Nigerians Flying High and Taking the Space – @freeman_osonuga & @Kimbersfly

Introducing to some and presenting to others two Nigerians that are reaching for the heights, literally.

fReeMaN OsoNugA

Freeman Osonuga is one of Africa’s leading voices on poverty alleviation, advocacy and care for people with disabilities, orphans and the less privileged. Freeman is a One Young World Ambassador, one of the 2013 Ten Outstanding Young Persons In Nigeria, and Founder and Executive Director of Heal The World Foundation Nigeria. In  2014, at the Peak of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, he worked as a volunteer and worked with the African Union team of Ebola responders for 6 months in Sierra Leone.

Freeman Osonuga @freeman_osonuga On My Way To Space| @WiredUK Innovation Fellow | Associate Fellow, Royal Commonwealth Society @theRCSlondon | Ambassador @OneYoungWorld | Founder @htwfnigeria |

Freeman, a Medicine and Surgery graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University, has been selected (through the Rising Star programme, which launched at the One Young World Summit 2014 in Dublin) to embark on a once in a lifetime flight to space and also offered a three year management contract. The programme invites both One Young World Ambassadors and outstanding members of the public aged 18-35 to be nominated to take on the trip of a lifetime.
If selected for the program, he will be the first Nigerian and First
black African to fly to space!
Osonuga is a 2015 WIRED Innovation Fellow. He will be speaking live on the London stage at the WIRED 2015 conference in October.
View Freeman’s profile here on the Kruger Cowne website and watch video below.

kIMberLy AnyaDike

Kimberly Anyadike is a young pilot who learned to fly from an after school program focused on helping at-risk youth realize dreams — Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum in Compton, CA.

Kimberly photo via Getty Images

Inspired by the Tuskeegee Airmen, then 15-year-old (now 21) US based Kimberly Anyadike of Nigerian descent flew a single-engine Cessna cross-country from her hometown of Compton, Calif., to Newport News, Va. Anyadike is said to be the youngest female pilot to complete the journey, which took 13 days.

“I set a record flying the plane in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen! The plane is named after Tuskegee Airman, Levi Thornhill, and I was accompanied by Major Thornhill during the trip. I am now the youngest African American female to pilot a flight across the country. After the flight, I was ready for my close-up. It took a lot of courage for me to speak in front of an audience!” – Seventeen.com

Born in Los Angeles in 1994, Kimberly Anyadike never remembers a time in her fifteen years she wasn’t interested in flying. Her passion for aviation began with a 20-minute demo flight at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, a flight school and youth mentoring center in Compton, CA. Kimberly washed airplanes and did other tasks to earn “museum dollars” that she traded in for flight lessons. Among the mentors available to kids in the program are several Tuskegee Airmen, who Kimberly has been immensely inspired by.

Exposed to a wide range of activities, Kim was a junior lifeguard at Venice Beach for five years, where she also learned how to surf. She attended the Lula Washington Dance Academy, taking ballet, hip-hop and tap dance classes. Kimberly is a youth member at her church where she learned how to read music, and is now learning how to play piano, violin and guitar.

Most recently she has completed college courses at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, the Saturday Science Academy at Charles Drew University and is taking a range of art courses at the Plaza De La Raza. She volunteers to feed the homeless in downtown Los Angeles and is very active in her church, while maintaining her G.P.A Kimberly’s career goal is to become a cardio-vascular surgeon with a pilot’s license. Like her FB page here

Kimberly Anyadike (born c. 1994) is known as the first Nigerian American teen to fly across the United States. Her Dad is from Nigeria, and Anyadike means (Eye of a Warrior). She flew from Compton, California to Newport News, Virginia in 2009. It took her 13 days to complete the flight The miles flown were 2,342. The plane used was a Cessna C-172. She was accompanied by safety pilot Ronnell Norman, a certified commercial pilot and Major Levi H. Thornhill, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who at age 87, is a member of the elite Tuskegee Airmen who served during World War II.

Anyadike is from Compton, California. She paid for her flight lesson by working many regular jobs around the compton airport — via wiki

 

Wishing these two “reach for the skies” trailblazers all the best!

Beautifully Dreaming, Positively Doing

Tosinger

Organically Singing the album is not out, get yours here

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Music – ‘#Africa Stop #Ebola’ by African World Music Artistes

A collective of African musicians have come together to record a song to help raise awareness about Ebola in Africa. The song features the popular singers Tikken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Kandia Kouyate, Mory Kante, Sia Tolno, Barbara Kanam and rappers Didier Awade, Marcus and Mokobe.

The song is a message to citizens about what they can do to help stop the spread of Ebola in Africa. The song is performed in French and vernacular languages widely spoken across the region to ensure that the message is understood regardless of the level of literacy and education of the population.

Listen here

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Speaking..

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FOR THE LOVE OF AFRICA – Photography + Dance/Film

Hello Friends,
Lovers of the Arts and Africa,

I am spotlighting two artsy fundraiser projects that are telling the African story to  dispel preconceived perception and media projections.

1.  Photography by Andre Washington –  AFRICA TRAVELOGUE

Africa Travelogue‘s mission is to share photographs and travel journals to tell the stories that showcase the intense beauty of Africa – in all its culture rich variety – in order to bring new insight valuable to seeing, understanding, and truly appreciating this magnificent continent.

The aim of this project is to magnify the importance of this kind of work that pertains to seeing Africa in a different light.

Andre Washington, Curator of Africa Travelogue says:

Andre Washington, Africa Travelogue

“Africa Travelogue urgently needs the help and support from friends, followers, and you in order to continue the work and mission of revealing the magnificent beauty of Africa.

I desperately need to raise these funds especially in a time when the entire continent of Africa will now face the lopsided stigma of the Ebola crisis. My work can and will provide an accurate balance in imagery and reporting”.

To learn more about Africa Travelogue and give your support by purchasing a limited edition gallery print or making a donation, here is the link and password to the private fundraiser for a limited edition print sale for Africa Travelogue:

http://www.fundafricatravelogue.weebly.com

Password: SupportAndreAfrica

You can also inbox or friend Andre Washington on Facebook for questions or more info to support.

Thank you so much for your support!

**************************************************************************

2. Film and Dance – #TDMP: The Dance Movie Project. Africa’s 1st AFRO BEAT Dance Film.

On October 6, Lexxistalking Production, a film production company based in New York City, announced the launch of an exciting rewards driven Indiegogo campaign for ‘#TDMP: The Dance Movie Project,’ a new drama film set in Lagos, Nigeria that is based on real life events about the richness of Africa’s dance culture, the prevalence of diabetes in Africa and encouragement of African elders to nurture its youth’s natural talents.

Alexander “Lexx” Ore, Creator of #TDMP  says:

“I wanted to create an attention-grabbing story that shows the world what’s going on in Africa, particularly in countries like Nigeria where the prevalence of diabetes is on the rise. I also wanted to create a motion picture that would stimulate dialogue around the dance talents of African youths, particularly in ways that will exceed people’s preconceived notions about Africa . When completed, #TDMP will be the world’s first Afrobeat dance film.” – Alexander “Lexx” Ore

We hope that #TDMP will not only cultivate public awareness of the rich dance arts culture in Africa, but that it will also be the beginnings of a movement to inspire public health change. Additionally, when you support #TDMP’s Indiegogo campaign, you are proclaiming to the world that you believe that the raw talent of African youths should be developed and nurtured.

Watch video:

For more info, to support and stay updated on the project, please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-dance-movie-project/x/390330

Beautifully Dreaming… Positively Doing

Tosinger

Support These Four Organizations To Help Fight Ebola

I am sharing with you a member email  I received from One.org – an international campaigning and advocacy organization of nearly 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa – about how we can be part of the solution to the deadly disease ‘Ebola’ that has already taken lives in its toll.

Dear Tosin,

Just days ago, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a global health emergency.

This virus is hitting countries with some of the weakest health systems in the world. Places that don’t have enough trained doctors and nurses. Clinics that don’t have enough supplies to run labs. Villages that don’t have running water or reliable electricity.

This outbreak is showing just how important it is to have strong health systems in place. And it shows why members like you continue to fight for long-term investments in health.

But we need to work together now to stop Ebola in its tracks. Yes, this is a scary and infectious disease – but it can be stopped. And although you may feel removed from the crisis, there are still ways you can help.

Read, learn the facts, and help dispel the myths. And if you’d like to support the courageous work being done in West Africa to fight Ebola, there are many partners who are doing tremendous work on the ground. Find out more about them here.

We’ll keep you updated with news and information – and thanks for your support.

– ONE

Find out  in the article of how you can support,  compiled by Malaka Gharib, reblogged from the ONE blog.

…….In the face of the worst Ebola virus outbreak on record, the international community has rallied around critical efforts to stop the virus’ spread and care for those affected.

You can be a part of the solution by donating to organizations that are providing vital support to communities in Western Africa, including these:

MSF

From MSF’s website: “If contracted, Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly diseases. It is a highly infectious virus that can kill up to 90 percent of the people who catch it, causing terror among infected communities. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has treated hundreds of people with the disease and helped to contain numerous life-threatening epidemics.”

Catholic Relief Services

From the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) website: “Catholic Relief Services is working to stem the deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, educating people about how the virus is spread so they can avoid catching it. CRS is working closely with local partners, government health officials, and religious leaders so that information can be channeled through trusted members of the community with a deep understanding of local belief systems.”

Africare

From Africare: “Africare is a Four-Star Rated, African-American founded development organization that works to improve the quality of life of people in Africa. Operating currently in 17 African countries, including countries most impacted by Ebola – Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, Africare is aggressively supporting the fight against Ebola. By providing medical supplies, mobilizing our in-country staff to work with local partners including ministries of health, county health advisors, community leaders and healthcare workers, Africare is working to spread culturally sensitive messages in especially rural communities about Ebola and how to avoid contracting it and access treatment.”

Samaritan’s Purse

From Samaritan’s Purse’s website: “Samaritan’s Purse is mounting an aggressive and coordinated response to the largest outbreak ever documented of Ebola viral disease” …

Looking for other ways to get involved? You can help by spreading facts about the Ebola virus to fight misconceptions, learning more about how the global health community is responding and sharing personal stories from the doctors on the ground. The Centers for Disease Control is a great resource for reliable information, including this fact sheet.

Beautifully Dreaming.. Positively Doing..

x

Tosinger