About Ebola

• The virus is transmitted to humans from primates and spreads in the population through human-to-human transmission. Ebola is highly contagious and transmitted through contact with body fluids, blood, saliva, semen.

• No vaccine for EVD is available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use. No specific treatment is available. New drug therapies are being evaluated.

• The disease is one of the deadliest in the world killing up to 90% of people who contact the virus.

• People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus, the symptoms take 2 – 21 days to be apparent.

• In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest

• Ebola can stay alive on a surface for at least several days, you could also get it from touching bedding or other inanimate objects contaminated with those bodily fluids. After that, you would have to get the virus into your body by, for example, touching food and eating it.

Ways to Avoid contacting the Virus 

• Wash your hands often and keep a Hand Sanitizer nearby…avoid unnecessary contact

• Avoid Bush Meat and Suya at this time as Bush meat may carry the virus. it is advisable to restrict yourself to food you prepare yourself.

• Disinfect your environment as the virus cannot survive disinfectants, heat, direct sunlight, soap and detergent.

• Fumigate your surroundings, rodents are believed to be carriers for the virus.

• Don’t touch dead bodies as they may still carry the virus.

• Educate everyone around you, family, domestic staff and others the more people know about the disease the better chance to avoid it.

Medical Attention

Get medical attention if any of the symptoms such as developing a fever, tiredness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, coughing, diarrhoea which may all include blood or bleeding from the nose and the mouth.

EBOLA EMERGENCY LINES FOR LAGOS STATE: 08033086660, 08055281442, 08023169485, 08033065303, 08055329229. 

Be Safe and Healthy!

source: culled from DR. G. A.BASSEY, NNPC Lagos Medical presentation

source: vox.com

Ebola Facts

In Ephesians 4:29, the apostle Paul instructs us not to use any foul or polluting language. At one time, I didn’t realize that this included complaining, but I have since learned that murmuring and complaining pollute our lives.

Plain and simple, complaining is a sin! It causes many people a great deal of problems in their lives and destroys the joy of anyone listening.

We need to ask ourselves, how quick are we to become impatient and begin to complain when stuck in traffic or while waiting in checkout lanes in grocery stores or department stores?

How quick are we to spot and point out all the faults of our friends or family members?

Do we complain about our job when we should be thanking God that we have one?

The best antidote for complaining is thanksgiving. Truly thankful people do not complain. They are too busy being grateful for all the good things they have that they have no time to notice the things they could complain about.

The Bible says that we are to enter God’s courts with praise and thanksgiving. You and I need to make it a daily goal to live a life of thanksgiving. Let’s be as positive and grateful as possible.

Try going to bed at night pondering everything you have to be thankful for. Let it be the first thing you do in the morning. Thank God for “little” things or things you might normally take for granted: a parking place, waking up in time for work, a meal, your family… Don’t get discouraged when you fail, but don’t throw in the towel and quit either. Keep at it until you have developed new habits and you are living with an attitude of gratitude.

Be generous with your gratitude. It will sweeten your relationship with the Lord.

Prayer Starter: God, I want to live with an attitude of gratitude, starting right now! I thank you so much for loving me and for blessing me. Help me see the positive things in life and to thank You for them.

Psalm 100:4

culled from Joyce Meyer 

Jobs are increasingly hard to get nowadays, you might have students that have gone through the expected route of getting an education, graduated with a degree and now have to deal with the frustration of not being able to secure their dream job. Several pieces of research from various channels shows that an increasing number of students are not getting job offers upon graduation.

So what is the solution if graduates are not able to get jobs upon graduation, the old formula seems to work less efficiently than it used to in the past which included getting an education, then get a job, rise through the ranks and finally retire with a sizeable pension. How do we train and equip students going through these changes.

We need to rethink the way that children are being trained today and what the expectation or end goal of getting an Education is. For one the focus needs to change from getting a job to rather being able to earn a living. Earning a living means getting paid or earning wages in exchange for services rendered, this does not have to be tied to getting a job in the traditional sense.

Getting an Education in the structured way is a basic framework for the average person to gain skills, mature, learn and pickup necessary skills to be an independent, self-sufficient adult who can fend for him or herself. The real curriculum for developing students into the adults they will become has to be one that teaches them to keep learning, be open-minded, understand his or her natural skills and interests and is able to potentially earn a living from an extension of this. This should be the main focus of developing students ready for their future.

As part of this “Real Curriculum” the skills taught should include these life skills –

• Knowledge – Learning to be hungry for information, a curiosity for knowledge and thereby always looking for answers and understanding should be cultivated. The days of cramming enough information to pass an examination are over. Students need to be able to understand and apply what they are taught.

• Skills and Talents – The ability to identify their skills and talents, everyone is wired with their particular God given talents. It is much more effective when these are identified, nurtured and maximised to the point that the students are able to earn a living from the skills and talents. So if your child likes to draw? Encourage him or her to take drawing classes and become very good at it, stretch them be entering into competitions to grow their confidence.

• Self-motivation – The future might involve self-employment right out of university vs. getting a traditional job. The ability to motivate themselves and not always wait to be told what to do will be critical.

• Ethics– Work ethics have long-term benefits and will always outlive short-term quick win practices in business. Businesses that have lasted generations have Corporate Governance (structures and ethics) as their bedrock. There are several ways for students to learn this through being taught, case studies and gaining actual experience from an appropriate age.

• Teamwork – The ability to learn to work with people in a team is critical. As an employee there will be need to work as a team with other colleagues. Even more importantly as a potential self-employed individual, there is a need to manage a team to realize the dreams of his or her business and company.

• Self-regulation – The ability to self regulate is important, more than ever before there is an abundance of things that can fill the time. The ability to understand the importance of work-life balance is not suddenly learnt when they have families they will need to care for and spend quality time with. Being a workaholic is not attractive.

These are some of the ways we can attempt to equip our children and students with skills they require to tackle a world where the typical 9 to 5 jobs are harder to come by and might not necessarily be their path to ‘Earning a living’

What do you think about this shift in thinking – Earning a living from your Skills and Talents rather than relying on getting a traditional 9 to 5 job?

photo source: smallbizlabs

There had always been and probably always be lots of attention on Super Heros, lots of screen time spent watching superheros like Superman and Spiderman, lots of money spent on Superhero themed parties and costumes etc. I recently heard a song where the singer refers to Jesus as her real Superhero. Isn’t this  the truth? I had a moment of imagining if we were able to teach Children that Jesus is the true Super Hero?

All SuperHeros’ generally follow the same script…fighting the evil mean strongman and trying to save the people who are being oppressed. Jesus does more than this, he saves the oppressed, he also equips, performs miracles and saves for eternity!

I then stumbles on this article that does a good list of some reasons why Jesus is the true SuperHero, culled from beliefnet.

No Mistakes: Jesus never made a mistake. He knows all things, created all things and has authority and power over all things.

Fearlessness: Jesus never possessed a spirit of fear. His faith was so strong that it allowed Him to willfully submit to the plan of God. Jesus never had any self-doubt about a situation or an action.

Even-tempered: Though He displayed righteous anger for the misuse of God’s house, He never possessed selfish-fleshly anger.

No Kryptonite: No kryptonite here. In the wilderness, satan himself threw his best shot to weaken Jesus and could ‘find no place in Him’ and departed. Kryptonite is something that Superman has to stay away from so as not to be destroyed, not so for Jesus there was nothing he had to avoid.

His Powerful Words: Today, His very words still cause people’s heart to change toward allegiance with the Kingdom of God.

Scared Demons: Although some people didn’t recognize Jesus when He was on earth; the demons definitely knew Him and shuttered with fear at His arrival.

No Pride Issues: Jesus is so secure in who He is as the son of God, He never had an identity crisis or pride in His life. He didn’t need material goods or a flashy life to know He had immense purpose.

Didn’t Wear A Mask: There was no hiding with Jesus. He didn’t need a mask, a created identity or a double-lifestyle. He simply walked with God and served his purpose.

Was Never in Danger: Jesus’ life was never in danger. Even when the angry mob tried to kill Him, they were prevented because He was in control of the timing of everything…including His death.

Connected With People: Jesus loved people. He didn’t need a bat cave. He loved fellowshipping and spending time with others. He had an open-door policy there was no good or bad time.

Both God & Man: Jesus is Divinity, but He also became human so He could relate to our experience and become Our High Priest. Jesus is approachable and you can relate with him, not as an enigma who could not be accessed.

Died to Save His Enemies: What superhero would do something like this? Only Jesus would die to save the people who wanted Him dead.

Never Sinned: A sinless life. Jesus lived in accordance to the Word of God. He never sinned and lived a blameless, spotless life. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to take away the sins of the world!! Hallelujah!

Controlled The Elements: Some superheroes may be able to fight in the midst of a storm, but only one could simply tell the storm to calm down and it obeys. Jesus also walked on water, by walking on water Jesus shows Himself as the Creator.

No Technology: No gadgets or gadgets… just the Holy Spirit aiding and guiding Him on the journey that God willed for His life.

Weapons Not Necessary: When Peter resorted to violence in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus corrected Him. Jesus didn’t need to use weapons. He was already God’s ultimate weapon against the enemy.

Defeated Death: Jesus defeated the one nemesis that all other heroes are subject to, death. Jesus hung on a cross and three days later commanded life to come back into His body. He resurrected Himself…now that’s Superpower!

That same resurrection power is available to all. It allows us to imitate Him and be superheroes for the Kingdom of God! Jesus gives us the same access for the transference of the power he had direct from God, the other man made Superheros did not and could not transfer their power.

photo source: grlc.org.au

I love watching The Ngee Show and recently watched her video on Modern Parenting, you can watch it here. Below are the points she touched on with respect to Modern Parenting.

Tips to Hold on to as a Modern Parent

1. You are a Parent not a friend

LM Opinion: Yes you are a parent not a friend, a friend is a friend. I think you can be a Parent who is also a friend, but definitely do not shy away from playing your first role which is to be a parent. Your child can have many friends who might come and go but will only have you as his or her parent. 

2. Don’t give them everything they ask for

LM Opinion: If you give your child everything they want and ask for then you will carry the final result o! Children need to be guided and trained in the right way and it is your job to filter what they ask for and what they get. They will thank you later and even if they don’t…you did your job as a parent. 

3. Curb their sense of entitlement early

LM Opinion: A child who gets what he or she wants when he or she wants will grow up to think that it is his or her right to get things. Remember you need to give your children something to look forward to and a pouting, temperamental child when she doesn’t get her way is not a joy to be around for anyone. Parents whether you have a lot or a little what you provide for your child needs to be seen as a luxury and not a right. 

4. When you see something with them you did not buy, ask

LM Opinion: Be sure to teach your children to be content with what they have and you must be sure to catch it early if your child has wandering eyes or as Ngee put it “sticky fingers”. It is better you deal with this early before your child grows up taking other people’s things just because he sees it and wants it. 

5. Check your Child’s body regularly

LM OPinion: Scarily there are some children whose parents do not get to give them a bath or dress them up because the nanny does everything. The nanny gets them ready for school, by bedtime has gotten them showered and changed for bed. If this is is you make the time to change this, many times it’s at bath time and changing times you notice a scratch or a bruise. Or you notice that he or she mentions if someone touched them inappropriately (Parents educate your children about what part of their body should not be touched by anyone). 

6. Listen to other people’s opinion about your child

LM Opinion: In the pre-modern parenting days it truly took a village to raise a child, nowadays we have evolved to a mind my business culture, but as parents and individuals we all have blind spots and there will be things that you miss just because you cannot do it all by yourself. So be sure to listen and get other peoples comments when it is is shared, it could be the teacher, a neighbor who saw or heard something listen and decide what to do with the information. 

7. Its not about what they have but what they do with it

LM Opinion: This is a big one we live in such a materialistic world and ha Lagos! Lets teach our children that it is not about what they have that makes them who they are. Children should never equate their worth based on material goods…the best teacher for this is you the parent. If they see you behave a certain way to those who have or don’t have, then this is what they will emulate and grow up with. 

8. Don’t let your Child sit on anybody’s lap

LM Opinion: There are some people out there who will want to destroy the innocence of children and you cannot vouch for everyone. Since it can be tough to differentiate for young children that they can sit on this Aunt but not that Uncle it is probably better to just have a simple rule in place…do not sit on anyone’s lap. After all lap sitting doesn’t show more respect! Greet and go.

9. Don’t leave your young child unattended in the car

LM Opinion: Just don’t, it is dangerous and unsafe

10. Bring up your child in the way of the Lord

LM Opinion: Raising children in the way of the Lord will give then a platform and path on which to live their lives. If Parents don’t give the framework based on godly principles then the world will take your place as a teacher and you wouldn’t want that. Children learn from examples so if you don’t show the right example you risk turning them off from the faith you are showing. 

What do you think about Modern Parenting?

On Thursday night a toddler squeezed through the bars of the fence in front of the White House and made his way onto the North Lawn. This triggered security alerts and caused agents to race across the lawn.

Per protocol, the White House was locked down, Pennsylvania Avenue was closed, and the gates were shut.

The toddler, who no doubt was terrified by the ordeal, has since been reunited with his parents.

“We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on way with parents,” Edwin Donovan, spokesman for the US Secret Service, said in what will go down as one of the best press statements of the year. Source ABCNews

This child is automatically famous as probably the youngest White House fence jumper and causing the President to delay his speech.

Can you imagine a toddler running into Aso Rock?

photo source: cbslocal

Everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits that beauty products can give once we have a proper understanding of what they can help us achieve – a glowing skin.

There are just a few basics that are needful in desiring to nurture and maintain a flawless skin. Once there is a proper understanding of what these products can do, we become more confident in taking the necessary steps to achieve this.

Here is just a list of the basics you need to know:

• “Cream” or “milk” cleansers have high oil content. It is these oils, which combine with and help to remove makeup, facial oils, and grime allowing them to be easily wiped away.

• Rinse-off cleansers or facial washes are water-based and incorporate some type of detergent to help remove makeup and excess oils.

• As an essential step in the skin care routine, toners remove traces of makeup or residue that your cleanser misses, and “prepares” the skin for moisturising.

• A facial scrub or exfoliator removes dead skin cells, stimulates the circulation and brings fresh oxygenated blood to the surface, leaving the skin clean, soft and revealing the younger fresher cells underneath.

• Facial mask deep-cleanses your skin and/or boosts its moisture levels.

• Moisturisers act as a protective barrier between your skin and the environment. Although your skin manufactures its own oils, it is usually removed during the process of cleansing. It is therefore necessary to replenish these natural oils.

• Night creams are designed to pamper and replenish your skin while you sleep. The main difference between night creams and daily moisturisers is that most night creams have added ingredients such as vitamins and anti-ageing components that nourish the skin. They can be thicker and more intense than day cream because makeup is not worn on them. However, it is important that your skin shouldn’t feel overloaded.

REMEMBER:

• The thickness, tone, and texture of your skin in different areas of your body are vastly different, and a treatment that works well in one area may not work in another. It is important to understand exactly which treatments will work best with different areas of your body so that you can be consistent in the effort that you make. Over time, your beauty routine will eventually pay off.

• Results become visible as you remain consistent

• After any type of skin treatment or skin care routine, it is also essential to remember to wear sunscreen before you go outdoors since your skin will be vulnerable. It is also called SPF- Sun Protective Factor

• It is advisable to use a skin care product that contains SPF 30 and above or better still purchase an SPF product. If you are treating your skin and do not wear a sunscreen afterward, it is likely that your skin will experience sun damage and become even darker and more pigmented than before. This is a risk that you should not take when treating your skin

• Layering of skin care products on your skin is a great way to achieve beautiful results

• Remember to affirm yourself…if you believe you are beautiful then you are!

Be sound in Spirit, Mind & Body!

Would you let a stranger spend several hours with your child, communicating values, distracting them from homework, creating separation and distance from family? Even worse, would you let a stranger into your child’s bedroom?

“No way,” you say? Well, you’d better look again. Because if you are like most parents, there is indeed a stranger who is influencing, guiding, directing, and enticing your child. And yes, some of these strangers are even in your child’s bedroom. This stranger looks innocent enough at first glance, but has the potential to influence your child in ways you may not even suspect.

The danger that is enticing your child is electronic media, and its presence is growing. Children in America now spend, on average, 6 ½ hours a day exposed to electronic media. Their connection to this influence includes TV, computers, listening to music, playing video games, and other electronic devices. Two-thirds of children, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, now have a TV in their bedrooms. This doesn’t account for the hand-held electronic devices many children carry with them wherever they go.

Not alarmed yet? What about this? Children with TVs in their bedroom watch 90 minutes more a day than children without a TV in their room. They also do less reading and less homework. According to the facts, the more kids watch TV, the more likely they are to be overweight. Obesity in children is a national crisis. Turning a child’s bedroom into a media arcade does not help your child one bit.

Many parents say they care about what their children watch and listen to. Yet, children consistently report that their parents do not have any rules, create no conditions, and set no limits on the amount or type of media they use. Those who do create restrictions don’t always enforce them. Children report that parents do not know what type of music they’re listening to. Parents seldom check the rating on CDs or invest the time to check out the lyrics. They pay little attention to the elaborate TV rating scale and do not use it to make choices about appropriate viewing content for their children. 

Violent video games and glorified violence on TV spur aggression in children. While watching violence does not make someone violent, research shows that children who are exposed to more visual violence engage in more aggressive behaviors. Isn’t that reason enough to set limits on a youngster’s television viewing and video game habits?

Allowing a TV in a child’s bedroom or putting electronic media like Game Boys and cell phone video games into their hands is tantamount to putting the fox in the henhouse with the chickens while pretending the fox is of no danger. It is an example of child neglect at worst and gross misunderstanding on the part of parents at best. 

Electronic media in a child’s life increases isolation. It creates an environment in which the child can stay disconnected from family members. It severely limits family interaction. TV, the internet, and video games are creating an emotional gap between parent and child. What possible reason is there for a child to carry a video game with him wherever he goes, or for a parent to make a child’s bedroom so attractive and so media friendly that she wants to spend most of her time there by herself? 

What about family solidarity? What about creating feelings of belonging by doing things together? Yes, children need privacy. Yes, they need some solitude and some time away from us. But do they need 6 ½ hours a day of “plug-in” contact?

Recently, while attending a soccer registration day, we heard a mother comment about her son, “I don’t know why I bother to bring anything else for him to do. All he does is play that Game Boy.” Sitting next to her was a child oblivious to the world around him. He was so engrossed in his video game that he was unaware of the rest of the world. And yet the mother went on to say, “The good thing about it is it keeps him busy and I don’t have to worry about him getting into things.”

Do you really want your child playing video games that glorify violence and numb him to real life events? A recent study revealed that 65 percent of seventh- through twelfth- graders played the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto. This game, rated for mature audiences, is loaded with larceny and violence. It shows the killing of police officers and the beating of prostitutes. Is this the way you want your child to learn what it means to be a responsible, caring, cooperative adult?

What about the strangers who are teaching your child through their appearance on television? Is TV really where you want your children to learn about values, attitudes, behaviors? Do you like the messages they get from soap operas? Do you want them exposed to beer commercials? Is the television really the best forum to teach your children about dating, intimacy, and sexuality? How do you feel about using sex to sell products? Have you seen any television talk shows lately? Is their model of disagreeing, which includes interrupting one another, increasing the volume, and not listening to the other’s point of view the way you want your children to handle disagreements? 

What about the computer? Who are your children talking to in chat rooms? What sites do they visit? Are they being bullied or talked to with inappropriate language? Are they bullying others? Do you know? Are you sure?

What are American parents thinking? What possible reason could there be for putting a TV or X-box in a child’s bedroom or within easy access? Does the child have so many things that this is all that the parent can come up with for a birthday present? Do the parents dislike being with the child so much that they want to purposefully isolate the youngster? Or are the adults simply so busy with their own lives that they don’t have time for their children?

The frenzy to connect to electronic media has created the Great Family Disconnect of our time. Don’t parents realize that 6 ½ hours a day of being plugged into media leaves children little time to plug into their family? Do the parents like it that way? Is family dialogue of such little value that it can be squeezed in between headphones and email? Has Monopoly, checkers, shooting baskets, skipping rope, and bike-riding together become obsolete? Do parents like that?

In 63 percent of homes a television is on during mealtimes. Is it too much to ask family members to take a 20-minute break from media noise to share a quiet dinner with meaningful conversation? Or would you miss your favorite program? Couldn’t our children become our favorite program for part of the evening?

The Great Family Disconnect is increasing in direct proportion to the degree of connection of our children to their favorite electronic device. TV, computers, and video games have become the plug-in drugs of our times. They are creating family distance, isolation, and a decrease in feelings of belonging and connectedness.

The stranger enticing your children needs to be unplugged, kicked out of their bedroom, and sent packing immediately. This is your home, not his. This is your family, not his. Take back the influence this stranger has usurped in your family. Commit to being the parent you always wanted to be. Establish guidelines. Set limits. Enforce those limits. Do it consistently. Implement consequences if needed.

source: Chick moorman

photo source: huffington post 

Disconnect from the Great Family Disconnect. Flip the switch. Bring prime time back to your family. 

August 12th is a day designated by the United Nations for the purpose of drawing attention to youth. This years theme is ‘Youth and Mental Health“.

The numbers of youth who are having various mental health issues are on the rise around the world. While it is not talked about much in Nigeria it is also a real issue that is facing and plaguing some of our Youth.

Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. 

Youth are actually more susceptible to being disillusioned as they look at their life ahead of them. If and when they are not finding the opportunities they expect it can be a cause of stress that can lead to mental health issues.

Youth are under pressure from friends, the world and other influences. Though youth feel like they are making the right decisions they are susceptible to making wrong decisions that can take them down a slippery slope to a challenged life.

There is an increase in teenage use of drugs, such as marijuana, heroine, cocaine, and crack and these are dangerous substances to mess around with, some teenagers use this one time and that can be the end – they end up in mental institutions from the aftermath of the use of drugs.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), increasing percentages of children and adolescents have begun to drink alcohol; the quantities and frequency of consumption have increased and the age at which drinking begins has declined.

Youth need structure and they need frameworks – A system of Country that fails the youth fails itself.

On a program I watched on TVC News – A gentleman on the News segment made a good point about the people we are putting in the position to set policies. If you put a 60 or 70 year in charge of setting policies and you add 20 years to their age it is unlikely that they can monitor and see the Goals become a reality.

It is time for our Government to think about how they make policies that affect the youth. Nigeria has over 70 million youth and if they are not properly planned for we have a problem!

What are some of the issues that our Youth are facing?

• National stress factors such as Boko Haram, #Bringbackourgirls
• Uncertainty about their future relating to employment nor a system to encourage entrepreneurs
• A government who does not seem to care about them or their future
• The allure of the fast life showing people throwing money around with parties every weekend in the papers
• Children who have been victims of abuse with no support system to help them through the trauma

Youth with mental health conditions can often experience stigma and discrimination, which in turn can lead to exclusion and/or discourage people from seeking help for fear of being negatively ‘labelled’.

In Nigeria, our President represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo was quoted as saying “as a government, we will continue to accelerate the implementation of the Youth Decade Plan of Action and advance the Youth Agenda through adoption of policies and mechanisms that will facilitate the creation of safe, decent and competitive employment opportunities.” this was the message at the 2014 International Youth Day Celebrations, with the theme “Youth and Mental Health: Nigerian Youth at Centenary,” held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

In addition a book titled “In Our Minds: Reflection of the Youth at Nigeria’s Centenary (1914-2014)” was unveiled. (source Premiumtimesng.com)

So as we raise awareness of the International Youth Day – let it not be just a “day” we set aside. Let us all take steps to help youth by taking the time to help them navigate life and their future. Youth are not as mature as they think and they need strong support systems to navigate the world around them.

They need you – their parents, their places of worship, schools and social awareness to help them navigate life successfully. For information on what mental health is read more at Mentalhealth.

Amazing Mother and Son Wedding Dance – Imagine this with a Mum in gele and aso oke

“She has full blown HIV? But that is not possible all her medical results showed all her tests were negative before she started working with us”.

“Just 3 months after starting work with us, my nanny had to leave because she was pregnant and rather was lying that she was just getting fatter”.

These are some of the conversations that people might have about the true health status of their domestic staff. These are people that you have hired to work in your homes or with you in close proximity and you owe it to yourself and your family to know their health status. Knowing doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t work for you but you should at least know what you are getting into.

Knowing their health status also gives you the ability to get them medical care as required, or at the least let them know their health status as many of them do not know.

Some of the health checks that domestic staff should be screened for before they are hired include -

• Hepatitis – experts feel that the hepatitis virus is more dangerous than HIV. Hepatitis B can be transmitted through body fluids like saliva and blood (source: doctor.dtv)
• HIV
• Tuberculosis
• Pregnancy

There are some agencies that do these tests and send the staff to you with a clean bill of slate, however based on personal experience, I would recommend that you run your own checks. I had one situation where a nanny whom I hired through an agency showed up with Medical results that said negative to all the things you would screen a nanny for. I carried out my own tests a few weeks after she started the job only to find out that she had full blown HIV. Once again this is not to discriminate, but this is someone who is taking care of children and who did not know she was HIV positive nor on any drugs.

It is advisable to carry out basic blood work and health checks at least every six months. Medically it is possible for some coniditions not to show up for a couple of months though the initial test was negative.

Do you carry out any Health checks after they start working with you? Remember that they go off and you are not able to control where they go or what they do. I know there is the real concern of  Human Rights and not discriminating. I say nannies are hired to be around your baby or your child, touching and preparing food, giving baths, doing laundry and playing quite closely with your child. You would not willing expose your most prized possession, your child, to known danger.

One other recommendation more employers need to consider is Health Insurance for your domestic staff, these are not that expensive when compared with the amount you spend on salaries and upkeep of your domestic staff. The insurance takes care of the costs of health care and as such your staff is more likely to go to a proper hospital or clinic when they are ill. How many people know of a staff who has gone to a cheaper quack doctor only to still be treating malaria 2 months from the first symptom?

So get your domestic staff screened prior to hiring them and regularly after they start work with you. There are several clinics and centers that carry out Domestic Staff screening and tests, for example Crestview Radiology has a Drivers Screening package.

If you can, get a Doctor to carry out a general assessment of your Nanny and other Domestic Staff. This is based on my personal experience where a nanny I hired was actually on Anti-Depressants and we didn’t know until the day she was behaving very strange and then it all came tumbling out. Only after I asked her to leave did the other nanny decide to tell me that she always thought something was weird because she would just see her standing in one position, holding a knife and staring into space! Scary!

We need to keep praying, be vigilant and trust our instincts as we hire and keep domestic staff in our homes.

Knowing the facts about Ebola and informing everyone around you is one of the best ways to avoid it.

Don’t let the children out of the discussions – let them know what the real dangers are and how to keep safe. Knowledge is power…not fear!

Keep safe, Keep Informed!

Related articles across the web

• Facts About The Ebola Virus and Prevention

The Federal Government has mandated that all primary and secondary schools in Nigeria should remain shut until further notice.  The development, government stated, is part of measures to curb the spread of Ebola. 

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Students Matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe, who disclosed the postponement of school resumption in Abuja did not state how long the students would be on holiday. He said that President Goodluck Jonathan was wary of the danger of the disease to the nation’s future generation and as a result ordered that the schools remained on holiday till the country find a way out of the outbreak.(Source New Telegraph)

This is a time to stay put at home as much as possible and keep the whole family and domestic staff on heightened alert of hygiene and limit where you go.

Reading Undergroungmedic and DailytimesNg I found some helpful tips to consider as part of the general strategy to manage through this time, this too will surely pass - 

• Avoid large gatherings, consider avoiding public places like schools, job centres, libraries, cinemas.
• Lots of disposable coveralls, disposable gloves and a filtered face masks might be necessary If someone needs to be exposed, these should be discarded before re-entering the home. 
• Stock up at home to reduce the need to go shopping or to the market 
• People will have different levels of response, so let those that are comfortable being out and about get on with it if you would rather avoid exposing yourself and your family. 
• Try and keep a few of your pens handy with you so you can use these rather than public pens. 
• Doctors say washing of the hands is still the most effective way of preventing viruses from clinging to your hand and subsequently passing it into your body through touching of food or others.
• Some viruses can live for hours on surfaces such as ATMs, doorknobs, even money so be careful as you use these.
• The virus is easily killed by contact with soap, bleach, sunlight, or drying. A washing machine will also kill the virus in clothing saturated with infected body fluids.
• Install a hand-washing station where you can in your compound with a bucket filled with chlorinated water
• Sanitizer’s should have a minimum of 70% alcohol level to be effective. 
• Chlorine bleach kills hazardous bacteria, this should be used for cleaning in the home, but keep away from children. Dettol also works well to kill germs from surfaces and in the home. 

Knowledge is key in avoiding and ultimately avoiding this dreaded disease…Are there any other tips you have to share to stay safe? Please share.

It was just a day after DH had told me to make sure “I always have a last look” when I am getting down from the cab. I had scoffed in my head thinking I am not a child nor am I careless. I didn’t know I would eat my words just a day later.

I get down from a cab and while walking to my appointment it suddenly hits me that I do not have my phone with me! Oh No I had forgotten it in the cab. I checked and rechecked my handbag hoping it was in some corner somewhere…no luck.

I quickly try to trace back my actions and remember that in the cab, I had pulled out my phone to send texts to my domestic staff on the Ebola issue telling them “Declare and Decree Psalm 91, no disease will come near you, but also be careful, avoid crowded places and buy sanitisers.”

Anyways after this I don’t recall putting the phone back in my bag! Oh snap! So much for thinking I didn’t need the reminder to “look back when getting down from a cab”.

Now this was the day I was travelling out of the Country and really couldn’t afford not to have my phone.

When I got to my appointment, I asked for a phone and called my phone repeatedly hoping someone would pick up, but it just rang.

Then I prayed to God to ask him to please help me find my phone! There are over 10,000 New York cabs and 1.6 million people in Manhattan. But I believed he would help me find it, it wasn’t my job to figure out how he would do it but to believe he would.

I told the receptionist at my appointment what happened so when someone called about a lost phone, she would know it was for me.

Then I started praying for the cab driver to pick up a customer who would see my phone on the seat and call me. I had a dose of assurance in my heart #Faith that I would find my phone. However I did still wonder how it would happen and what the odds of getting it back really was all before I was scheduled to head to the airport.

I purposely tried to take my mind off it and started reading flipping distractedly, through a magazine to let my faith work. After a few minutes of hearing the phone ring, the receptionist walked in and said someone was on the phone calling about my lost phone. Woopee!

Turned out that a passenger who got into the cab, found my phone on the seat and called the last number she saw on my screen. She was going out of state so we agreed that she would drop the phone for me with the security at her office and I would go pick it up from there. I thanked her so much and told her God Bless her real good!

I was so relieved and more importantly so thrilled at how awesome God is! He surely did do it and found me my phone through all the odds (in my mind).

Once I finished from my appointment, I headed over to her office – JPMorgan, identified myself and got my phone back. I had a testimony moment with the security man outside who asked me how come i was leaving the office so fast, I told him the quick story and said “God is good! I knew he could do it and he did” to which he smiled and said “Yes, God is good!”

God Bless my phone finding Angel!

This is the picture of Alfred Ajani, a Marketing graduate who after applying to over 300 jobs with no luck decided to Market himself at London Waterloo Station holding up a sign with his qualifications. 

According to Uniladmag Ajani said: ‘I got up early and went to the station. At first people just looked at me but after about ten minutes people starting stopping and talking. They said they’d never seen anything like it before and were really impressed.

‘One woman worked in advertising and took a CV and another guy ran back from his train and said he’d walked past but had started thinking and might have something for me.’

‘I’ve already had some phone calls and have got an interview booked for later today. The support was great, one man even bought me a cup of tea and told me “good luck”.’

Talk about thinking out of the box! This does show that he has good marketing skills though. 

Goodluck hope you land a job soon. 

Work life balance questions and challenges has almost successfully been branded as a Woman’s issue..as a Woman specific monopoly .

So it was with surprise that I read about Max Schireson on huffingtonpost who made the decision to step down from the position of CEO to spend more time with his family. It was the title that caught my attention to be honest, A Male CEO stepping down to spend more time with his family is an unusual headline. 

On his blog he spoke about how women are usually asked how they balance work and life. He has never been asked that question and rather is more likely to be asked which car he drives.

He also discussed some of the material things he was giving up by choosing to step down from hios position as CEO, which include

• Travel and the miles that comes with it – 300,000 miles expected from travel, from all the normal CEO travel plus commuting between Palo Alto and New York every 2-3 weeks.
• Potential future roles –  he recognizes that he maybe disqualifying himself from future CEO roles. Perhaps firms might not be interested in a CEO, talk less of a male one, who publicly puts his family first. 

His company, MongoDB Inc was not exactly a one man company that was just managing to get by, he shared that in his nearly 4 years at the company, they raised $220 million, grew the team 15x and grew  sales 30x.

No matter what you think about this decision, he clinched it with the perfect summary where he said Life is about choices. Right now, I choose to spend more time with my family and am confident that I can continue to have an meaningful and rewarding work life while doing so. 

So what?

Does it seem nicer and cuter because it is unexpected that a man would decide to step down from a demanding job for his family?

Do you wonder if more men would actually like to do this but do not feel they can?

Perhaps its easier for him to do this because his wife (a doctor and professor) is also working and therefore money is not a problem.

Its just interesting to note that the reaction because a male CEO steps down to spend time with the family immediately portrays him as a considerate loving husband and father. If a woman was to make the same announcement how would it go across? Would it be expected? or would she also be immediately labelled as considerate and loving?

Perhaps men don’t have anything to prove and women are still on the ladder to prove they can be effective outside the home? It was a nice to read about somenone who understands his role as a father and his desire to spend time with his family.

What do you think?