CEO Joanna Riley and Executive Board Member Monica Bua to join the US board of So They Can

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Censia CEO and cofounder Joanna Riley and executive board member Monica Bua have joined the US board of So They Can, an international non-profit organization committed to breaking the poverty cycle in Africa through education.

Censia Logo (PRNewsfoto/Censia)

Joanna Riley, CEO and co-founder of Censia Talent Intelligence, has a deep personal connection with this mission. "I am excited to work with So They Can to open the floodgates to education so that every child has the opportunity to step foot inside the classroom, regardless of their identity, upbringing or the hardship that they have been born into. Censia exists to unleash the full potential in every single individual to contribute to the global economy, and I strongly believe that our partnership with So They Can is the most effective way to create greater prosperity for these children and families."

"Education is key to reducing poverty, improving equity, saving the planet and ensuring we have enough human capital to advance our world. We are building our ambassador program in the US which will have a dramatic increase on the number of girls we will put through school every year in Africa." said Monica Bua.

"Right now 258 million children are left without access to education. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion, with over one-fifth of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 not attending school." says So They Can co-founder Cassandra Treadwell. "We look forward to scaling our impact with the support of Joanna Riley, Monica Bua and the rest of their committed team.

So They Can is educating 33,000 students annually and, to date, has graduated 474 teachers, and provided over a million meals. The organization also provides medical services and has treated more than 20,000 individuals. You can learn more about the organization's impact by visiting https://www.sotheycan.org/what-we-do/our-impact/.

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About CensiaCensia harnesses the power of deep system intelligence applied to an exceptional master dataset to recruit, develop, and retain a high-quality, diverse workforce and forecast future talent needs. We supercharge talent decisions across multiple industries. For more information, visit http://www.censia.com.

About So They CanSo They Can is an international NGO that delivers education and empowerment programs in some of the most vulnerable communities in East Africa. To learn more, visit https://www.sotheycan.org/what-we-do/our-impact/.

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Censia Joins the US board of So They Can to Support Children's Education in Africa - Yahoo Finance

Moonchild Sanelly - real name Sanelisiwe Twisha - is gearing up to release her long-awaited second album next month. Phases will be released via Transgressive Records on June 10. Today, she shares the new single "Cute" featuring Trillary Banks.

A straight-up empowerment anthem, Moonchild explains, "The song is about bad boss bitches with big dick energy who look fly while they're running their s. We can be cute, so our power might look unthreatening, but don't be fooled, we're powerful and we're here to f s up!"

Trillary adds, "Recording the track was a cool, fun experience. I love the Two Inch Punch production. Meeting Moon in person was also great, we were able to go to a gig, vibe at the studio, do some shopping and discuss visual ideas. What a crazy but cute 24 hours."

Forming a sonic foundation that veers between Amapiano, Gqom, grime, pop, house and R&B while showcasing her vocal talents on more downtempo songs, Phases' 19 tracks document the varying chapters of a toxic relationship and subsequent freedom. A double album, the first side is a journey through the relationship with production reflecting those different moods and aspects of her personality; the second side, meanwhile, leads into a clubbier amapiano space.

The tracks on it, she says, are a way of empowering all different types of girls and promoting respect for women: "Over You" finds strength and power in breaking-up with a cheating ex; "Strip Club", featuring Ghetts, flips the male-led narrative, instead putting the woman in charge.

"I want people to relate to the stories I'm telling," she says. Moonchild Sanelly has become well known for unapologetically spreading her message of female empowerment: "liberation for women, in the bedroom, in the boardroom, knowing your power... I need to be heard by a lot of people".

Carrying South Africa along with her has long been important for her, too, and it's something that's reflected on Phases, as she is joined by two of the country's most exciting rappers: Blxckie on "ULi" and Sir Trill on "Soyenza".

Collaboration has been core to Moonchild Sanelly since her award-winning debut album Rabulapha!, having not only dominated the gqom and amapiano scenes in SA but with her international hits and collaborations with Wizkid, Beyonce (featuring on "MY POWER"), Gorillaz ("With Love To An Ex") and Ghetts ("Mozambique").

Phases is a highly collaborative record, too, with production and guest features from Sad Night Dynamite, Wesley Joseph, Xavier Thomas (Dbruit), TOKiMONSTA, HOLLY and Aramboa.

The album's title takes on a multitude of meanings: via the range of genres covered across its runtime, the different sounds and styles that it encompasses and the personal journey that Sanelisiwe Twisha has taken to get to this point. But, for Moonchild Sanelly, it's more literal than that: "I think that, with this album, I've managed to piece all the different parts of me together, because I'm known for different things in different parts of the world. I think you get to know me better with Phases - all the different sides of me."

Watch the new music video here:

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Moonchild Sanelly and Trillary Banks Share Empowerment Anthem 'Cute' - Broadway World

The pastseveralyears have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of positive, inclusive marketing efforts centered on the female body and womanhood in general. The overarchingideais that thebody is a source of pride to the autonomous woman who possessesit. The national chain where I get waxed encourages its freshly depilated clientele to strut confidently into the world.The online boutique where I buy bras bills its extensive size range as part of a bold inclusivity crusade to outfit every body. Power in motherhood proclaims a popular spin studio, while the website of the industrys biggest shapewear brand cheekily announces its corporate HERstory in bright red letters. International Womens Day and Womens History Month have become occasions for businesses, from beauty concerns to less-obviously-female-focused banking, to uncontroversially and unspecifically bill themselves as on the side of womens empowerment, bodily and otherwise.

For all these vague statements of sisterhood, every single one of these, and most other, brands have remained deafeningly silent on the most fundamental issue facing women now: the rollback of reproductive rights crystallized by the leaked Supreme Court brief signaling the imminent reversal of landmark 1973 decision Roe v Wade.

In this supposed age of woke capitalism and milquetoast you-go-girl empowerment, why have so few companies spoken out on abortion rights that have been encoded into law for half a century? And, given corporations are, despite their rosy rebranding as communities or even families, amoral, profit-seeking entities, should we even expect that they take a principled stance on abortion rights, and be outraged at its absence?

First, its worth noting how halting the recognition of women as consumers, much less full citizens, has been. For much of American history, advertising that targeted women sold products considered almost exclusively feminine: think care of body, home, and family. Once more women worked outside the home, and then gained access to credit, they were marketed edgier items in a way that recognized, and even celebrated, this newfound independence: a lady could smoke cigarettes marketed with the slogan youve come a long way, baby after going for a jog in her Liberator sneakers. But these congratulatory advertisements rarely did much to disrupt the assumption that an ideal woman invested her money and energy in being slender, fashionable, and self-disciplined.

But as ideas about women evolved, so have ideas about effective advertising. The social revolutions of the 1960s often explicitly critiqued capitalism, but American business deftly morphed to market a version of hipness and counterculturalism compatible with both this irreverent sensibility and market imperatives. This conquest of cool, as historian Thomas Frank styles it, explains why instead of categorically avoiding controversy, major corporations increasingly calculate that taking stances on hot-button issues can be worth the reputational riskand even insulate them from it. In a moment when silence is violence is a catchphrase, speaking out on racism, gun control, and LGBTQ rights has become more common: when Nike signed Colin Kaepernick despite (or because) his taking a knee during the national anthem, some conservatives burned their apparel, but others sported swooshes ever more proudly. After the murder of George Floyd, corporations from Peloton to McDonalds clamored to showcase their solidarity in the fight against systemic racism. Each school shooting garners similar statements, often explicitly indicting those who stay silent or, worse, offer only thoughts and prayers. We are two weeks out from Pride Month, and if recent years are any indication, financial institutions and grocery stores alike will be dutifully wrapping themselves in rainbow flags.

And yet the line seems drawn at abortion rights. I spoke with an executive at a major media company that often takes progressive public stances; she enthusiastically came aboard precisely for this outspokenness, and is proud of her employers record, and of her own role in it. But when months ago, she floated a proposal to craft messaging strategy around the likely overturn of Roe, her superiors told her to slow down. In stark contrast to the aftermath of George Floyds murder, or more recently, the Dont Say Gay bill, when her team was immediately authorized to spring into action to partner with activists and nonprofits, she was told further research was needed in the case of reproductive rights. Conversations about an action plan have restarted since the Roe news, but she was frustrated at how we absolutely do the right things on these other issues, but when what is considered a traditional womens issue is at stake, theres just that much more pause.

This silence on abortion can feel like a gut-punch, but those who have been paying attention are disappointed but unsurprised at the narrow definition of which womens issues are perceived by brands as worth courting controversy. A decade of girlboss inspoand the expansive critique that followedhas made crystal clear the hollowness of corporate feminism, in both outward messaging and internal practice. The examples touch almost every issue affecting women. Nike announced its embrace of women athletes of all sizes, but it turned out was enabling the eating disorder of one of its athletes. So too did it celebrate active motherhoodwhile cutting the pay of pregnant runners who took time off from competition. Rent the Runway touted its commitment to fair labor practices and female leadershipand was accused of exploiting its workforce comprised mostly of immigrant women. When a Levis executive who began tweeting about the impact of school closures on children and mothers, her employer pushed back so strenuously she ultimately resigned. (Levis has taken a stand on the Roe decision, but the resistance to one of its top women executives addressing an issue affecting millions of women and children speaks to the limitations of this advocacy.) And across the board, women remain underpaid relative to men and underrepresented in C-suite positions. To the exec I spoke with, changing that representation is at least part of the solution to the situation that enabled this silence on abortion rights. I know, in part, that we acted so bravely on LGBTQ issues because for my boss [a gay man], it was personal. What if we had more women in positions of power to make their personal issues a priority?

I should say that some companies are taking stronger action to ensure abortion access for their own employees, and to a lesser extent, to fight for reproductive rights more broadly. But these moves arent nearly energetic enough, especially given the standard that now exists around companies speaking out on fraught political issues. During the Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020, a common criticism was that brands were only posting a black square on social media but doing little else to combat structural racism. Peloton emerged as a positive exception, committing to company-wide policy changes including changing hiring practices, raising wages, and donating to the NAACP, in addition to featuring Black instructors more prominently on the platform. On reproductive rights, however, Pelotons official accountand unofficially, many of the instructorshave been silent. It would feel like progress to be able to call out companies for not fully living up to their professed commitment to womens reproductive rights, but we are not even there yet.

Indeed, one of the of the nations largest public relations firms advised its clients to stay silent on abortion rights, for it was a no-win issue. Im no PR expert, just one frustrated feminist-scholar-consumer, but I can only surmise about this logic: is the idea that abortion rights appears to a coveted, cool, young consumer as an issue of their mothers generationand is thus unlikely to fire them upyet is still sufficiently controversial to alienate others, so not worth taking on? Well, it should be said that the maintenancenot even expansion!of abortion rights has the support of a majority of Americans, and even more so67 percentof voters under 45. Anecdotally, the crowds of high school and college students at #BansOffOurBodies protests in the last several days suggest that young people are impassioned by this issue and would support companies who articulate commitments to womens reproductive rights as loudly as they do to other issues perceived as less inflammatoryor worth taking heat for.

Policy that protects abortion rights is worth fighting for, and yes, we should absolutely pressure corporations to step up the solidarity. Brand messaging on race, sexuality, age, ability, and so forth is of course often cynical and self-serving, but even in an amoral capitalistic system, representation matters and can move the needle in meaningful ways. Companies have a choice not to parrot the most cautious, focus-group-tested version of their consumers mindset, and instead to move the culture forwardif they are brave enough to try. Its our job to educate, the media executive told me with measured optimism, confiding she is glad to see people are starting to shake in their boots about how the Roe decision might set a precedent to roll back Brown v. Board of Education or Obergefell v. Hodges, since the specter of that slippery slope might be the only thing, for now, that spurs companies cowardly about questioning patriarchy to utter more than the usual statements of shallow sorority.

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Corporate Support for Social Issues Is All the Rage, Except When the Topic Is Abortion Rights - Observer

Two academics are joining forces to challenge generally accepted beliefs and premises about race in the modern day with two events coming this summer.

Jason Littlefield, a Fort Worth native, and Erec Smith, a professor in Pennsylvania, will be sharing their research about a united culture of greater humanity at the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth on July 16, and a one-day workshop in Arlington on July 18 Progress4WARD at the Sheraton Hotel, 1500 Convention Center Drive.

Its for all people who are wanting to understand what's going on right now, why everything feels so divided and chaotic right now, and what else we can do to help, Littlefield says. Maybe with these ideas, people will understand why that's happening and become more united, more aware, and more hopeful.

Littlefield is a former teacher, in the classroom for 21 years before he began to question how the system was treating the issue of race in public education. He left the school system and traveled to China and Africa, returning to the states to be a social and emotional learning specialist for Austin ISD.

During the pandemic, he befriended Smith through social media, finding agreement with him on the issue of the approach to racism and healing in society. Smith is an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at York College of Pennsylvania. His A Critique of Anti-Racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment was published in 2019.

The two are united in their disagreement with the conventional approach of combating racism in the modern world.

At the invitation of Smith, Littlefield joined him in co-founding Free Black Thought and a leader of Empowered Pathways, organizations that reject ideology of Critical Race Theory, and they promote diversity of thought particularly in institutions of learning. Through their organizations, they began to promote their research through education and corporate training.

What I foresaw was ahead of society, Littlefield says. I also saw these practices as detrimental to our personal well-being. Not just within ourselves, but also an attack on societal and relational trust.

I told Erec that I feel like Ive been looking for him for a long time. Our main mission is the diversity of thought in black academia. They [the trainings] are well-intended practices but the approach is tearing us apart. We are on a mission to heal society and put some different ideas into the world.

The event at the Ridglea Theater will include an hour-long conversation followed by a performance by Cadillac Muzik. In Arlington on July 18, there will be a one-day workshop, Progress4WARD, that is aimed at educators and community leaders. The workshop will cover the stigma of the us vs. them concept, and how to reverse the damage caused.

The workshop is dedicated to addressing their concept of Fourth-Wave Anti Racism and how to dismantle barriers, strengthen connections, and work to engage in mindfulness exercises. Empowered Pathways has made a Go Fund Me for any donations that could contribute to the workshop and scholarships.

I hope that people walk away feeling a sense of calm and feeling like they are more grounded with more awareness of what is happening at this moment, Littlefield says. The tools and resources to A, not just cope and handle, but B, the tools and resources that can put forth some positive change.

Link:
Making A Different Case about Race in the Modern Day - Fort Worth Magazine

By Dr. Dyotona Sen

Enriching womens healthcare delivery is a vital step to gender equality in India. Its important to consider the facts currently, India ranks 140th of 156 countries on gender inequality, based on World Economic Forums 2021 Global Gender Gap Report. This reflects the countrys performance on numerous dimensions health and survival, economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, and political empowerment. To pave the way for gender equality, it is imperative to scale efforts to support girls and women across growth indicators. One such way is to advance womens healthcare, such as by supporting women to take charge of their health through initiatives that ensure equitable access to quality care.

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) showcased a picture of progress on gender equality and healthcare in India. More women nationwide have their own phones (although there remain disparities in rural India) now more than ever before. Additionally, married womens household decision-making relating to healthcare increased from 73.8% in 2015-16 to 92% in 2020-21. Even as growth is visible across womens healthcare, there are still gaps to bridge.

For example, by 2025, there will be 1.1 billion menopausal women in the world. These are women in the prime of their life, possibly at the height of their careers, on whom society depends. Yet many women experience this life stage as a negative one. Half of menopausal women are unlikely to seek medical help for their symptoms even if some can be debilitating, owing to factors like social stigma and low awareness. As menopause is a natural stage of life, it should be recognized by society as such, with more openness to talk about it, its symptoms, and ways to alleviate them.

Also, to ensure women feel confident in opening up about their health, holistic support is key. It is important for women to have access to safe spaces so that they feel comfortable to have conversations where they can be empowered with relevant information and tools to manage their health concerns. By increasing opportunities for trusted interaction between health care professionals and patients, support, and psychological counselling options, we can foster high-quality patient centric care. Women, couples, or families taking the time to understand both the physical and emotional aspects of health complications have a greater chance of coping with situations better.

Moreover, womens health education is important not just for patients, but also for healthcare practitioners. This especially holds true for misdiagnosed and unrecognized conditions like endometriosis and anemia. By skilling healthcare practitioners, such as through training modules, we can expand the base of their knowledge regarding latest developments and effective practices. Pregnancy, for instance, can be a time filled with joy but also worries. To avoid health complications and support maternal health and safer childbirths, Abbott introduced Gynecology Anemia checklists across India with the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) to help doctors better manage iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy. Such measures streamline service delivery across the board with latest evidence-based recommendations.

As such healthcare solutions become available to support physicians and patients, another part of the larger picture must be to scale access. To reach women with healthcare solutions in underserved areas, including rural and peri-urban regions, collective action by multiple stakeholders is key. National and state governments, industry bodies, private players and public-private partnerships are all integral to a sustainable approach. Abbott supports work to overcome urban-rural disparity in accessing healthcare services, hospitals, and treatment through the Abbott Strengthening Healthcare Access (ASHA) initiative. Working with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on educational programs, we also aim to empower healthcare professionals and rural health care workers to improve treatment options in rural areas. Leveraging collective strengths to set up and support primary health centre capacities are ways to reach women with health information and get a step closer to equitable health coverage.

By having access to trusted information, women can address health issues they may have previously neglected and thrive in their personal, social, and work life. In fact, Abbott is working to foster science-based learning amongst 1,500 young children 45% of whom are girls from socially disadvantaged communities. In addition to helping improve their problem-solving skills through access to digital tools for science-based learning, we are working to improve their knowledge of health challenges such as non-communicable diseases, nutrition and menstrual hygiene, while also providing them with access to indoor and outdoor sports. By empowering them with skills to be future-ready, such as by promoting healthy choices and preventive behaviours, we intend to ensure they maintain good health to reach their full potential.

Womens health needs to be a nationwide priority, upheld through the synergies between collaborative efforts and advanced health solutions. At Abbott, we believe that health and dignity are vital to every human beings ability to live a full life. We aim to continue to invest in expanding the scope of healthcare for women and girls so we can advance the future of equity and empowerment in Indian healthcare.

By Dr. Dyotona Sen, Head Medical Affairs, Abbott India

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Championing Womens Healthcare Needs: Towards Equity & Empowerment - ETHealthWorld

A new television series based on the life of Frida Kahlo is on the way. Variety reports that the artists estate has collaborated with the Miami-based company BTF Media to create a show offering a faithful and more authentic perspective on the artists turbulent life.

Few figures in the art world have undergone quite the level of speculation that the celebrated Latinx artist has been subjected to. Her legacy has been exhaustively excavated, inspiring a host of biographies, documentaries and films including the Oscar-winning biopic Frida [2002], starring Salma Hayek. And, despite the iconoclastic nature of her work and her personal ideology, her image has been appropriated endlessly as an icon of spurious girl power values across popular culture, commodified as Barbie dolls, face filters, emojis, cosmetics, and even co-opted by Theresa May who notoriously wore a bracelet adorned with Kahlos portrait when she took the stage at the 2017 Conservative Party Conference.

Kahlos existence was famously marred by pain, contracting polio as a child and being injured in a near-fatal traffic accident, the consequences of which plagued her throughout her brief life. Her dramatic marriage, divorce, and re-marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera are well-documented. In the pages of her own notebook, she compared their meeting to a deathly tragedy: I suffered two great accidents in my life, one in which a streetcar knocked me down the other accident is Diego.

This upcoming TV series promises to offer a new perspective on the much-mythologised artist. According to the painters great-niece, Mara Romeo Kahlo, the series seeks to portray Frida as she has never been seen before. The goal is to present a unique perspective based on what her family knows about her and show how she really lived her life.

This project will allow Frida to be shown as a woman whose art represented empowerment, hope and power, and will allow her family to share with the audience how her legacy continues to inspire thousands of people around the world, said Alfonso Duran, general director of Frida Kahlo Management.

BTF co-founder Ricardo Coeto added, Frida was known for her colourful self-portraits. Her self-portraits had different themes, such as her identity, her human body, and death. She was considered a hero to many because she did not allow society to get to her; instead, she used her struggles as her strength.

Each episode will undertake to explore the lesser-known aspects of Kahlos life and reveal truths about the real artist, as known and loved by those closest to her. More details of the project are set to be unveiled at a later date.

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A new TV show will reveal the truth about Frida Kahlo - Dazed

Newly formed council brings together seven global health experts to more equitably advance behavioral design approaches and strengthen impact

NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Non-profit behavioral design firm ideas42 today announced the formation of a new specialized advisory council to significantly expand the potential impact of behavioral science in the global health sector.

ideas42 (PRNewsfoto/ideas42)

The Behavioral Science in Global Health Advisory Council draws from the diverse expertise of seven women with a wealth of experience improving public health programs, policies, technologies, and services around the world.

The Advisory Council will provide strategic guidance to ensure that the strategies and research priorities of applied behavioral science capture the needs of the global health sector and ensure a diverse range of perspectives, based on lived experience and disciplinary expertise, shape the direction of applied behavioral science in global health. The Advisory Council represents an expansion of ideas42's commitment to and expertise in using behavioral design to more equitably strengthen global health programs, and by extension the health and well-being of millions.

"As the application of behavioral science continues its exciting expansion, we're being intentional about pushing ourselves to do our work better," said Jana Smith, Managing Director at ideas42 and a leader of the organization's Global Health team. "This includes incorporating new methods and exploring bolder approaches to generate impact for people around the world, and the Advisory Council is a major step in that direction. We're honored to work with such an accomplished group of women as they contribute deep disciplinary expertise and rich personal experiences to this aim."

The inaugural council will serve an initial two-year term and meet biannually to advance the Advisory Council's strategic goals. ideas42 selected council members based on their unique areas of expertise, and to ensure more diverse gender and geographic perspectives in the behavioral science field.

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Hawa Talla has over 25 years of exemplary experience in family planning (FP), reproductive health (RH), social communication for behavior change, program implementation, and technical leadership. Ms. Talla currently serves as the Country Director for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Senegal, where she leads CHAI's efforts to expand its transformational, results-oriented portfolio of public health programming. She earned a master's degree in strategic planning and management of reproductive health programs from CESAG in Senegal.

Marie Ba is the Director of the Ouagadougou Partnership (OP) Coordination Unit and a leading advocate for women and families in West Africa. As Director, Marie leads collaboration and coordination among the OP's stakeholders, which collectively contribute over $150 million per year to advance reproductive health options and outcomes in the region. She earned her master's degree in international development and peace/conflict resolution from American University.

Dr. Olufunke Fasawe is the Senior Director (global) for Primary Health Care at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and the Director of Programs and Lead for the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Program for CHAI in Nigeria. She has over 10 years of experience in global health working across policy, program design and planning, implementation, grant management, monitoring, and evaluation.

Dr. Priya Nanda is a Senior Program Officer in the measurement learning and evaluation team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in India, where she leads a portfolio of research on health systems strengthening and family planning with a focus on gender, social norms, and equity. Her expertise includes research, measurement, and evaluation of women's economic empowerment and access to health services, including reproductive and sexual health.

Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze is a Professor and Dean at Makerere University School of Public Health in Uganda. She has vast experience in public health, including clinical, program management, policy development, and research.

Sanam Roder-DeWan, M.D., is a family physician, implementation researcher, and public health professional who studies, designs, and implements health system interventions to improve equity, quality, and outcomes for mothers and children in low-income settings globally.

Wambui Gachiengo Nyabero is an inventor and innovator with more than 20 years of expertise in the development of medical devices from the idea stage through commercialization. She is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Villgro Africa. She earned her master's degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford University.

In addition to supporting the Advisory Council's goals, members will also collaborate and share insights with other behavioral science practitioners working in global health.

Learn more about ideas42's work in global health here.

About ideas42ideas42 is a non-profit that uses insights from human behaviorwhy people do what they doto help improve lives, build better systems, and drive social change. For more than a decade, we've been at the forefront of applying behavioral science in the real world. ideas42's work in global health to date includes dozens of novel solutions, powered by insights from behavioral science, across more than 25 countries. ideas42 has partnered with a wide range of governments, foundations, and NGOs across family planning, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and gender-based violence.

For more, visit ideas42.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mitra Salasel, mitra@ideas42.org

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ideas42 Announces Global Health Advisory Council to Expand Impact of Behavioral Science Applications - Yahoo Finance

Over the past two years of social and economic disruption, U.S. education has experienced an extraordinary transformation that can best be defined by 3 Es: Empowerment, Exit and Entrepreneurship.

Beginning in the spring of 2020, and prompted by widespread school closures and remote schooling, parents began to reclaim control of their childrens education. For some, getting a close-up look at their childrens classrooms and curriculum over Zoom was the prompt they needed to make a change. For others, they may have long pondered a different learning environment for their children but lacked the catalyst to take the leap. The education upheaval of 2020 provided that catalyst.

By summer 2020, pandemic pods emerged, as parents began taking their childrens education into their own hands to confront the uncertainty of fall schooling plans. These spontaneous, parent-driven learning communities brought together small groups of local children in someones home, often with a hired teacher or with parents taking turns facilitating a curriculum.

With most American children beginning the 2020/2021 academic year remotely, many parents exercised their newfound empowerment through exit. Some shifted their children into private schools that were more likely to reopen for in-person learning than district schools in certain locations. Others delayed early school entry for their preschoolers and kindergarteners. Many parents left schooling altogether, pulling their children out of school for independent homeschooling. The U.S. Census Bureau found that the homeschooling rate doubled from the spring of 2020 to the fall of 2020, with more than 11 percent of the U.S. school-age population being homeschooled at that time. The largest increase occurred among Black homeschooling families, who experienced a five-fold increase in homeschooling rates between the spring and fall of 2020. Black children were overrepresented in the homeschooling population in the fall of 2020 compared to theoverall K-12 public school population.

Even though most district schools reopened for full-time, in-person learning in the fall of 2021, many parents stayed away. This was particularly true if they lived in a school district that adopted remote learning the previous academic year. Those districts continued to lose students, though not by quite as high a rate as the previous year, according to new data analyzed by the American Enterprise Institute.

A similar pattern was true for homeschooling. Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last years all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, the Associated Press reported last month after evaluating data provided by 18 states. It concluded that homeschooling numbers rose 63 percent in the 2020/2021 academic year, then dropped by 17 percent this school year, remaining significantly elevated.

Recognizing mounting parent demand for a variety of learning options and schooling alternatives, education entrepreneurs began to create solutions. Some of these entrepreneurs were parents or teachers themselves who were frustrated by school closures and ongoing virus-related policies. New Jersey mother of four, Jill Perez, began teaching in public schools 20 years ago and then shifted into a student-teacher advisory role at a local university until Covid hit. She started a pandemic pod with several other families in 2020/2021, but demand grew for something bigger and more formal.

In the fall of 2021, Perez opened Tranquil Teachings Learning Center that allows children to attend part-time or full-time. She hired teachers, especially public school teachers who wanted more freedom and flexibility. These teachers are loving what theyre doing in a way that they hadnt in years, she told me in a recent podcast interview. Her program has grown to over 50 children, and she recently purchased a building for her learning center with plans for continued expansion.

Education entrepreneurs who introduced new learning models, such as microschools, prior to 2020 found their growth hasten over the past two years. As I wrote at Forbes.com last fall, the fast-growing microschool networks, Acton Academy and Prenda Learning, saw interest in their programs soar.

Microschools are typically small, multi-age classrooms led by a facilitator or guide that often meet in family homes, re-creating a one-room schoolhouse feel with personalized learning as a top priority.

Other microschools meet in small, storefront locations in local communities, offering convenience and customization. KaiPod Learning, for example, launched its pilot microschool model in Newton, Massachusetts last year, bringing together a small groups of students into a public, commercial space with an experienced educator. Each student comes to KaiPod with whatever virtual learning curriculum the family has chosen, ranging from a tuition-free public virtual school option, to private, online options such as Sora Schoolsor the Socratic Experience, to a faith-based curriculum if a family chooses. This allows for maximum family autonomy in terms of curriculum decisions, while gathering groups of children together for social and enrichment activities facilitated by the KaiPod educator. Students can attend a couple of days a week or full-time.

KaiPod is expanding into more states this year, including Arizona where a child could participate in KaiPod part-time for $25/day. If the child was eligible for one of Arizonas education savings accounts and scholarship programs, or enrolled in a virtual public school, the total cost to attend KaiPod would be minimal.

KaiPod participated in the prestigious Y Combinator startup accelerator program in Silicon Valley last year, and has already raised $1.5 million in venture capital funding. Amar Kumar, KaiPods founder and CEO, has found that many of the families who are joining his program are doing so because their children thrive with the personalization of online learning, while also wanting daily access to a consistent peer group and adult mentors.

Kumar thinks learning models similar to KaiPod, that bring together the best features of online learning platforms with crucial in-person, human-to-human interaction, is the future of education. It all starts with students getting a very mastery-based content delivery, something thats personal to them, with another human, and something thats flexibly delivered, Kumar told me in a recent interview.If we can keep those touchstones or pillars in our mind, then all the innovations that come out of that are almost certainly going to be net-positive for kids.

Over the past two years, parents have been empowered to regain control of their childrens education and explore, or create, new learning models. Many parents exited district schools in 2020 for a variety of private education options, including homeschooling, and a lot of them have decided not to return. Entrepreneurs continue to invent and innovate, building fresh K-12 education solutions that work better for families than old models of schooling. This dynamic cycle of empowerment, exit and entrepreneurship is poised to continue and accelerate, expanding education options for more families. Its a great time to be a learner, a parent, an educator and an entrepreneur.

This article has been reprinted with permission from Forbes.com.

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How Empowerment, Exit and Entrepreneurship Will Continue to Transform Education - Foundation for Economic Education

Staff Reporter

THE Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), with the support of Standard Bank, hosted a Cancer Support and Patient Workshop on Saturday to raise awareness of the state of cancer in Namibia.

According to the CANs Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rolf Hansen, on average 3 700 Namibians get diagnosed with a form of cancer every year. Of these, he said, 54% are women. He stressed the importance of formulating a national cancer control plan that considers and addresses the obstacles that hinder the fight against cancer.

One of the workshops presenters, Afra Schimming-Chase, a womens empowerment advocate, also emphasised the importance of having an action plan with clear objectives and said that it is important to begin with the end in mind.What is the vision that we have over the next three years? Where is it that we would like to be? Schimming-Chase said.

The attendees of the workshop also shared their experiences, particularly about their personal battles with cancer. By sharing these stories, they highlighted the various obstacles that hinder the fight against cancer on a national level. Chief among these obstacles is the inaccessibility of treatment facilities in the country not only because of the costly nature of treatments but also because these facilities are not widely available throughout the country.

One of the attendees explained that most cancer patients in the country have to travel to Windhoek to receive treatment. She asked for these treatment facilities to be provided in other places as well.We do not have to be as grand with the technology we have here in Windhoek, but we need the basic services in other places. Just to make it easier for us, she said.

Another attendee pointed out that there is a lack of awareness regarding cancer in the country. She advised the association to produce and distribute educational cancer videos across the country. These videos, she suggested, should be made in every Namibian language to accommodate and educate the diverse Namibian nation.

File photo for illustrative purposes only.

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CAN hosts cancer support and patient workshop - Informante

I dont regret my abortion, it was the right decision for the situation at the time.

Content warning: This article mentions sexual assault and domestic violence

Though we may be watching from across the other side of the world, the news that the United States Supreme Court has voted to overturn the landmark ruling of Roe v. Wade (according to an initial draft majority opinion), is alarming. If passed, it would end federal constitutional protection of abortion rights in the United States, leaving it up to individual states to decide whether to implement restrictions or ban abortion altogether.

While this doesnt spell the end of abortion in Australia, its an important reminder of how vital access to abortion is for womxns sexual and reproductive health, and that we should continue to normalise conversations around it. When I think about the womxn in my life, while we might speak about abortion in abstract, philosophical terms, Ive never heard anyone directly share their experiences.

But if one-quarter to one-third of womxn in Australia will have an abortion in their lifetime, it doesnt mean people arent having them it means theyre not talking about it. Although we might be starting to overcome other taboos surrounding topics like sex, masturbation and gender roles, it still feels as though abortion stories are somewhat stigmatised, and are often absent from our conversations.

It leaves me wondering if this will be made worse as events unfold in the US, and abortion is used as a political tool. But on our own shores, abortion-related stigma is made worse by the fact that there are still significant barriers to abortion access in Australia, the implication that its something womxn must go through alone, and the expectation that well then act as if it never happened. In an effort to challenge the taboo, we asked Australians to share their abortion stories.

I was 26, with a new partner, both my parents were sick and it wasnt the right time in my life by any means. I went to my GP and they suggested Marie Stopes. I tried the medical abortion pill but ended up having to go in for a surgical abortion. It was obviously a harrowing experience I will never forget, but I dont regret it for a second.

It was the right choice for me and I feel lucky to have had the financial ability to make that choice. [Its] almost unbelievable we are witnessing whats happening in the US in 2022 at the hands of a bunch of old White men. The ramifications for gender equality and equal rights in the US and globally are plain to see.

My first abortion was after what I would best describe as a slut stage [where I was] faking empowerment by dismissing my mental and physical safety through having unprotected sex with multiple people in a short period of time. To this day I am unsure who I got pregnant with. I knew immediately I was pregnant and didnt hesitate to seek an abortion. I obviously never contacted any of the men it could have been. I was lucky to be surrounded by supportive friends who helped me through the process.

Eight months later I got pregnant again with my partner at the time. Before I even told him I had booked an appointment at the clinic. His reaction was to propose to me, which I hated. It was already an abusive relationship and this was the final sign that I knew I needed to get out. Had I carried either of these pregnancies through I would not have been able to complete my degree and work towards my career and would be tied to men who in reality, couldnt have supported me financially or emotionally. I am grateful to live in a country where I have easy access to abortion, in clinics where the staff are non-judgmental and supportive.

To be able to choose the terms of when I become a parent and with who, [is] incredibly empowering. I know neither of my pregnancies was at the right time, or with the right people. I was consciously born into the world by two loving parents and I would like to do the same when I am ready. It scares me that the future of abortion access in Australia could potentially lead down the same path as America, where mostly conservative men are making choices about the bodies of those who can get pregnant. Its a gross concept that we dont have the autonomy over our own bodies and futures.

I was 14 at the time. I was in a happy relationship with my ex, everything was perfect until I found out I was pregnant. I was so scared and frightened, barely being a teenager myself. I didnt want to tell my boyfriend at the time and still have never told him even after not being together for roughly three years. I never told my parents or his parents.

I was a kid wondering how the hell I would go about this. My friends mum helped me through it all and helped me get an abortion, and still to this day, I thank her. I think about it now and how things may be different if I didnt go ahead with the abortion. But I was a kid, barely able to take care of myself. Its something Ill have to deal with for the rest of my life.

I was 24 and then 26 the second time. The first time was my first pregnancy and the baby had genetic issues. It was done in Victoria (I lived there back then) [and] I got access to it through the specialist who I was seeing. I didnt know what to expect and dealt with my emotions and personal health concerns as though nothing had happened. The second time, I was on thyroid meds and my GP recommended it. I had it done in NSW through a GP referral. It was done at home and it was the loneliest experience ever. I was married to the same person on both occasions.

The amount of support available for people who make these decisions versus for involuntary losses is day and night. [The issue of abortion] goes way beyond my body, my say. Having the ability to choose enables the woman involved to be able to make calm decisions based on factual, circumstantial and personal information. There are people that are already judgemental about these decisions only because they dont know what its like to consider how the life of the baby may be and whether they will live with the freedom they deserve and with a mother who is mentally stable or available.

This is something that governments wont know and [they] should leave it for the mum to decide. The government should be here to provide options instead of providing people reasons to hide and do procedures in obscure places. If the US goes through with shutting down these rights, it is only a matter of time before Australia will follow in its footsteps. Im hoping were much more mature about it and dont follow suit.

I had my first when I was 19 [and] another a little later on. The first was traumatic physically, and the second was a mindfuck emotionally. My parents are relatively progressive, but I went through the Catholic education system which was very sex is bad, mmmkay and didnt really arm me with the knowledge I needed to a) fully understand consent or why I was even having sex and b) then practice it safely.

For the most part, I try not to think about it too much, but over the years my anger and frustration spike when the conversation about attempts to police and politicise the bodies of people with a uterus arises.

I was 24 and one year into a relationship. There was no question at all that I needed to have an abortion. I was not emotionally stable enough to even consider bringing a child into the world. My mum had just been diagnosed with stage four cancer and I was still working through some past sexual assault trauma. After doing an at-home pregnancy test my boyfriend and I went straight to the doctor and received the confirmation. I immediately asked about options to abort, which was not well received by the male doctor in front of me.

The whole process from there was a constant fight to prove that I was of [a] sane mind and wasnt going to regret the decision. At one point I remember bursting into tears after being berated with questions. The procedure and recovery were quick and painless. I was back feeling normal after about 36 hours. I have never for a second had any regrets and dread to think how my life could have turned out if the option wasnt there for a safe and free abortion.

I got an abortion when I was 16. I was a sexually active teenager without a proper understanding of the consequences of my actions. When I found out about my pregnancy, there was only one option available in my mind, I kept it a secret for the longest time out of shame, eventually, my mum found out and helped me with the process.

The only times available for me at the clinic were during school hours so I had to skip school. I left my pregnancy so long that I almost couldnt have the termination but was able to do it surgically, which was actually a blessing as I didnt have to experience [a] miscarriage on the toilet as others have. I have never once regretted my decision in 12 years, but I do think about it a lot still.

[I had an] accidental pregnancy [due to] failed contraception at age 25 in 2007. [I] didnt want to have a child at that time it was not my time to be a mother. [The] hospital told me they didnt offer abortions as they were a Catholic hospital and suggested I talk to my GP. [My] GP gave me the details of the clinic and I contacted them and booked in. [My] partner at the time refused to contribute to the cost, but fortunately I could just afford the $320 on my credit card. [I] had a low income at the time that only covered my living expenses.

I was relieved that I could access the option. It wasnt a pleasant experience but [it] was smooth and medically uncomplicated. [I] had a general [anaesthetic] and a surgical abortion. [Ive] never questioned my decision. [It] was definitely the right choice. I felt guilty about it for many years because I thought I was supposed to feel bad or regret it and I have never regretted it, ever. But then I read Clementine Fords book, Fight Like a Girl, and felt such a release. Havent felt a shred of guilt since.

I was a 26-year-old mum of one daughter who was three at the time. I was in a high-risk domestic violence relationship and [was] questioning bringing another child into such a violent environment. This made me realise I could no longer keep myself or [my] existing child in such a situation. I accessed a phone number from a friend who had accessed an abortion previously, phoned and made the booking. I had the abortion at a clinic in East Melbourne [in] Victoria in 2012.

Protesters were present and [it was] extremely intimidating. It was completely overwhelming. I had a friend support me. I wanted to have access to these options in my previous pregnancy but was told by my doctor in Queensland that it was not an option due to laws and as I did not have a medical condition she would not be able to discuss this as an option for me to consider.

To read more about what is happening to abortion access in the United States, head here.

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9 Fashion Journal readers share their experiences with abortion - Fashion Journal