service offerings to you.
Two items I am really excited to announce are:
- We have a new Great Parenting Academy website! In addition to a more searchable site, we also have been gathering great content which we will continue to unfold throughout the next several months. Check our resource center periodically for great information that we are adding on an ongoing basis.
- We have also been working on our Next Great Parenting Academy LIVE EVENT! This year, our event is scheduled for November 6th, 2010 at the Concord Hilton Hotel in Concord, CA. We have just finished lining up our last featured speaker and now am focusing on gathering a winning panel. So far we have confirmed parents of our local Olympic gold medalist, Natalie Coughlin to be on the panel and share insights on being amazingly successful in raising two extraordinary children. We are meeting with several other successful parents to bring them on the panel. Our 2010 featured speakers are:
Healthy Habits for Life
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 18:39
We all want to have a healthy child. Most of us get our wish – a perfect baby, hale and hearty! From the moment they are born, however, we need to safeguard that health – at first by feeding them well through infancy, then by instilling healthy habits from the time they are old enough to learn.
How Traveling Helps in Well-Rounded Grooming of Your Child
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 15:14
Traveling with your child encourages them to try new things, learn new cultures, experience different lifestyles and accept and embrace differences. Incorporate travel into your parenting style to expose your child to the opportunities available worldwide, and to teach them the sky is the limit.High Achieving Kids Are Made Not Born
Wednesday, 30 December 2009 21:18
In the modern day and highly competitive world, you need to hone your parenting skills to help your kids survive the competition they will face as adults. The law of survival of the fittest still prevails only the associations may be different. As a parent, you must realize that it is not enough to raise your kids to become just average adults. You need to help them excel in whatever field their talents lie. You need to help them find their passion and where their strengths are. You need to prepare them to compete with the best, and achieve success. If you want to raise high-achieving kids, you will have to put in some good work, because high-achieving kids are made not born. Here are some parenting tips to help you achieve your goal of making your kids high achievers:Keeping On The Sunny Side
Tuesday, 15 December 2009 21:35
There is no cloud so dark that it doesn’t have a silver lining. There is no day so grim that it has no redeeming quality! If you make sure your child always sees the glimmer of light, even at the darkest times, you will help them maintain a positive attitude towards life.Children and Friendships
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 16:34
Strong friendships can last forever. If your child is the type who makes firm and fast friendships that stand the test of time, they are fortunate indeed! It is however your job as parents to help or hinder friendships, and it is important to recognize the responsibility you have towards your children to help them forge bonds with the right people.The Glass Half Full: Raising Children to be Positive Thinkers
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 14:09
In many instances in their kids’ lives, parents have a habit of completely ignoring the less positive aspects of their children’s everyday lives and focus mainly on the most positive. For example, when the child feels down because they lost a ball game, parents tend to not approach the issue. However, when they win that big championship, they are patting their kids on the back and telling them what a great job they are doing! Generally, parents’ thought process is to give their kids some time to themselves to deal with the issue. However, that is not exactly how the positive thinking works.
