Mwangaza Magazine issue 6

CONTENTS From The Editor 4 Welcome to our Issue 6 of the Mwangaza Magazine. 6 This issue is a culmination of all the lessons we have learnt through our two years of existence. Thus, we have given it a different feel and look from our other issues. In this issue, we delve on how you can build your idea into profit without outside capital, in a process called bootstrapping. We also share more insights on health, motivation & self-development and many more features that will keep you engaged. We hope that you enjoy your read and most impor- tantly, learn from the tips and insights we have shared in this magazine. Otherwise, we would love to hear your feedback and comments regarding this issue. Please send them to mwangazamaga- [email protected]. Enjoy your read. The Editor 10 OUR TEAM How to Stay Motivated 12 Editor: Stephen Caloo Road To Success 14 Contributors: Wakini Kuria, Edmond Langat, Gallery 17 Zack Omondi APPsolute Genius 18 Poems 19



HOW FERTILE ARE YOU? By Zack Omondi of our fertility? Productivity can be monitored and its trend established, for it designs to a structure which “The kingdom of God compares to a mustard seed, generates creative pillars to depend. Pressing on to it, that when it is sown in the ground it’s of the smallest risks are often involved in the process but the most seeds on the earth but SPRINGS UP later and be- important is that it has to begin from a point. After comes the largest of plants,” the Gospel of St. Mark. the resolve and the affirmative spirit to start, growth That of everything designed to live, productivity is is made possible. For “I will take from the crest of the necessary. It has to grow; like a family where two cedar, from its topmost branches tear off a tender grow to make generations. How fertile are you? shoot, and plant in on a lofty mountain.” Ezekiel 18:22. So, there is always the beginning that one has Individuals thriving in the business world today have to develop the courage to start. IGNITE! one key distinct feature i.e. growth. They are fertile to embody the ideal of productivity. These individuals After the start, what is the progress then? For in- flourish in dominion “as a result (but not pursuit),” stance since joining university, one can critique his/ the way Myles Munroe said. One must begin or let us her performance in as far as growth is concerned: be say embark on a journey to grow and add for the pur- it physical, intellectual, contextual, relationships, poses of getting results. God BLESSED his creation spiritual or even emotional. What’s the progress? saying to them, “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth Does it show a remarkable positive growth or advanc- and subdue it and have dominion over everything.” – ing in the opposite direction? As I throw the question Genesis 28. To be fertile is an order GIVEN TO US by to you (the reader), I also gauge the measure I have our maker – and of course when we abide by this in- given out so far since I entered the university to the struction wholeheartedly, then we are assured of do- very moment I am writing this article. Have I inspired minion. or expired? Fertility implies growth in abundance by reproducing. What is my net-output? Is my connection growing or di- Translated from Hebrews, fertility in the Bible origi- minutive? Substantive answers to such questions clearly nally meant being productive – not necessarily giving show whether I am FERTILE or not? birth to young ones alone. Growth is essential to the Bill Gates attributes his success to partnerships and growth existence of the human kind. When one is not grow- from the very beginning. He remember the HUMBLE BE- ing then he/she is literally dead. Lack of growth im- GINNINGS in Seattle to setting up Microsoft Offices in plies poverty which denotes lack of productivity: be- Great Britain, Japan at first then slowly shooting world- ing unfertile. wide. God never made a car, he made mountains for us to find ores in them. How then can we be productive and make good use How fertile are you then?

How Well Do You Know Your Doctor? Wakini Kuria fessional help. If still in doubts, get first place. another opinion. To achieve this kind of relationship Coming from the doc's office? What Should the results turn out positive, you need to stop hopping from one is your relationship with your doc- then you can start your treatment hospital to the next. Changing doc- tor like and how deep does it go? early and chances of curbing what- tors like the way you board Patient - doctor relationship should ever disease are high as compared matatus, is highly frowned upon. be I-have-my-doctor-on-speed-dial to late diagnosis. You need to keep records of your especially if, you are ailing from an health and what better way than autoimmune disease. Make sure that you get the disease having your medic files contained in (root cause) treated and not the one folder by one doctor? Yes. He's the doctor, with a medical symptoms treated. Disappeared It is in your best interests, not to go background. You are the patient, symptoms never translate to com- heaping githeri ya dawa in your with the ailing body. Help him help plete healing or the disease going stomach just because daktari al- you. After all, who knows your body away. isema. better than yourself? Stay woke! The rate at which ster- Remember, every pill that you swal- If you can help it, avoid hospitals. oids and other 'poisons' are being low has side effects. Even the most Healing naturally is the best you can prescribed is alarming. Remember basic such as Panadol or Piriton has get. By this I mean, listen to your that, everyone is trying to make side effects. At the back of your body. Heed that little voice in your that extra coin. mind, always remember that these head. Pay attention to details. are chemicals. Chemicals are poi- Before you pop that pill in your sonous and your body is better off If for example, you ate nyama mouth and drain it down your without them. choma and had several beers over throat with water, know what it the weekend and come Monday contains and why you are really tak- About the writer: morning you are complaining of ing it. And is there a safer alterna- Wakini Kuria is a rheumatoid ar- gout, it is high time you gave up the tive? thritis ambassador, having lived lifestyle. with the disease for the last sixteen years. She is a journalist writer and Discuss with your doctor in depth. freelance editor. Don't treat yourself and assume Let him tell you the pros and cons that, now I have arthritis because of of using a certain med or whether gouts. To clear any doubts seek pro- you should be taking them in the

Does Social Media Control You? With the advent of the digital age, came the us millennials but is the fact we are never invention of social media. Ever since then, truly switched off doing us harm? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many more have got us hooked on our phones and Social media pet stars computers 24 hours a day. Through these The first hurdle is popularity. For example, platforms, we are able to e-meet new the worry when you share a carefully filtered friends, catch up with our old buddies while photo on Facebook and wait for the likes to also at the same time, keeping the conversa- – hopefully – add up leading your brain to tion going. What's more, many people earn somehow equate your popularity and value their livelihoods as digital influencers as they with how many people enjoyed that photo promote brands across the social media plat- of you at the beach during the weekend. forms. Similarly, how many followers you have on Twitter does not mean you have that many The spread of social media cannot be under- actual friends. Yet for many on social media estimated. Facebook alone, according to sta- the lines can be blurry as followers can be tistics, has a whooping 1 billion users regis- seen as a validation for how funny, witty or tered in the platform. Twitter follows closely interesting you are. by. Most of these users are millenials who have increased access to smartphones. If you have lots of followers, the fear of mak- ing a blunder and causing outrage is also Social media has become second nature to omnipresent.

Social media makes us think we are just hav- ing conversations with friends but the Let's do some quick maths. How many `likes' amount of time we spend oogling wealthy, do you get on average on Facebook when beautiful and seemingly perfect strangers on you post your photo on Facebook? How Instagram and comparing our lives and ap- many friends do you have on your account? pearances with theirs only fuels existing in- If you equate your average likes as a per- securities. As does, that Snapchat story of all centage of your total Facebook friends, you your friends at the party you couldn’t at- will realise that less than 50% of your tend, which to be honest was probably rub- friends, actually do bother to engage with bish apart from that moment they all collec- your posts. So why all that energy to post tively posed for while over 60% of a selfie. your friends don't really bother to The rationale like or comment that nobody’s on your post? life is perfect and that what Based on Face- they share on book algorithms, social media is pictures reach carefully cu- more people on rated and ed- your timeline in ited often goes comparison to out the window during these times. plain text and links. This gives us more rea- sons to look into the amount of time we The never-ending stream of tweets, status spend on these platforms. updates, pictures and news can feel over- whelming and like you are constantly miss- Staying away from these platforms, even for ing something if you do not read all of it. So a little while, actually can be of help to your is it healthy to take the odd break every now health. Imagine staying away from that for- and again? mer university classmate who is constantly posting photos of him in the office while you Based on previous experiences, most people are still tarmacking? At least, that feeling of do not really care what you do with your life. unworthiness that knocks you when you see Whether you were at the beach, 5-star hotel such photos will go away. or at home with friends, doesn't really mat- ter to them. They are probably too busy with So, when was the last time you logged in to their own lives to even mind what you are your social media accounts? doing with this. A small percentage, on the other hand, do actually care and would wish to constantly check on you, whether you are doing okay or not. Those are the true friends. We can also say there is a small per- centage who constantly check on you albeit with some not-so-good intentions.

How Happy are you? Happy people live longer, are healthier, form bet- 1. The Pleasant Life ter relationships and enjoy greater success, says Have and enjoy a pleasant life. Revel in ordinary Averil Leimon. So, what is the secret to happi- pleasures. In busy, materialistic worlds, people ness? rarely take the time to savour their sorroundings and experiences. Pause for just a moment. Ask yourself this ques- tion. Are you happy? Yes or No? Few people have difficulty answering. We all know what happiness 2. The Engaged Life is. We know when we are experiencing it. We Know and use your personal strengths to be truly actively pursue it. But are we doing the right absorbed in the work you do. Career success can things to increase happiness? As the world has sometimes take us away from using our key become more materialistic, the assumption has strengths- the ones where you become so ab- been that `more’ will make us happy. More sorbed that you do not notice time passing. Dis- money, more possessions, more gadgets all seem cover what these strenths are and find ways of like the route to happiness, but they often fail to using them daily. make that feel good factor happen. The law of diminishing returns sets in. Sometimes having more can feel like a burden rather than a joy. Es- 3. The Meaningful life pecially, where it leads to more debt and anxiety. Ensure that you are somehow making a differ- ence to the world as a whole and that you can This leads to the question- are we getting it see your part in it. right? The Routes to Happiness There are three basic routes:

LIVE BETTER To be truly happy, you need to live better in the past, present and the future. i) Let go of past grievances Forgiveness is much healthier. Forgive people with generosity of the spirit. In some instances, you need to sort things out, but often you can just choose to let go. ii) Be grateful for all that has gone right in your life. It so outweighs the bad stuff. Think about all the people that have cared, influenced, mentored you in your life and career. Have you made a point of telling them exactly how important they are? Do you regularly let loved ones know they are appreciated? Research shows that expressing gratitude makes both the giver and the receiver experience higher well-being. iii) Count your blessings Notice what went right today, rather than always and exclusively dwelling on the mistakes and problems. Make sure your view is balanced and that you delight in your successes at least as much as you notice your failures. iv) Spend time in the present. Dance in the moment, truly experiencing what you are doing and where you are. Always make time to appreciate some aspects of your sorroundings. v) Future mindedness is essential to success in your business and personal life. Optimism is a key to happiness. Optimists appear to be simply happier than others, but actually they put in hard graft while the pessimists give up without really trying. Catch your thinking and im- prove your tendencies of you predicting that it will go right. So, the good news is, it is in your hands! Although you may start out more or less happier than oth- ers, there is always scope for improving your happiness levels. It is vital to do so in order to live a full, healthy, successful and satisfying life. The ways to happiness are on the one hand profound and on the other, really simple. So get out there and live your life to the full. (Courtesy of Msafiri Magazine, Issue 58)

BOOTSTRAPPING YOUR IDEA TO AN EMPIRE; How to run your business on a shoe- string budget Times are hard. That is very true. With the increased unemployment rates in many Af- Governments have come up with loans to rican countries, this has been made even help youth start business but any business worse. Getting a job, nowadays, is as diffi- expert will tell you that it is suicidal to start cult as passing through a keyhole. a business (more so if it is your first) on a That is why many youth have came up with loan. That amount which you will be paying back would have been used elsewhere to innovative ideas and are starting busi- nesses in order to evade the unemploy- grow the business. Thus, the youth have ment menace. However, one of the great- only one option; to pull themselves up by est challenges they face is capital to turn strapping their boots! their ideas into profit.

Tips for Bootstrapping Officer' for your business. You will do sales and marketing, communications and PR and many Bootstrapping means growing your business more. with little or no capital or outside investment. It means relying on your own savings and reve- If you are not sure about your skills in a certain nue to operate and expand.It’s not easy to do, area, then this is an excellent opportunity to but it’s incredibly rewarding. learn new skills. Lots of articles and video tuto- rials lie scattered on the internet and this is So, how do you get to build your business while your time to learn. only relying on savings? Here are some tips. 1. Sell services first. 4. Form the dream team Freelance and consulting services will help you Hiring experts when you can’t offer them any a lot to gain the extra amount you need. If, for reasonable payment is impossible. Instead of example, you wish to create a digital media settling for forming “any” team, try to find pas- company, which will require huge amounts, sionate friends, who are ready to work for eq- then you need to sign up in the freelance sites uity. That means that you need to sell them the and trade your skills in graphic design, writing, idea and make them believe in the future of transcribing in order to gain the extra income. the business. Get people, who complement your skills and have knowledge in other areas. What's more, if you do your work well, you 5. Seek help from advisors. may get loyal customers who will come repeat- Having someone to guide you when you go edly for your services. You can also sell mer- astray is very essential. Thus, you need a men- chandise such as branded t-shirts, mugs, um- tor. Someone who understands the business brellas in order to gain the extra income. environment and is willing to help you weather 2. Cut on costs the storm. Hence, you need to network. Now that you know that your personal savings 6. Promote. Promote. Promote. are also for business, then you need to check This is the correct time to invest in your brand and tighten your spending. There is no need to and reach out to more customers. Thus, you go for office space if you are quite sure you will need to spread the word about your busi- won't be able to sustain the costs in the long ness on social media and through word of run? mouth. Most importantly, seek to provide ex- Why go for a Mac when a HP can do? How cellent services such that a customer will have about you stay away from pizza for the time no second thoughts to return or make a refer- being. Cutting on costs will be worth the sacri- ral to another customer. fice in the long run. Conclusion 3. Be willing to Multi-task...and learn. Bootstrapping your business will not be an easy Now that you don't have enough money to re- fete. You will make mistakes but learning from cruit people, you will be the `Chief Everything these mistakes is crucial. All in all, patience is key.

How To Always Stay Motivated It is hardly a secret that the key to suc- Some ideas for what a good reason can Depending on how you look at it, you cessfully accomplishing one goal after be: can have fun doing just about anything! another is staying motivated. There Just look for ways of having fun, and are, of course, tasks which you may not A material reward – quite often, you you’ll find them! A simple approach is like at all, yet you find motivation to will get paid for doing something you to start working on any task from ask- complete because you recognize how normally don’t like doing at all ing yourself a few questions: each particular task serves a greater Personal gain – you will learn some- goal. thing new or will perhaps improve How can I enjoy this task? What can I yourself in a certain way do to make this task fun for myself and How exactly do some of us manage to A feeling of accomplishment – at least possibly for others? How can I make stay motivated most of the time? Here you’ll be able to walk away feeling this work the best part of my day? are just a few ideas you can try: great about finding the motivation and The answers will pop up momentarily, courage to complete such a tedious as long as you learn to have the definite 1. Find the Good Reasons task expectation of any task being poten- Anything you do, no matter how sim- A step closer to your bigger goal – even tially enjoyable. ple, has a number of good reasons be- the biggest accomplishments in history hind it. Not all the tasks have the good have started small and relied on simple 3. Take a different approach reasons to do them seen at first sight, and far less pleasant tasks than you When something doesn’t feel right, it’s but if you take just a few moments to might be working on. Every task you always a good time to take a moment analyse them, you will easily spot complete brings you closer to the ulti- and look at the whole task looking for a something good. We also have many mate goal, and acknowledging this al- different approach. tasks which don’t need any reasoning ways feels good. at all – we’ve been doing them for so You may be doing everything correctly long that they feel natural. 2. Make it fun and most efficiently, but such an ap- When it comes to motivation, attitude proach isn’t necessarily the most moti- But if you’re ever stuck with some task is everything. Different people may vating one. Quite often you can find a you hate and there seems to be no mo- have completely opposite feelings to- number of obvious tweaks to your cur- tivation to complete it whatsoever, wards the same task: some will hate it, rent approach which will both change here’s what you need to do: find your others will love it. Why do you think your experience and open up new pos- good reasons. They may not be obvi- this happens? It’s simple: some of us sibilities. ous, but stay at it until you see some, find ways to make any task interesting as this will bring your motivation back and fun to do! and will help you finish the task.

That’s why saying “one way or another” is so common: things to happen at once. Even though we split com- if you really want to accomplish your goal, there is al- plex tasks into simpler actions, we don’t quite feel the ways a way. And most likely, there’s more than one satisfaction until all is done and the task is fully com- way. If a certain approach doesn’t work for you, find plete. For many scenarios though, the task is so vast another one, and keep trying until you find the one that such an approach will drain all the motivation out which will both keep you motivated and get you the of you long before you have a chance to reach your desired results. goal. That’s why it is important to always take small steps and recognize the positive difference and pro- 4. Recognize your progress gress made. Everything you may be working on can be easily split into smaller parts and stages. For most goals, it is quite 5. Reward yourself natural to split the process of accomplishing them into This is a trick everyone likes: rewarding yourself is al- smaller tasks and milestones. There are a few reasons ways pleasant. I’m happy to confirm that this is also behind doing this, and one of them is tracking your one of the easiest and at the same time most powerful progress. ways to stay motivated! Feeling down about doing something? Dread the idea We track our progress automatically with most activi- of working on some task? Hate the whole idea of work- ties. But to stay motivated, you need to recognize your ing? You’re not alone in that, I’m telling you! progress, not merely track it. Right from the beginning, agree on some deliverables Here’s how tracking and recognizing your progress is which will justify yourself getting rewarded. As soon as different: tracking is merely taking a note of having you get one of the agreed results, take time to reward reached a certain stage in your process. Recognizing is yourself in some way. taking time to look at a bigger picture and realize where exactly you are, and how much more you have For some tasks, just taking a break and relaxing for a left to do. few minutes will do. For others, you may want to get a fresh cup of coffee and even treat yourself to a dessert. For example, if you’re going to read a book, always For even bigger and more demanding tasks, you may start by going through the contents table. Getting fa- want to reward yourself by doing something even miliar with chapter titles and memorizing their total more enjoyable, like going to a cinema or taking a trip number will make it easier for you to recognize your to some place nice, or even buying yourself something. progress as you read. Confirming how many pages your book has before starting it is also a good idea. Your progress may not seem to others like anything You see, while reading any book you will be automati- worth celebrating – but take time and do it anyway! It cally looking at page numbers and chapter titles, but is your task and your reward, so any ways to stay moti- without knowing the total number of pages this infor- vated are good. The more you reward yourself for the mation will have little meaning. honestly made progress, the more motivated you will feel about reaching new milestones, thus finally ac- Somehow, it is in a human nature to always want complishing your goal.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS There are many different paths and roads to otherwise you can’t fix them. Pay attention success. What do you need to find and de- to what’s going on economically, to the busi- velop within yourself to be successful? No ness cycle, to choices that you make that matter who you ask, the answer is the same. might not lead to where you want to go in Look at those who have succeeded, identify life. Being unaware will cause you to miss their traits and view their results. In other opportunities. Have the strength to see words, to map out your own path, make sure things through. Stay focused on your goals the information you’re getting is credible, and be consistent in your efforts. Shoulder effective and can be duplicated. responsibilities and be accountable. Make the hard decisions and stand by them. Think Being successful in life requires that you for yourself and know yourself. treat yourself as an investment. You need to make regular deposits in your checking ac- 2. Persistence count to make withdrawals. You need to take Persistence is a hunger to continue at some- constant care of a garden for it to blossom thing until you hit the target. Don’t underes- and yield a harvest. The exact same applies timate the amount of time, energy effort to to your success. reach your target. Most people dramatically underestimate the persistence and effort re- You have to put the work in to see results. quired. Work harder than others. Have the Highly successful people never stop achiev- determination to make sure things get done. ing and cultivating traits. 1. Practice awareness Take charge when necessary. Drive yourself Be aware of what you need to be successful. with purpose and align yourself with excel- You need to be aware of your weaknesses, lence. Be willing to be patient. Understand

that there are failures and frustrations. Be tor exactly? A mentor is a wise and trusted honest and have integrity. Have a passion. counselor or teacher, an influential senior 3. Curiosity and a desire to learn. sponsor or supporter. Success requires a desire to learn and grow You don’t need 50 mentors. It’s confusing to as a person. Learn at a high enough level to have that many opinions and different elevate yourself, your situation and your life. voices. That’s what’s wrong trying to look up Know there is much to achieve and much advice on the internet. Anyone can post any- good in the world and know what’s worth thing. There are too many voices. Study peo- fighting for. Have an unshakeable trust in ple who you respect, who have achieved yourself. Learn what isn’t being said in com- something and are still achieving something. munication. When communication is clear, Those are the people worthwhile to follow trust and respect follow. and learn from. Don’t be afraid to take an honest look at A mentor doesn’t necessarily need to speak what’s holding you back. Make a plan on with you every day or at all. You might find a how to tackle those areas that are keeping mentor through that person’s videos, books, you from success. speeches, interviews, blogs – you name it. Don’t be mediocre. That’s what happens You might even work for that person. They when you don’t plan. Learn the traits that might mentor you by example. will make you successful and live them out Find mentorship opportunities. It might be a every day. conference, a seminar, a live webinar. Invest To help you map out your success, many people search for a mentor. What is a men- in these opportunities. Invest in yourself. Be successful. In your thoughts, word, and deeds.

BOOK DRIVE 2018 Adrian addressing his peers on the bene- Pupils who participated in the event at Tezo Pri- fits of writing mary Alvis of Lulu FM posing with pupils from Mnarani Primary who emerged winners Pupils take part in the spelling competition Pupils reading a storybook in their book clubs Staff from Kenya National Library Kilifi teach students how to use their e-readers

ELIMU EMPOWERMENT FORUM– TANA RIVER COUNTY Focus Group Discussions being held during the forums Facilitators taking the par- ticipants through opportuni- ties available in education

APPsolute Genius!; Must-have apps for your phone Wild guess. You have a smartphone. Proba- not have access to a computer? Well, WPS 5. Camera FV-5 bly, this is 90% true. Office is here to help. Looking to effectively utilise your smart- With therecent technological advancements, we have ditched the traditional phone's camera? `Kabambes' (feature phones) for the mor- dern smartphones which can run various The app enables you to view, create and edit applications at a go, making our communi- cations and social interactions faster. all types of documents you require. Be it This app gives you the ability to control Through the downloadable software Word, Presentation, spreadsheet or even your camera on manual mode and gives you (commonly known as apps) these smart- phones have made it easier to browse the PDF documents. WPS Office helps you the same experience as the Nikon cameras. internet and do such tasks that required you to have access to computers and laptops. create your class assignments, business You can control the flash light, where to So which apps are a must-have for your documents, resumes at a go without any focus your camera, increase and reduce phone? Let's dive in. problems. It is available free of charge on exposure and many more. 1. Whatsapp With over 1 billion users, Whatsapp has Google Play store. changed how we interact with our friends. It is now easier to send messages, images, This app is a good suit for those who are audio and video to people acrossdifferent parts of the world and get instant reply. It 3. Showbox into photography. has greatly left us glued to our screens. Are you a movie junky and don't want to Its reliability makes it top of our list. In fact many people say that a phone is not a smart- miss the latest movies and tv series? Show- 6. PicsArt phone, if Whatsapp is not installed in it. So, why don't you join the bandwagon and chat box lets you stream and download movies of Do you like photo editing? Then this app is your way up, if you have not yet done so? all genres, at your preferred video quality definitely for you! (whether HD or SD) It presents you with so many photo editing Probably a good app to unwind after a busy tools- collage maker, rotate images, apply day, under stable internet connection. masks and stickers, add text and images and many more. 4. Canva. If you are looking to design some cool fly- This app helps make a picture perfect for ers, posters and photos for posting on social your social media post. media but lack the design skills, then this app is definitely for you. Which apps do you like most? The app comes loaded with over 60,000 templates. All you have to do is select that which fits you well, edit the text and images, then upload it to social media. 2. WPS Office Looking to create and edit documents but do

POEMS THE YOUTH We are the gifted. We are the talented. comformative BY EDMON LANGAT We are in millions We say thank you you gave us the edu- We are the learned. We are the genius cation. You.... You sired us But lookbat us, But its not enough... you got to do She gave birth to us We are languishing in poverty more But you don't know us Because you messed up our economy You got to give us jobs, Your blood floods us We are languishing in political in- Support our talents, appreciate our We are your offsprings appropriateness abilities But you don't know us The political unrest and the rest Give us attention. Add to that choice. You are in custody of knowledge Skimiches, demonstrations, economic That's confidence You teach us. You coach us boycotts We choose to stay peaceful You graduate us Some were even thinking of secession Give us exposure. The information But you don't know us Its because you refused to stay peace- We have to stay updated Your doctrines drives us ful Give us the resources. Give us the ave- Your behaviour is this we acquired We are languishing in unemployment nues Your virtues are our virtues Because you feed us corruption We give you the ideas But still, you don't know us You corrupt our minds We give you the innovation You turn around and right then Supress our psyche Give us encouragement. The incentive You judge us \"the half-baked\" And frustrate our motivation We got to stay strong, progressing Its because you don't know us But why? Well, this is who we are I tell you we are not Its because you dont know us We are the youth! And this is the reason why And we have a nation to take care of Let me tell you who we are, look up! Peace! We are the assertive, the energetic We are the competitive and the non- My Mama By Sheillah Maonga Mama, I have a thousand thanks to give All that I was before, all that I am today My hopes, my dreams, my all, what I believe Is because you've loved me every single day I am who I am for you've granted me a life to live I would not have had all this amounted You selflessly gave, my happiness to suffice My wants, yours they far surmounted But for me, always you ran ready to sacrifice Even when your needs a pile they mounted When I think of how your love encompasses Tears well in my eyes, I can't breathe All my other loves feel like trite trespasses On them I can easily lay a wreath But yours, mama, is a love that never passes So mama in my heart you remain the boss A special place reserved for you to reside For I still run to you when my life lies at a loss My first comforter, always on my side The countless time you've carried my cross So, mama, my one mama, I want you to know That in my heart, I love you now and forever more