Let’s Talk About Furniture – Antarc
Posted by kenyanmom in 
At some point in our lives, we have to move out of home. With this move, comes the need for essentials. Like a sufuria, a mwiko, ugali floor, and most importantly, furniture. Yes. A bed, a comfortable sofa a coffee table… you know, the standard ones. Fast forward to the day you will marry or get married. You have a bigger house, you need your family to sit comfortable and feel that when they come home, they have actually come to their favorite haven.
If you are like me, you have experience the frustration and disappointment that carpentry can be! You go order that awesome seat you found at the carpenter’s shop. The carpenter tells you ‘hiyo ni ya display’ (that one is for display purpose only). And the truth is, it is put there on purpose. To attract the unsuspecting you. So you go ahead and order an exact replica of the ‘display’ furniture. It is a replica alright, but only the top cover! Because a week into your family enjoying (and if you have hyper-active kids like my Junior, jumping up and down), the frame on ‘wonderful’ seat falls apart! And your heart breaks. You decide to go to the fundi and suddenly, he is not as polite or cordial as he was when you were a potential customer!
Enter Antarc Furniture. Specializing in all sorts of furniture! Me? I am more interested in their awesome home furniture. Even better, the fact the said furniture is affordable and if you point at a seat or a bed, you walk away with that exact piece. Goodbye headache and hello a beautifully furnished home and good quality furniture!
Life is a hustle as it is. Money doesn’t grow on trees. If I am going to spend money on furniture, then I want to know that it will outlast Junior till he moves away from home! Truth is, instead of using money to replace or repair furniture, it is best to use this money to grab other pieces of furniture for either your house or for gifting your friends or family (which you can still get from Antarc)! It is time consuming and mentally exhausting to find a good piece of furniture that suits your needs! You should visit these guys. They have stuff that will blow your mind. And with their guaranteed quality, you will never be disappointed! I mean, these guys have been in the furniture business for the last 19 years! Still not impressed? How about they have furniture that caters for people with back issues! Awesome, right?
So what are you waiting for? Kuona ni bure. Go check them out.
Nakumatt Nabs Revlon Franchise – We Mamas Rejoice!
Being a mom is hard work. Literally! Picture the cleaning, the cooking and running after children to make sure their noses are clean! This hard work can leave even the most organised, composed mom drained and worse for wear. Your skin can get all kinds of tattered and the state of your hands…? I will not go there. We mamas try. Really, we do. We want to look our best at the end of it all, hopefully look like we did all this without breaking a sweat, or a nail. This means using the best, most affordable skin care products.
Normally, you would need to hop from one beauty shop to another looking for said products and this time does not include your grocery shopping! Enter Nakumatt and Revlon…
Thanks to a Franchise deal, Nakumatt Holdings will now act as Revlon’s local authorised stockists! This means that whatever new products Revlon unveils, Nakumatt unveils as well! Yes ladies, we shall be able to look like Halle Berry (at least as best as we can) thanks to this deal. You are wondering why I’m all open mouthed and happy about it? Well! Picture your usual shopping trip.
It is never easy, yes? Now imagine, you do not have to leave the store in order to get your favorite lip gloss, hand lotion, nail enamel or even foundation! Shop till you are nearly dropping and just before you hit the counter, go pick your skin care product of choice! Clearly, Nakumatt will soon be a fully fledged departmental store.
They have already opened a cosmetic division in Westgate, and next week they will be opening one at their Junction outlet and more to come. We mamas need all possible breaks we can get and having to get our skin care products in the same store where we get our groceries? Bonus! Well in Nakumatt!
Stand Up For African Mothers
I came across the Chase Group Foundation last week, and what caught my eye is their current campaign dubbed Stand Up For African Mothers, which they are carrying out in partnership with AMREF.
Registered in October 2011, the Foundation’s vision is to use strategic means to empower women by providing a forum where Chase Group employees, clients and other stakeholders can play a part in improving the lives of the community at large.
Chase Group Foundation has been involved in amazing projects including Donating to various Children’s Homes in Nairobi and other Branch areas as well as rehabilitation of the Kikuyu Hospital Maternity Ward. Amazing, right? So, back to the current campaign.
We at Kenyan Mom have always believed that safe motherhood not only positively impacts the community but also plays a part in encouraging mothers-to-be and providing assistance and advice where necessary. That is why this campaign touches us very deeply. The Stand Up for African Mothers campaign in partnership with AMREF aims to train 15,000 midwives by 2015 with an aim to contribute towards reduction of maternal deaths by 25%.
Statistically 200,000 mothers die every year due to a lack of simple medical care. 1.5 million African children are left motherless each year and 40% of African women do not receive prenatal care. That plus more than half of all deliveries take place at home without medical assistance! This is unacceptable! Not when most of these lives can be changed, through simple acts like proper pre-natal and post-natal care! And that is why The Kenyan Mom and all our friends are going to support this cause because it touches us deeply.
On 9th of February 2013, the Foundation will host a fundraising walk and fun day at the Ngong Road Forest. This will be a family event allowing for all that participate in the walk to enjoy the sights and sounds of the beautiful Ngong Forest. Entertainment and children’s games will be on site throughout the day. Food and soft drinks will be available at a small fee. See! This cannot even be called exercise! It’s more of fun for a really awesome cause my friends.
The Foundation also has merchandise on sale, with all the proceeds going to Foundation! Every day, we will highlight various merchandise on Twitter as well as Facebook. The best part about these neatly branded merchandise is you can buy online. Even better, you can pledge as little as Kshs.50, becaused we believe every penny counts! So go on, tell your friends about this wonderful cause and I will see you all on the 9th of February at 8:00am for some fun!
The Pumwani Maternity Hospital Visit
Today’s Feature is dedicated to the moms of Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Where I spent my Jamuhuri Holiday. I did tell you, in detail, that I planned to visit the moms. I even told you I needed company and I needed help in making the visit possible. I am now here to tell you that my pleas were heard. With the short notice, I did get support. Both in terms of overwhelming words of encouragement, constant calls to find out how it was going as well as material support. I even had a few people, who missed the post and updates requesting not to be left out in the next visit. I was humbled.
It should therefore not come as a surprise that up till the morning of the visit, we were still running around receiving contributions, collecting more items to deliver to the moms, and the visit that was supposed to have happened at around 10:00am ended up happening at 12:00pm.
We arrived at the hospital and as usual, were received by an amazing Sister-In-Charge. This time, she was not her usual bubbly self. On getting into her office, I found an elderly lady and a young gentleman in her office. The mood in the office told me that they were not in the happy mood I was in. She told me to wait outside, as she finished with the now uncontrollably weeping lady. I felt sudden sadness even before I knew what the story was. I later learnt that her daughter had passed away while giving birth. High Blood Pressure related complication. Unfortunately, her baby did not survive either. I felt my heart torn out of my chest and I broke down. Good thing that I had my company outside and I had time to compose myself, as I went to inform them of what had happened and that we would need to wait while the Sister-In-Charge handled the case. That gave us time to organise ourselves and the items we had carried.
Half an hour later, we were ready to see the moms. The entourage, which included Evans Muriu of Kuna Vijana was very helpful. Two other organisations came through with such amazing speed and I would like to sincerely thank them. Path To Womanhood and Maridadi. These organisations have taken it upon themselves to help the less fortunate in the society and they are doing such great work.
We were ushered to the new moms ward, and together with the helpful nurses, we delivered our gifts to very excited moms! As moms know, when you have your bundle of joy, you are on happiness overdrive and we sat chatting with the moms about their babies, expectations, fears and they were very glad we visited. So were we.
We could all have been elsewhere, having fun or taking well deserved breaks, but we chose to bring a smile to the moms of Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Days later, we were still talking about the experience, which was made entirely possible by the support we received from you. We thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.
You can view more of the captured moments here. The smiles that tell it all.
To Visit Pumwani Maternity Hospital
I am a mother. I know the joys, thrills, triumphs and even the tears of a mother. If you think you have seen it all, talk to a mother. Her journey is never complete, and is never the same for different children. I love spending time interacting with other moms because the stories I get to gather makes me realise that we all seem to take an almost similar journey, variations being near impossible to point out.
A few weeks ago, my journey in search of new stories and experiences led me to Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Circumstances that played out leading me here are quite interesting, but that is a story for another day. I don’t know what I expected, especially considering the tales I had heard from the rumor mills. All I can say is I was pleasantly surprised. Right from the gate, I was greeted by very cheerful guards. I didn’t know where I was going or why I was there. I just knew I was meant to be there at that particular time.
Image Courtesy Of Give Gift.
My first stop was at the Assistant Matron’s Office. Very pleasant woman, who took time to talk to me even though I did not have an appointment. I did talk to various other officials, including the Hospital Superintendent’s Assistant and The Hospital Secretary. All of whom were very helpful. The common theme that seemed to keep occurring to me is that moms in this hospital require our help. Most moms coming here are destitute. This means that sometimes they will not be able to pay their bills, and the hospital will have no choice but to waive these costs. Others do not have the necessary items required by new moms and it becomes very difficult for them as they start their journey to motherhood.
You can imagine how heart broken I was by the stories I got to gather. I left the hospital, promising to do something, no matter how small, as an attempt to alleviate the suffering of these moms. I spoke to a few of my mom friends, and they too were touched by the story, and we decided we should pay a visit to these moms, and perhaps bring along some items that they may need, including Pampers, Nappies, Sanitary Towels and Baby Clothes.
The Kenyan Mom and friends will therefore be officially visiting moms at Pumwani Maternity Hospital on 12th December 2012 from 10:00am. We will take a few items to them and also see if we can get friends to help us clear hospital bills, for destitute moms.
I am still looking for company, together with donations where possible. I would love to hear from you. If you would like to contribute in any way or be part of the visiting group, please let me know on the comments section or at info@kenyanmom.com or donate through the MPesa Buy Goods Menu, Till Number 89846
What would the world be if we do not take time to help one another?
How Karma Brought Me To CARMMA
And Why We Need To Celebrate The Heroes of Motherhood and Maternal Healthcare.
If there is one thing I intend to leave behind as a legacy, it is my support for anyone or any organisation that supports mother and child or creates awareness or even is out to protect mother and child. And how could I not? I have spent a good number of my adult years seeking ways to create awareness and bringing moms together to discuss issues that plague them from social, economic and health related.
Image Courtesy of CARMMA.
I suppose that is why Karma brought CARMMA my way. See why that heading is the way it is? I believe in Karma, both good and bad. And whatever you give out, it comes back to you. So you are wondering who CARMMA are? CARMMA (Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa) is an organisation that is looking to expand the availability and use of universally accessible quality health services, including those related to sexual and reproductive health that are critical for the reduction of maternal mortality. This campaign was launched in May 2009. Why their strategy is so exciting is that they are not looking to develop new strategies and plans. Rather, they recognise that strategies are already in place so their main aim is to ensure coordination and effective implementation of the existing ones.
CARMMA is today launching their spanking new and very informative website http://www.carmma.org/ and you really should look at it. 2 hours down the line and I am not even half done going through the information. And the beauty about this site? They are collecting live success stories that aim to bring together in one place evidence and information on maternal, newborn and child survival across the continent. Stories from your local midwife, doctor, a mom in the village… name it! If it is a story that is going to strengthen this campaign, it gets published in the site. Is this awesome or what?! You want to meet the champions that are working to give African mothers and their babies a future? Then go to http://www.carmma.org/ and keep going there. Because stories will keep adding and the more we read about these stories, the more encouraged we feel which means the more we get to do something. The effect of Karma, no?
“The MDGs cannot be achieved without a substantial reduction in maternal, infant and child mortality… We need to increase our efforts in order to turn these decisions into action and to make our aspirations become a reality.” – Adv. Bience P. Gawanas, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs (November, 2011)
Even better, why don’t we identify individuals and send in stories, detailing their local, national or continent-wide maternal survival champions. There are many men and women, health workers, officials, community leaders as well as political leaders that are, on a day-to-day basis, working to save the lives of women and children. You know them, don’t you? I know I do. They are your local politician, the nurses, midwives and doctors, that devoted teacher who wakes up at the crack of dawn to do her/his job, the upcountry clinic, that motorcycle man who woke up in the middle of the night to take a woman in labor to hospital… You see how noble this one is?
So how do you get that story out or you would like assistance in compiling the story? E-mail me at info@kenyanmom.com or kenneth.oliko@carmma.org
Join this army of champions as we collectively say, Africa Cares: No woman should die while giving life!
Participate in the online discussion as well on http://www.facebook.com/CARMMAfrica and https://twitter.com/CARMMAfrica.
The Story Moja Hay Festival So Far
As expected, The Story Moja Hay Festival did not disappoint. I arrived there quite early, when the set up was going on. The most amazing thing was, instead of the expected anxiety and stressed looking faces, there was just cheer, good humor and people just getting on with the Festival. The events ran on time and as children groups milled around from as early as 10:30am, you could hear the excited tones as they discussed the various activities.
Day Two. Jam packed activities. See the program here: (storymojahayfestival.com/programme/ )
Meanwhile, images as they come in!
The Storymoja Hay Festival Season Is Back!
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” – Emilie Buchwald
We know it as parents. It is built in us. We would all love to do it. Spend time with our children. Have you seen the schedules that parents run however? We barely have breathing room, let alone spend a minute combing our kid’s hair! Yet, we need to find time to do it. I always had a problem juggling and spending time with Junior, especially considering he will want to run around with me while I probably want to rest.
Then I found a secret! Reading. If there is one thing that calms him down, it is reading. When I take a break from work or just get through the door and I feel like resting but he is all jumpy, I will suggest to him that we pick a book and just read for a few minutes. Set a timer even. We sit, he reads to me the easy words, I read and guide him on more complex words or books and 5 minutes into reading, we are both calm and rested. 30 minutes later, we are ready to get back to the jumpy mode. Ask any parent out there. Reading to a child really improves their language and concentration skills. He will want to read everything around him and even ask what that means!
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy
Enter the Storymoja Hay Festival. Preaching what most of us already know. Even better, showing us by example. This years Hay Festival which will run from September Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th 2012 is going to be splendid. By the way, Storymoja has a ‘Read with you child’ series. So this year the Festival has a number of surprises for kids. You know that favorite book you have been reading for your child? Now the child gets to meet it’s Author! Awesome, right? But wait, they can also publish their own books. Plus, they also get to interact with the University of Nairobi’s Fab Lab and do robotics. That plus the dancing and career talks should keep them pretty occupied!
You want to ask me, what is there for the parents, yes? How about writing workshops and discussion panels? And/or YOGA from the Africa Yoga Project and you can also pack your own lunch to take with you to the Vision Garden. Sounds like a family outing where everyone gets taken care of and get to picnic.
For all this, you only need a mere Kshs.1,000 for a day pass or Kshs.1,500 for the entire season. The season being the 4 days. That entitles you to a free book, entry to The Festival, The Museum and The Snake Park. Cool, yes?
I will be there. Since I want you also to make time to be there, I will be giving out tickets to lucky winners through our Facebook and Twitter platforms. Like the The Kenyan Mom Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and you could be in my Hay Festival Caravan.
“Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.” – Marilyn Jager Adams
Want to see what The Hay Festival was like last year? Then click here to take a pictoral tour!
Also, post a comment. Tell me why you deserve to go to the Storymoja Hay Festival. I might just hand you a ticket.
Procter And Gamble Is At It Again!
If there is one company that has gone all out in ensuring the health of mother and child, that company is Procter and Gamble. Starting today the 30th August 2012, they are joining Kenya Paediatric Nurses Chapter in deliberating ways to improve infant health. The event will be held in mombasa, and this is what it is all about.
Nairobi, 30 August 2012: The Kenya Paediatric Nurses Chapter, with the participation of Procter & Gamble, will bring together one of the largest gatherings of paediatric nurses and health care workers from Kenya to deliberate on concrete ways of improving infant health in the country. This will take place at the 11th Annual Kenya Paediatric Nurses Scientific Conference in Mombasa from 30-31 August 2012.
Announcing the conference date in Nairobi, Chair of the Kenya Paediatric Nurses Chapter, Dr. Christabel Wesonga-Omondi said this year’s conference will focus on steps that can be taken to achieve millennium development goals (MDG) 4 and 5, which target the reduction of infant mortality and improving maternal health. Over 100 nurses practicing at paediatric departments of various hospitals will converge for the conference.
“The conference will discuss developments in paediatric, including neo-natal care in Kenya and what practices the paediatric nursing community can implement to reduce infant mortality and improve maternal health in the country”, said Dr. Wesonga.
Commenting on the upcoming conference, Pampers Brand Manager Anthony Ng’ang’a said: “Pampers is participating in the conference and is pleased to be a part of it. Providing avenues for holistic baby care is at the apex of what we do. For this reason, we are happy to partner with paediatric nurses that are very instrumental in improving infant healthcare across Kenya.”
Pampers has reached out in partnership to medical professional organisations in Kenya in the provision of best baby care in Kenya. The Paediatric Nurses Association is one such partner- which represents paediatric nurses across the country. The association aims to promote excellence in paediatric nursing through high standards of nursing education and research in collaboration with others.
Pampers has demonstrated a clear commitment to providing all-rounded baby care in Kenya. One of Pampers’ key propositions to the Kenyan mother is the sufficiency of one diaper to keep her baby dry for a whole night. What’s more, Pampers is constantly looking for ways to infuse new innovations into its products so as to ensure that babies are protected in even better ways. With an understanding of the importance of sleep in the physical and cognitive development of babies, Pampers diapers give a baby a whole night of critical undisturbed sleep.
Pampers, in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, runs the ‘Pampers Mobile Clinics’ program targeting mothers with babies less than 12 months who have given birth at home. The Pampers Mobile Clinics consist of a van that travels to various locations with a District Health Officer and two nurses. They offer consultations and give free expert and on-the-spot medical advice, allowing mothers to address pressing worries such as feeding habits, breastfeeding, sleep patterns, vaccination and common ailments in various rural and semi-urban communities in the country.
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