HOW I RETIRED AT 26

 If it Takes a Village to raise a child, what is a child to do when the village is asleep? - Asha Tyson

How I Retired at 26
By Asha Tyson
ATD publishing
1998, 2001, 2003.
Reviewed by Matthew Ujah-Peter

Asha Tyson's own account of how she rose from being homeless to becoming a world renowned success strategist and a motivational speaker who is been sought after from all over the world.  The book is an account of how a person can take charge of his/her life and destiny in rising from poverty to influence and affluence.

Fore-worded by the best-selling author, Les Brown, the book opens with "A personal Letter from Asha Tyson..." as an introduction. Here's some quotes from the letter:

 "...If you are still reading, I believe you are the person who is ready to embark upon a wonderful journey of fulfillment. And I give you applause!...Think of it as conversation with a successful friend who really want to see you have the life you desire. And if you'll let me, I'd be honored to help you. Here, I'm offering what I used to realize my own dreams. ...''Retirement'' isn't solely an economical event, it encompasses the theory of ''complete package'' living.

During our time together in the first three chapter, I share very personal experience about myself, including the early accounts of neglect, abuse and homelessness. I pray it inspire you to realize a higher level of potential yourself.

"...believe me, if I can be successful, it's possible for you too, and it's never too late or too early to begin. As a matter of fact, you are right on time.

It was age twenty-six when I got it! It was the most enlightening time in my life. I was ready for the lesson, and the teacher came..."

I will here like to turn some of the pages and let you read some portions of the book once again. This time from cahpter one, pages 23 - 24.

 

''Momma's hospital visit grew closer together now and lasted anywhere from  from two weeks to a month . In the hospital, out of the hospital, in three weeks, out three weeks. Back in, back out. This was our life.
 Although most of her attacks happened at home, she could suddenly be stricken with pain anytime, anyplace. Her cries were like thunder thatcame from the bottom of soul. She would fal, on her kneels , lie on her face and grovel to God. She woould lose all composure  and toss widely, rocking herself back and forth on the shiny floor. Her body was doubled over in a knot while she wailed and cried out for help[. Momma with hger piercing screams, begged  for mercy as though some one had set her on fire, but but she couldn't run and she couldn't die. Her smooth face was wet with sweat. And tears poured from her yellow eyes. I couldn't do anything to helop  Momma. No one could. The only thing to do was execute The Plan.

"I knew it well. I had been trained how to kick  into emergency mode by age four. My moves were experienced and well versed. I was careful not miss a step, mindful to remain calm and attentive to the fact that Momma's life was at stake.  While she endured agony, I used the chair to reach the butterscotch colored phone mounted on the kitchen wall.
 "Press 911. Tell them that she is having a 'crisis'. I'd been taught to give the address, complete with landmarks. There were only five houses on ach side of our block, and we were hard to find. Our place was isolated, tucked away. Unless you knew exactly where you were going, you would never get there. Nothing drove dowbn our streen, for the most part, not even the ice cream truck. Many of the paramedics who had been successful said that they found us  because  I had  told them we were wedged between two alleys.  I was always so proud of being helpful. After hanging up with the dispatcher, my next step was to call   the relatives who hadn't been allowed to love me. I never wanted to but I had no choice. I didn't know their phone number by heart , but I knew the pattern. It was round with a dip at the top..
Next, it was time to help Momma put clothes on her aching body. I was gentle. Even while distressed and in pain, Momma  always thanked me for getting her dressed. Then I sat still-quit, numb, waiting. The house was silent as I listened only the sound of suffering coming from my tortured momma"

Asha's childhood was a painful one. As a child she struggled  to be accepted by her relatives while her mother was sick  in the hospital. She would face terrible abuses from her mother's male friends; she had to struggle to avoid being murdered by her own mother eventually went insanes.Then, as I teenager, Asha became homeless. Again, hear:

''Alone and disconnected from my place , my origing, my people and even myself, I still had to make it. Id run the full gamut of bureaucratic red tape, trying to get social service assistance, community outreach, non-profit organization support, or anything that would help me find a a place in this world. Everywhere I turned I was told the same thing: 'You're not a candidate for any of our programs'
I was always either too old, too young, too late , or only qualified as a teen mother. The drill was always trthe  same : 'I' m sorry we can't help you. Don't you  have a family? Are you being abused?, Where is your father? When I couldn't explain my predicament, I was sent away.....I left them, never understand  why no one understood. I didn't know how to explain my life - any of it....."

But Asha did took her own destiny in her own hand. Asha did solved the riddle of her own life withe the summary below:

                                                                             

                                                                          Riddle:

         If it takes a whole village to raise a child,
           what is a child to do when the village is asleep?

                                                                             Answer:

          Be grateful for what had always been God's protection,
           pardon the sleepyheads of the past
 and live powerfully enough to help wake the village for others.

Asha Tyson

Asha unabashedly and openly shared the shocking story of her ordeal with her ailing mother and the struggles to survive and stand up for herself in the hostile environment she found herself as a child. ''...No human being can accurately predict how your story will end. You can do anything!...'' Asha writes. And in case this sound like just another motivational book the reader will find it useful and relevant as he / she read through the first two chapters of this inspiring book. Those chapters read mostly like an abridged version of Asha's personal memoir.

I personally have read this book about three times and each time it sound like I am reading it for the first time. If I can get this book into the hands of every young Africans I will be fulfilled. What gems of wisdom awaits you if you will read this book. What is success? What is wealth? What does it mean to retire? What is life all about? Asha's got her own answers - answers that will leave you re-prioritizing and reorganizing your own life.

DEBORAH AHENKORAH

Deborah Ahenkora

DEBORAH AHENKORAHWritten By Jemila Abdulai On Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ http://www.circumspecte.com

It's my great honor to introduce this young lady to those of you who might not have heard of her, and for those of you who have, to hopefully share one or two things that you probably didn't know about Deborah Ahenkorah and her journey so far. The Visionnaire Series begins.

Privilege Vs Responsibility
At 24 years, Deborah Ahenkorah is living proof of the heights a person can reach just by trying.

A native of the Eastern Region, Deborah grew up with her parents in Ghana’s capital Accra. She attended North Ridge Lyceum, and later enrolled at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast. Consequently, she proceeded on scholarship to Bryn Mawr College in the USA, for her university degree.

“I had no reason to want to come back to Ghana. I’m going to America, why would I want to come back to Ghana? But in the four years that I was in school various experiences, you know, switched my mind 180 degrees,” Deborah recounted.

According to the self-proclaimed adventuress who once hawked children’s clothing at the Makola Market in Accra out of sheer curiosity, her epiphany lay in acknowledging both the privilege and responsibility that came with her Ivy League Bryn Mawr education.
“I was trying to be a lawyer, make some good money, you know? But then it became really more than that,” she said. “It became: Look, like it or not your education gives you some privilege. What are you going to do with it?”
What Deborah did was to start an on campus book drive in 2007 in order to get more literature to children and youth across Africa. However she soon realized that the real issue was not a lack of books, but rather access to literature that Africans could actually relate to.

Deborah explained: “How was it an okay solution that: African children can’t read. Well, let’s get them American books to read because American people are writing their books? I felt that African people had to write their own books too.”

Thus begins the story of the Golden Baobab Prize.

Reading with kids at Accra's Mamprobi Gale Community Library

Building Blocks & Shoe-String Budgets
Idea rooted in mind, Deborah sought out funding opportunities, including the 100 Projects for Peace. While she didn’t secure that particular grant, she did have a pretty good draft proposal which she improved upon and submitted for minor grants at her college. This time around, she got the money she needed.

Money in hand, the next step was to identify someone, a field supervisor, who would not only share her vision, but also offer guidance in implementing her idea.

Deborah found both in Rama Shagaya, a Bryn Mawr and Harvard Business School alumnus who, at the time, was was on the lookout for Africa-related projects to get involved in. Between them, the Golden Baobab Prize officially took off in July 2008.

“So I got some money, came home one summer, plugged myself in an internet cafe, and the goal was to start the first - okay well, at that time it wasn’t even that ambitious - the goal was just to organize this writing competition.”

Things didn’t turn out so simple. Golden Baobab needed a website, judges, and a good amount of publicity and promotion to reach the furthest corners of Africa. To top it all off, Debbie was still a full-time college student.

“I had no experience at web design. I had to build a website that summer,” Debbie remembered. “But it worked.”

With only 12 entries submitted that summer, and on the verge of writing off the literary award as a failure, Deborah received some invaluable advice from a mentor.
“One of the older mentors that I have was like, actually no. Since you run it you can decide whether it has failed or not,” Deborah remembered. “You can say this has not failed because I’m going to extend the deadline and put in more work to get more people to write.”And so she continued.
A couple of months later, the number of entries submitted totalled 76 stories from 9 countries, something Deborah describes as “a great success for something we marketed with zero dollars.”
She added: “What was interesting about the first year was that we were going to give 3 different prizes, $800 each. I didn’t have any of this money.”
To raise the funds, both co-founders dipped into their pockets. The book drive club which Deborah started at Bryn Mawr also helped raise $800 for one prize. The remainder was covered after Deborah “literally went around to people begging.”

                    Debbie with staff members of Playing for Change during the Echoing Green Final Interviews

Challenges, Motivation, and Personal Growth
According to Deborah, the key aim of Golden Baobab is to discover, nurture and celebrate promising writers of African children’s stories.
The fact that the prize is overseen primarily by a team of volunteers demonstrates just how passionate the organization is about its cause. Unfortunately, not having a full-time
Reading with kids at Accra's Mamprobi Gale Community Library

“My friends were just so supportive. People believed in it and they’d help out a semester, one year, whatever,” Deborah said. “But it just wasn’t consistent; because whenever someone new comes, you have to retrain that person.”

Nevertheless, Deborah believes Golden Baobab's impact is enough reason to keep striving on. Her favourite “success story” involves a lady who happened to be a librarian at one of the Canadian libraries Deborah frequented as a child in Ngoye, Krobo.

After having someone type up her story for her, the librarian, who didn’t know how to use a computer, broke down in tears when she heard she was a shortlisted candidate for the Prize during the first year.

Deborah said: “She sat down and she just cried. Here’s a woman whose read countless of books to children and never thought that her story could potentially be worthy of anything.”

“That’s when it hit me that oh goodness, this is not just me behind my computer at the internet cafe. This is actually writers and actually people with dreams and people with stories who want to tell these stories and who want people to read these stories,” the young entrepreneur said.

Aside helping make the dreams of others come true, the Golden Baobab Prize has had a profound impact on the co-founder herself. “Personally I think one of the most difficult things has been developing confidence in my ability to make this work, because this is not what I set out to do,” Deborah admitted.

With her mind set on being a lawyer, Golden Baobab first started off as a short-term project for Deborah. That she could handle. What shook her to the core however was when things evolved and started “getting out of control.”

“How can I, just barely graduated school, run a pan-African literary prize, you know, that is saying that it’s going to change the African literary landscape? What skills, qualifications do I have to make this work?” Deborah asked herself.
Apparently, enough. Three years down the line, Golden Baobab's Executive Director is coming into her own and acknowledges her role in making the Golden Baobab Prize what it is today.

“I guess my resilience and passion for it thus far is evidence that I can continue to take it places. And, I guess just with doing it for three years I’ve realized that actually I can do it a little bit,” she said.

Winning the Echoing Green Fellowship
It’s been three years since the Golden Baobab Prize took off. Since then Deborah and her team have taken many bold steps in overseeing the annual literary award which has received over 200 entries since inception. They have also gotten literary giants like Ama Ata Aidoo to actively participate in their mission.
Debbie with staff members of Playing for Change during the Echoing Green Final Interviews

In June 2011, Deborah was named one of “today’s boldest social change visionaries” by Echoing Green; an acclaimed lending network with over two decades of experience in supporting ideas aimed at addressing some of society’s most pressing issues.

She applied for the Echoing Green fellowship after the application was forwarded to her – three days to the deadline - by Maya Ajmera, founder of the Global Fund for Children, which helps fund Golden Baobab through grants. Prior to that, a friend had forwarded the fellowship application to her via email. Her response? “Haha. Delete.”
“The funny thing is I was on the Echoing Green mailing list and had seen them sending the mail that people should apply for the fellowship. But it never even crossed my mind to apply for it. I was like, there’s no way I’m going to get this. This is for high rollers,” Deborah explained.
It would seem, however, that destiny would not take no for an answer. With the deadline three days away, Deborah spent an entire day contemplating whether or not to put in the needed effort. By day two, she was working feverishly on an application which many take months to complete.

While the Echoing Green application process was by no means painless, Deborah regards it as a very “powerful” experience which drastically shifted her thinking to the impact of the Golden Baobab. Through what she calls the “friendliest competition” she’d ever been in, she also got to network with likeminded individuals who “were just all so excited about each other’s projects”.

“It was a very empowering process for me in many ways and I didn’t think that I would even make it to the semi-finalist round, but that was okay because it had been a positive application experience,” she recounted.

But make it to the semi-finalist round she did, and as her mother rightly predicted, she sailed through to the finals as well. Ultimately Deborah was one of the final 15 fellows selected from 2,800 applications and initiatives.

“It was a very positive experience and, again, the competition was clearly top-notch, so nobody could be comfortable or confident,” Deborah said. “I certainly was not comfortable or confident and it was a huge shock to me when I realized that I’d been selected.”

With the generous support from Echoing Green, Deborah and Golden Baobab can kiss their shoestring days goodbye as they push on in their quest to rival the Heinemann African Writers series and change Africa’s literary landscape.

“I’m very excited because it’s going to open a lot of doors for Golden Baobab, and it comes at a time when I think Golden Baobab really needs that push,” she gushed. “It locks me in for two years so there’s no running away. It’s just going to mean a lot of really good things for Golden Baobab.”

The Golden Baobab Prize
So what exactly does it take to submit an entry to the Golden Baobab Prize? Well, first off, you have to be a citizen of an African state to apply and you can apply all-year round.

“It doesn’t matter what race you are, doesn’t matter where in the world you are, so far as you’re a citizen,” Deborah emphasized.

Stories accepted tend to be between 1000 to 5000 words and are reviewed in two separate judging sessions by a diverse panel of some of the best people in the children’s literature or African literature fields.

Entries which make it past the initial reading session and into the top 10 tend to “speak to any kind of person, not just literati.” In addition, they need to be solid stories.

“One thing that definitely we look for, I think, is just imagination, solid writing and a story that reflects something African. You know it could be uniquely African, faintly African, but a story that is an African story without doubt,” Deborah said.

There are two main categories for consideration: ‘Stories for readers aged 8-11years,’ and ‘Stories for readers aged 12-15 years’. In addition, there's a special prize for the most promising writer below age 18.

“This is a very exciting category. It’s one of those that I’m really excited about because this is identifying a writer at the beginning of their career,” Deborah explained.
She continued: “[It’s] saying that we see a lot of promise in you, you’re going to go places, and we’re going to try our best to help you go places and to help you not to lose your dream for writing.”
Ahmed Farah, a 16-year old Kenyan boy who submitted five stories to the prize in 2010, won last year’s “promising writer” title with Letters from the Flames. Set in his home country during the 2007-08 post-election crisis, Ahmed’s story is about an 11-year old Kenyan girl who writes letters to her dead father.

“It was written so convincingly in the voice of an 11-year old Kenyan girl,” Deborah exclaimed. “This is a 16-year old Kenyan boy. That spoke so much to us that who is this boy who dares to write as an 11-year old Kenyan girl?...It was exciting to discover him and his work.”

Debbie celebrating Golden Baobab's 2nd Anniversary
with Prize supporters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In addition to winning the monetary prizes, winning authors and stories are connected with leading publishing companies in order to produce African books for children and young adults to enjoy.
Aside the obvious – writing and submitting entries to the Prize – Golden Baobab is on the lookout for support to “fully establish” itself. That said, if you’re – or know someone who is - a corporate sponsor, grantmaker, publisher, illustrator, writer or passionate individual who identifies with Golden Baobab’s mission and vision, you might want to keep tabs on Deborah and her organization via the
Debbie celebrating Golden Baobab's 2nd Anniversary
with Prize supporters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Our goal in ten years is good quality, beautiful written and illustrated African books in bookstores all over the world,” Deborah shared.

As someone who's already proven that she can transform an idea into reality, here's what Deborah has for African youth:
“My advice or word of inspiration would be that - so cliché - but just do it. I feel like a lot of people have really great ideas and stall on those ideas because they think they can’t do it. That was me. I thought I couldn’t do it, but I had to do it and then I realized that oh I can. And I don’t think that’s a unique story. I think we have the capacity to do what we want to do. If we would just do it, we’ll realize that we could.”
Thumbs up to Deborah and the Golden Baobab Prize! We look forward to many more exciting stories. All the best as you continue along your visionary path!

HOW I MET PROF. CHINUA ACHEBE

By Matthew Ujah-peter

I first heard the name Chinua Achebe while I was in primary school. My cousins who were in secondary schools then had his name on their lips. Obviously his works made deep impression on them. It was from them too that I  first saw the book ''Chike and the River''. Chike and the River was also part of the books  that my late elder brother had among his school text books. I had opened its pages and read a few lines. I had just began to learn how to read then. But the first book I really read written by Chinua Achebe was ''The Arrow of God".  Later on while in junior secondary school (JSS 3) I would be part of some of the students (mostly senior students from Art class) from my school to be 'selected' to go see a live performance of Professor Chinua Achebe's Arrow Of God at the National Art Theater, Iganmu Lagos. The whole experience was unforgettable. Around that time too, about a year or so later, the T.V. series of Things Fall Apart was on NTA. At this time I was already in Science class - SSS 1(i.e  Senior Secondary School 1). My love for science subject had overridden my passion for the art for the time being. But the T.V series professionally shot and produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation fed my interest  in Achebe's works and indeed, in literally piece generally.

In ''Things Fall Apart and ''Arrow of God'' Prof. Achebe didn't only portray the glaring clash between African culture and western values. He unequivocally demonstrated his views on how the European arrogance and affronts towards the African ways were shown openly and unhindered as the western ways gradually but surely became entrenched in the African society.

Over the years Chinua Achebe had proved himself a man with deep conviction and solidarity for the African culture and values. He stood for probity and against the crooked paths that most leaders in this great nation had chosen to thread. His mettle was demonstrated over and over as he time and again proved his resolve by action in support of his beliefs. His courage to turn down such prestigious and high honor as the award of the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (COFR), the second highest honor of the land under President Goodluck Jonathan, was an everlasting testimony to the character and spirit of the man. This was the second time he turned down such award. He turn down the award in protest against the rot in the government of Nigeria. Such honorable stance is in dearth in Africa. Few men would dare what this man dared. Most persons of his standing would grab such award without giving a hoot to the pains and plights of the citizenry. Many personalities who had received similar national awards and honors never even use the occasion to challenge the 'generous government' under whose nose the country bleeds in misery about doing something drastic about the poor let alone turning down an award. Achebe was non of these.Thus, his action places him, in my opinion, on a per with such gallant fighters like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and a host of others who fought for Nigerian independent from the British imperial powers. He was on the same pedestals with the saintly Nelson Mandela who sacrificed 27 years of his life for his own people.

In response to why he turned down the national honor award by the then President of the federal republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor Chinua Achebe wrote:
''I write this letter with a very heavy heart. for some time now I have watch events in Nigeria with alarm and dismay. I have watched particularly the chaos in my own state Anambra where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places seems determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom.  I am appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance, of the Presidency.
''Forty three years ago, at the first anniversary of Nigeria's Independence I was given the first Nigeria National  Trophy for Literature. In 1979, I received two further honors - the Nigeria National Order of Merit and Order of Federal Republic - and 1999 the First National Creativity Award.
''I accepted all these honors fully aware that Nigeria is not perfect; but I had a strong belief that we would out grow our short comings under leaders committed to uniting our diverse people. Nigeria's condition today under your watch is, however, too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honor awarded me in the 2004 honor list''.

I never met Prof. Chinua Achebe in flesh but I MET the man in spirit and in his writings and beliefs.
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