AJALI

Hey Dolls,

One of my missions last year was to ensure that I gave back to the community. I was to give 10% of my earnings to a project or a a special person to lift them up, help them out of a financial quagmire, anything as long as I felt it made a difference in someone's life. I managed to do this for only 2 months before I got caught up in the whirlwind of life as a mom, employee, employer, businesswoman e.t.c.

To make up for that, J and L(not sure if they want their names in cyberspace) with whom I co-own The Baby Store gave back 10% of our earnings for the 6 months duration we had been open to a baby's reception center here in Kampala. We celebrated L's birthday at the center. The feeling of loss and hopelessness in the center will never leave me. What can make a mother abandon her child? I will never comprehend this but I am determined to do something about it.

So this year, J,L and I are setting up an project called Ajali which is the Swahili word for Destiny. It will run an incubation program for SME's set up by women based on the TBS(The Baby Store) model. The initiative is meant to provide capacity building, technical assistance, financial support, mentoring and business guidance as well as invest in a woman-led profit venture. But it's not for free. We're doing this in exchange for equity in the venture and a board seat.
We are seeking out high-potential, low income women to support to start their own businesses so that they can become financially self sufficient.We already have one lady we are working with. The future is amazingly bright for her. More on her in another post.

As Africa continues to rise, so do African women. With the upward economic, social and political trajectory of the continent, a new breed of African women continues to emerge. And we realize that we need to stop complaining about the people who run our nations, put our money where our mouth are, and support these Ugandan Women.

"I don't want to be rich in a land of poverty."  Think about that quote. AND DO SOMETHING!

xoxo 

Read this article.

Hello dolls,

This article ; http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/01/the_future_of_you.html .It will make you think.

Excellent comment;
Branding verb-age has become a way of American culture and has directly linked itself to the english language.  We don't say things like "please get me a disposable diaper", instead we run and get a "Pamper" or we no longer do computer research, instead we "Google"  talk about branding at its finest hour!   
Simply put, find your niche and market the hell out of product line and yourself.
Google being pretty much the ONLY search engine companies and consumers use today,  unless your willing to pay the "Master-Goog", for expensive marketing via engine optimization packages even the best and brightest ideas and talents companies remain unnoticed. 
Branding, personal target marketing approach, educating the consumer with good information, personalized mass media campaigns-only way to go!

XOXO

Shoe obssessed...fashion frenzy for the moment.

Hey dolls,

I can't get over these pointed court pumps. I am purchasing several pairs in a few days. I can't wait to show you my finds.

After being shunned for seasons in favor of the platform court, the pointed court is back as the chic shoe accompaniment to the sophisticated dresses, skirts and jeans. The pointed-toe fashion trend is one of the many proofs that it's time to bring the glamour puss out of ourselves and what goes better with the deeply coloured pencil skirts that are showing up everywhere than a sophisticated sky-high pointy toe pump. The heel of the pointed court helps define the curves of your leg and teamed with a pencil skirt, you’ll exude an air of sophistication.

Patent leather is no longer your only choice. With a very feminine feel, these shoes are available in several versions ranging from simple, minimalist ones to colour block styles and metallics. They can easily be paired up with tapered trousers and evening dresses, but best of all; they make legs look longer and skinnier no matter what you decide to wear. Those of you eager to stuff your wardrobe with the most stylish footwear for the upcoming season should definitely dive for the old-time pointed-toe shoes from the bottom of the wardrobe first. Make no mistake; pointed courts are the shoes that will separate the women from the girls this year.

XOXO

HAPPY NEW YEAR....

Good morning dolls,

Hope are well rested from the holidays but most importantly well loved. I had an amazing 2012 and am excited about all the possibilities of 2013. Unfortunately, I was a horrible blogger. That will change this year. I know I have said this so many times I have lost count.*hides face in shame*  But (strong BUT), this shall be an area to improve upon this year.

Have a beautiful passion filled new year People.
XOXO

Investing on the Uganda Securities Exchange....UMEME IPO

Hey Dolls,

Hoping to raise capital on the Ugandan market, Umeme, a power distributing company, has made an  Initial Public Offer (IPO) following approval from the Capital Markets Authority and the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE). About 622.38 million shares are being sold at Shs 275 each. The last time the USE had an IPO offer was 3 years ago. I was living hand to mouth then and had no savings to speak of. This time round I am well equipped.I have been religiously putting aside money for the baby. I don't believe in just letting it sit on a bank  account making the institution richer while it earns pitiful interest so this is a superb opportunity for me/baby(It's not my money technically).

I am quite reliably informed on the happenings of the stock exchange as a result of my own research and taking part in a few financial workshops so this is an easy decision for me to take. But this morning, I decide to look at this IPO from a layman's point of view. So I set about reading up on the offer and the USE in general. At first I was shocked, then alarmed, now am truly sickened. The level of financial illiteracy in this country is deeply waring. It has been barely covered by the country's dailies of which many of them are giving biased information. Do they not have an economic analyst in their employ? Then there's hardly any information about investing on the USE aside from basic how to's from their site and a few articles from bloggers here and there. Compared to our Kenyan neighbor's, this situation is pathetic but I guess it makes sense since half(yes, half) of the retail investors on the USE are Kenyan(unreliable info from a broker on the USE).

 I weep for my beloved country.

If you are interested in the USE, try the links below. They should give you a good head start;

http://www.use.or.ug/

http://www.paulnjuguna.com/

http://investinginafrica.net/2012/03/how-to-invest-in-ugandan-stocks/  (This article is NOT written by a Ugandan)

For the UMEME IPO;

http://www.umeme.co.ug/

Laters dolls (Yes, I read Fifty Shades of Grey *runs and hides*)


Update:

More on the UMEME IPO. Ugandans are waking up or so it seems;

http://eatrader.blogspot.com/2012/10/umeme-ipo-thinking-aloud-herd.html

http://matookenation.com/you-meme/#more-5581

http://www.hipipo.com/5star/business/all/umeme-ipo-i-dream-mtn-trading-use

http://investinginafrica.net/2012/10/is-the-umeme-ipo-a-bargain/  

Fractured moonlight on the sea

Hi Dolls,

Was cleaning out my closet this weekend and I found titbits from my past that just took me a rollercoaster of emotions that I needed to blog about.Here's two of them;

1. My Baby's album:

This took me back. From my pregnancy to now 15 months later. It's been quite an experience,I cannot even begin to describe it. From the tears when I had just found I was pregnant, telling my friends then my parents, then my boss. To feeling baby's first kick. In the scan where I swore she waved at me. When I first held her. Holding her the entire night when she couldn't sleep because she had colic. Her first immunisation shot. Her first illness. Her first smile...ooohhh so many first. We've come a long long way. We can now confidently say three words: mom,sherry,bye. We are HAPPY!


2. A poem I had written for the boy:

I am not a composer unless am telling a story. But borrowing words is an art I have come to acquire. I sent this poem to the boy (I don't know when).It is written by Elizath Barrett Browning. I am awed by the emotion and devotion that had completely devoured me. Will I ever love this deeply again?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.


I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.


XOXO
Have a love filled week.

Situation Update.

Hey Dolls,

Been a minute, right? Not much going on (understatement of the year)...but here's a brief breakdown of most of what has been going on.

1.The IT dream was assassinated and completely annihilated by ambitious business plans. Am still a network management engineer(Gotta make that milk money) but am slowly but surely building a small chain of baby apparel and supply stores called The Baby Store. Check us out on Facebook;https://www.facebook.com/thebabystoreug

2.The boy and I are no more. Quickly moving on.

3.Lastly,but not least...am still the fiercest mommy around. Baby is now 1 year and 3 months. That's us below. Picture taken now.

Oh...Uganda(as defined by the British) turns 50. Do not let the age fool you. We are still a highly immature lot!

xoxo