6 September 2013 www.womanthismonth.com letters Sharing Really is Giving I was delighted to read the August 2013 issue of Woman this month. Thanks for such a great issue. The layout the photos and the content all granted me a newfound appreciation for the magazine. Now I look forward to not only reading it every month but also sharing it with friends and family. I was touched and inspired by the article Sharing is Giving about Bahraini Shaikha Al Fadel aspiration to run a charity at the tender age of 16 and with the launch of her charity, LiveLoveGive. God bless her for her wonderful work. Actually I had a small dream which turned into reality I approached many of my friends to donate their used caps for the constructions workers on road sites digging trenches or laying cables, sadly none of my friends responded but I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity by two companies, which donated more than 600 caps and most of all I was very touched with the workers’ heartfelt gratitude when I went around distributing caps to them. If every young person worked as hard and cared so much as Shaikha Al Fadel, our country would be a better place. Angela Marquis, by email. Time for change When I had moved to the Amwaj Islands, I felt I had been promised paradise. Perhaps it is on some levels. I am, nevertheless, very disappointed to find people littering like it’s nobody’s business on the streets and along the beach area. Though many initiatives have been taken to clean the neighbourhood, the real initiative has to come from home. Families need to practise recycling at home to understand how much they can do for the world in a simple step. Thank you for the article called ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. I honestly hope it has managed to change the lifestyle of at least one reader. It makes a difference. MK, by email. Meeting a legend It isn’t often that we parents get a mention unless of course the situation calls for it. I was excited to receive a copy of your magazine that was dedicated to us. ‘Are you a new mum?’ is a smart story. Although it is meant for new mothers like my daughter, who is trying to relax and get some ‘alone time’ more often, I can say I learnt from it too. I guess I’ve been hard on people assuming I know better since I’m a mother. I’ve started, in my daughter’s words, ‘to cut it out’. It’s hard, but I’m trying. Stephanie, by email. Write Here WRITE IN AND WIN This month’s star letter will win vouchers worth BD60 from Bellacura. To win this, send us your views and opinions on our September 2013 edition either by email to [email protected], by fax to 17 813-700 or by post to PO Box 20461. 60 August 2013 www.womanthismonth.com www.womanthismonth.com 61 August 2013 decided in 1987 to diversify and merge both operations in Bahrain Recycling Plant. In 1997, BRP expanded its operations by investing in an advanced briquetting plant. Call 17 830-456. Recycling for Charity: This organisation provides containers for points of interest like schools, supermarkets, banks and other locations where people pass by on a daily basis – free of charge! They are serviced by their trucks that deliver the materials to the plant in Sitra, where they segregate and purify the recyclables to be sold locally and overseas. They offer office solutions as well. Call them to integrate recycling into your business. Call 17 562-600. Recycle IT: This is the first project in Bahrain that will begin the computer and electronic equipment recycling movement and reduce e-waste in the Kingdom. It consists of three major stages: l Collecting old, broken, or unused computer and electronic equipment then recycle or re-distribute them based on their condition. l Launching a nation-wide awareness campaign to educate and spread a culture of e-recycling among all Bahraini citizens and residents through competitions, exhibitions, school and university seminars and more. l Hosting recycling and technical workshops to teach and rehabilitate recently graduated high school students the skills of recycling and dismantling electronic equipment to create jobs across the country. Recycle IT is organised by the Good Word Society and is hosted under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, First Vice President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, and Bahrain Olympic Committee President, and is sponsored by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Call 17 333-115. RecycleAge WLL: Launched in 2008, the main focus of this firm is buying, processing and exporting all types of petroleum products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, iron ore, bauxite and chromite. They have been associated with reputed companies in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and India for trade. They supply bitumen, base oil, waste oil, different types of waxes and other petroleum products regularly to clients all over Asia. Call 77 052-250. High-tech waste management Earlier this year, four students of Bahrain Polytechnic developed an app for Android mobile devices to encourage recycling in the country. Titled Bahrain Recycle, it is available on Google Play Store for free. It uses the GPS functionality of a phone and displays a map containing the user’s current location, allowing them to identify locations of recycling facilities around Bahrain with details of what can be recycled. It also suggests driving routes and estimated journey time. Note-worthy achievement It is clear that reputable corporations must make firm commitments to recycling as a key environmental target. The real estate specialist, Cluttons, has led by example by implementing a paper recycling programme in partnership with Want2Recycle. As a well-respected property company, Cluttons in Bahrain has used paper and cardboard recycling containers in all of their managed buildings, including the Almoayyed Tower in Seef which in 2012 recycled over 11 metric tonnes of paper and cardboard. The firm aims to do even better in 2013 and keep more waste away from landfills, demonstrating its dedication to the cause throughout its local and global operations. LIFESTYLE | how to Tips for recycling at home l Visit or call your local recycling centres to find out what they accept. Set up bins accordingly. l Set up a system for the bins. The garage is an ideal location; make sure they’re secured to avoid pests. l Use plastic bags to store products as paper bags can leak and rip. l Smaller containers are easier to lift when full. l Label bins clearly (with description if required). l Choose products with higher percentage of recycled content in packaging. l Clean containers before storing them. l A ‘no junk mail’ sticker on your mail box works wonders. l Buy products with recycled content and packaged in recycled materials. Do you do your part in saving our natural resources? It’s never too late to start making an effort. The practice needs to begin at home. The clean up act With the endless number of campaigns that cross your path, it would be redundant to explain the significance of recycling. Nevertheless, many of us do not take it seriously. This is perhaps because people consider this practice to be strenuous, when it really isn’t anything more than organising skills. So here’s what we can do within our limits to save the planet. Paper and cardboard: l Stack old newspapers together as they go back directly into newsprint recycling. l Magazines, glossy flyers, newspaper inserts, phone books, envelopes, computer paper, old letters and paper packaging can go into one bin. While staples are excused, rubber bands and plastic wraps aren’t. l Carbon paper, stickers, cardboard, laminated paper and cardboard will not go into this bin. l Bale cardboard together and tie it with string for curb side collectors. Make sure they are dry as coated, wet or greasy ones clog recycling machines. Plastic You already know this, but we have to say it again: Plastic does not break down! On a brighter note, it can be converted into many diverse products. Make the effort to collect and recycle it. This is perhaps the trickiest product to salvage. l Learn the numbers assigned to different plastic goods and find out which of these are accepted by local recycling centres. Store them accordingly. l Remove tops of bottles. Reuse grocery bags and containers. Reduce the use of polystyrene (cups, food trays, egg cartons, etc). Glass l Now this one’s easy-peasy. Glass containers are separated by colour: clear, green and brown. You can leave the paper labels on. l Keep light bulbs, glass sheets, mirrors and pyrex separately. Aluminium, steel and copper l Rinse food cans and remove their lids and labels before storing them. l Foil packaging can be reprocessed into mechanical components like engine parts! l Paint and aerosol cans, though recyclable, are considered hazardous. Store them separately as well, with the labels this time. l Copper and its alloys, brass and bronze, are 100 per cent recyclable. Electronic goods l Got extra computers, printers and hardware? Pass it on! You might think no one will take old gadgets, but you’ll be surprised with the response. l Cell phones and rechargeable batteries are being collected by several corporate firms and non-profit organisations. Do some research; find out which cause suits you best. Local projects Bahrain Recycling Plant: In 1980, Khamis Al Mulla established Al Raefa Scrap Trading Co with the primary objective of general trading of metal and secondary aim of handling plastic and other composite material. He Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 52 August 2013 www.womanthismonth.com www.womanthismonth.com 53 August 2013 It’s time to bring the baby home and all you can see are countless pairs of judging eyes. Learn to battle unwanted stress and fears of inadequacy. While many women fret about their newborn baby in the first months of pregnancy, others don’t ‘feel the pressure’ until well after the child is born. Let’s burst your bubble right now – motherhood isn’t intuitive! The truth is, no matter how much you’ve researched and studied, you are prone to insecurities just like any other new mum. So it’s important to remind yourself just how great you are; we’ll tell you how. Learn to tune out You thought advice marathons in your teen years were bad? Wait until you’re a mother! The ‘cuchi coo’s and ‘aww’s only last a while. Then comes the rigmarole of free advice from family, friends, colleagues, and the best of them all, strangers! Some mothers find this annoying; others begin to doubt themselves. Now you can’t really turn off the shower of advice. So while it pours, just remember that they’re only trying to pass along their insights. It’s their way of helping (inexpensive as well!) The trick is to filter out the unwanted information and learn to spot wisdom from a rant. Don’t forget to smile politely and occasionally say, “I’ll think about it.” It’s not a contest The worst thing you could do is comparing yourself to every other mother you can find. It’s natural, however, to do so. It’s just not right to expect your two-month-old to roll over because your friend’s baby did. Quit staring enviously and start talking to fellow new mums. What looks perfect to you is not necessarily the whole story. For all you know, they’ll be facing just as many problems you do or more. Looking after a child isn’t a cakewalk for anyone. And if a ‘too fit to be true’ new mum is the problem, find someone else you can relate to. Not everyone comes out of pregnancy like Miranda Kerr! Guilt-free lifestyle There are enough people in the world waiting to bring you down; don’t beat yourself up! Do you want to go work again? Go work! Do you want to repeat that meal the next afternoon? Go ahead! Do you want to go on a date? Find a babysitter! As long as you’re getting rid of confidence-killing vibes, give yourself the green signal. Nevertheless, leave room for productive guilt. This is often the gut feeling that has your back in the most crucial decisions of your life. If you think it isn’t right for your child, it probably isn’t. Find a mirror You’ve spent all your time focusing on your baby, you’ve forgotten about yourself. This is a strict no-no. Sleeping, eating and showering might turn into options rather than necessities on some days. If you’re weak physically, there is every chance of you being weak emotionally as well. It won’t be long before a meltdown. Take rest! Of course, you’ve bid 10-hours of sleep goodbye. But you can take a nap and get some alone time every now and then. They don’t take long; you feel different – refreshed and confident! Don’t hole yourself up. Get dressed; wear some make-up – go out! Great expectations? Not anymore. You have got to face the fact that you’re on a whole new level of multi-tasking for the rest of your life. You might not be as great at something as you used to be. Cut yourself some slack. You’re managing a human being here; a child is a living project! There’s no time to place the coaster under a coffee mug, cook a five-course meal and fetch the best mom award all in one day. If you’re a control freak, learn to ignore some things. If you need a to-do list to function, trim it down. Errors will occur. What you need to focus on is staying sane through it all. Enjoy the moment Life isn’t a movie, where you can have a flashback montage sequence at the flick of a finger. In your attempt to master everything under the sun as a mother, you might have just forgotten to have fun. That’s right, parenting can be fun! If your child is meant to be a prodigy, he/ she will get there. Don’t forget to enjoy your time with the little ones in your attempt to ‘educate’ them with all sorts of forced activities. Your baby is learning in every waking moment. Let your child laugh! A happy baby equals a confident mom. REPORT | parenting AreYou a New MuM? 68 August 2013 www.womanthismonth.com Young Bahraini Shaikha Al Fadel is not out of college yet, but she’s already giving grownups a lesson in living and loving. Not many people in the Kingdom would pause to consider the hardship of expatriate labourers, thousands of whom work outdoors under the Middle Eastern sun. That makes 20-year-old Shaikha Al Fadel one of Bahrain’s tender hearts. This svelte, young girl from Riffa has aspired to run a charity since she was 16. But, it was only in May this year that Shaikha was able to materialise her dream with the launch of her charity, LiveLoveGive. Her first initiative this summer is the Shade a Worker project, where she hands out goody bags to construction workers toiling in the heat. Shaikha came up with the idea after her doctor advised her to sit in the sun for short spells for a dose of Vitamin D. “Those 10 minutes made me sweat so much, I was almost dizzy. I realised if 10 minutes in the sun were so harsh for me, how much hardship must these workers be going through,” she says. Along with 10 other friends, Shaikha sold coupons worth BD2.500 each at various schools and universities across Bahrain to raise around BD1,000 for the project. She put together the goody bags which comprise a chilled bottle of water, a snack, a cap to shield wearers from the sun, BD1 worth of phone credit and BD1.500 in cash. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but to a construction worker or a rag picker working under the sun, a chilled bottle of water and a snack means a lot. I was very touched with the response we received and I could tell the workers’ gratitude was heartfelt,” she believes. So far, the Royal University for Women undergraduate has distributed 200 bags and a 100 more are on the way. The online campaign launched on Twitter and Instagram kept Shaikha on her toes for two months, but she was pleasantly surprised by the generosity shown by people. “One day, we had a call from a donor asking for coupons. When my friend went to meet this lady, she was entertaining some friends from Qatar. These friends too bought additional coupons from us. One of the visitors from Qatar said she was inspired to start a similar charitable initiative in her country,” says Shaikha. Next on her agenda is a Ramadan campaign to collect gifts for children, which will be passed on to the younger inmates at the BDF Hospital. “Children in the hospital will be lonely during Ramadan and we want to visit them in the evening carrying gifts to keep them company and show them we care,” she says. Shaikha plans a fundraiser later in October with an entrepreneur’s fair, where participants will bring and sell cupcakes, accessories and handicrafts to raise money in aid of underprivileged women who are expecting a child. by SIMI KAMBOJ Sharing is Giving lifestyle | community Shaikha Al Fadel Bahrain Edition BEAUTY | FASHION | HOME | WELLBEING | PARENTING | LOCAL ISSUES August 2013 | Issue 126 | BD1 / SR10 www.womanthismonth.com woman this month AUGUST 2013 ı A GUIDE TO PARENTING ı www.womanthismonth.com HOME SUBSCRIBERS COPY ISSUE 126 BEAUTY Goodbye Wrinkles! ISABELI FONTANA A tribute to the goddess WELLBEING SEEKING ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FASHION UPDATE GET YOUR WARDROBE ESSENTIALS Learn to Tackle Every Challenge PARENTING SPECIAL Write Now STAR LETTER
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==