It's almost Christmas! The duck and beef are carefully marinated and prepped, as i sit and drink my freshly brewed cinnamon ground roast coffee (Kenya Arabica Coffigold to be precise) I would to like wish you all

' Simple joys, little pleasures,
Laughter and smiles in big measures.
Friends, family, togetherness, love...
The choicest blessings from above.
Peace, prosperity and happiness too...
All these and more are my wishes for you'

Be merry, let's celebrate with loved ones and appreciate those around us. It's a great time to be joyous and thankful for this past year

Kuwa na Krismasi Njema

Yours Truly

Laviniah
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Yours Truly

Laviniah

Hello all,

As Christmas soon approaches, I am reflecting back on the past month and all the incredible opportunities I have had to be a positive representative of  the diaspora as well as engaging in empowering community events. I was delighted to be invited to the Miss Commonwealth Triple Crown beauty pageant and to be a mentor for the contestants as they prepared for their big showcase and night. Attending the event brought back all the emotions I experienced during the Face of Kenya UK Ceremony, at once I could relate to how the contestants were feeling at that very moment, excitement, anticipation and full of enthusiasm. 

Miss Commonwealth International is a unique culture and charity brand beauty pageant that promotes charity and cultural cohesion. Representing all the sub cultural sectors and countries that a part of the commonwealth, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Caribbean and Euro Atlantic, Commonwealth International runs ten pageants represented by their respective reigning queens & king.

Speaking to the contestants as they prepared for their moment on the catwalk and podium, I was keen to know what  motivated them to join the contest, what their aspirations in life are and upon winning how they intend to use their title and platform to make a difference in the community and the world at large. It reminded me of the journey so far, of my own aspirations and how motivated and determined I am to help facilitate some appreciable change and to inspire others to reach their fullest potential in life as I do the same. They were all unique in their own way, from completely different cultural and social backgrounds and countries but the common thread that united them and myself is their desire to want to make a change and the courage to present themselves across a panel of judges and to showcase who and what they to offer in the hopes of attaining this credible position. A young, beautiful girl and contestant who was highly impressive, originally from South Africa and representing her country of origin, had ventured forth to enter the contest, flew to the UK for the first time just a few days prior to the ceremony and had high hopes of taking the crown home and to inspire young girls such as herself to aspire for greatness and to be bold and courageous.

At that moment I also encouraged each contestant to be self assured, to seize the moment and exude total confidence in who they are, their individuality, their uniqueness, their life story and most of all their inner beauty.

I was elated to lend a hand of support to the contestants and to watch them as they took to the stage and captivated the entire room!

More coverage on World's Aids Day and the Global Positive Runway coming up!




Yours Truly

Laviniah

I recently attended my very first commonwealth fair at Kensington Town hall and what a spectacular event which showcases the unique crafts, cultures and culinary diversity of the commonwealth. Not only is it a fun occassion but it is underpinned by philanthropic initiatives where proceeds of the fair support the commonwealth countries league education fund. This body (CCLEF) are committed to changing lives through education and friendship.

In my role as a community champion and the Face of Kenya UK I am delighted when I am invited to participate in a largely community based program and allows me to engage with the community, to learn and assimilate with different cultures of diversity, all the while broadening my knowledge and inspiring me.

My encounters at the fair were inspirational individuals within the community making a difference and being a beacon of hope to others within their communities. A lady who I was enthused to meet at the fair whose incredible achievements and contributions to society astounded me is Joyce Bleastille-Lumsden, originally from Grenada. As I sat down with her, she candidly told me the details of her life that I knew it was imperative to share her story and made me all the more appreciate of the position I am in  to be able to encounter people from all backgrounds and to share their story on this platform to the outside world.

Joyce moved to the UK in the 1960s, she recounted her journey to the UK by sea which 21 days, she came  to the UK through the British council for oversea students to do nursing. Having previously worked as a nurse fro 2 years in Grenada, she went on to attain her registered nurse/midwife British TBA association qualification. She also worked as a district nurse and a practical work teacher, but due to a back injury she took an early retirement in  1973. Not content with settling into normalcy, she forged ahead with doing charity work. Joyce is a member of the Grenada voluntary hospital committee UK that provides support to hospitals and elderly homes in Grenada. She also visits 9 schools in Croydon to encourage the youth to fulfill their goals in life and to set their benchmarks for goals higher and much wider as she has.

Remarkably that isn't all, Joyce was recently featured in a book funded by the NHS entitled Many Rivers by Ann Cramer. Joyce's mention in the book notes and pays homage to her contribution as well as the history of the Caribbean contribution to the NHS.
Not only has she made an impact in her native Grenada, her home in UK but she also lends her support to a charity in Burundi and is a sponsor for  the Mama Philli Bursary program.
I was in complete awe of the phenomenal lady whose achievements in the community and evident input in the lives of others is amazing!

Speaking to her about the commonwealth fair, she said what draws her to this event and has been for many years is the need to support the community and empower youth women and men and especially a chance to expose the diaspora youth to different cultures. It is a great event where all nationalities sit, enjoy and eat together. As we spoke Joyce had a scarf she had purchased that day at the fair from Ghana with the intricate colours of the Ghanaian flag beautifully   draped over her shoulders, now if that isn't a form of embracing and appreciating other cultures I don't know what is!

I enjoyed spending the day with fellow beauty queen -Malkia- Miss Commonwealth Tanzania
I also met and had a great chat with Miss Teen Caribbean UK 2014-Gabrielle Joseph, a contest about young girls with Caribbean heritage. Gabriel represents Trinidad &b Tobago, at the young age of 14 she is full of enthusiasm and huge aspirations. Not allowing anything in life to deter her, Gabriel wants to help other young girls like her who have dyslexia to inspire them, to show them that they too can achieve anything and have the confidence to speak to large crowds and win a title as she has. It was a pleasure to meet her, with such resolve and motivation she is surely poised for greatness!

More to come from ..The Miss Commonwealth Beauty Contest 2014

Yours Truly
Laviniah Karanja

The final day of World Travel Market heralded the coming together of the East African countries which form part of the East African Community (EAC) a regional intergovernmental of the republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. The vision of EAC is for a prosperous, competitive, secure and united East Africa and the mission is to widen and deepen economic, political, social and culture integration in order to improve the quality of life in East Africa through increased value added production, tourism and trade investments.

Various ministers and high commissioners of the East Africa held a joint exhibition and promotion  of the new tripartite initiative- Destination East Africa in a campaign to create awareness of the single tourist visa and the implementation of marketing East Africa as a single travel region.
The cross-border visa enables tourists to travel between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda at . It is a result of a joint initiative and a decision by the Heads of State of East African countries that aims to increase tourism among these nations. Tourists are now able to enjoy variety in the three partner states at an affordable fee instead of paying different charges at borders, making the region more competitive and attractive to visitors. I personally haven't yet traveled to other East African countries but with the implementation of this momentous initiative, I have every reason to tour East Africa! I hope you will too

The integration of services in tourism can also be deemed as a decisive and exigent move at a crucial time in the global travel and trade market amid recent negative impact of the security threat on tourism in Kenya. This move will certainly increase East Africa region trading capacity and is expected to ensure the countries have a significant share of the more than 50 million tourists who visit the continent annually. 

Speaking with trade exhibitors at the Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania stands, the consensus was the same, excitement at the prospect of potential of the initiative to widen the tourism market for the region, the benefits of the tripartite agreement for each country and a great sense of unity within the East African countries. 

To culminate East Africa stand held a celebration to mark the ongoing coalition of the East Africa Region in an elaborate ceremony and celebration of diversity, cultures, exotic foods, heritage. All in all the event was a massive success, I was honoured to partake as the Face of Kenya UK, but mostly to make a positive contribution in the affairs of our nation and in the engagement of the diaspora as the Face of Kenya UK 2014!

My next post feature will cover my day at the Commonwealth Fair!

Yours Truly

Laviniah

After kicking things off at the World Travel Market in great style on the first day, the next step on day 2 was to observe and find out what the other travel sectors of over 186 countries worldwide had to offer, what features and great attractions were presented at their stands in order to access the marketing strategies advocated by each respective country in drawing new business to tourism. At the heart of this approach was a significant opportunity to present the Face of Kenya UK platform to the rest of the world, thereby being a representative for Kenya and the diaspora to the rest of the world and showcasing Kenya across every stand at WTM that may or may not know what Kenya has to offer as a nation. 

I was filled with so much pride and glee as I walked by excel with my Face of Kenya UK sash across the stands of Africa, Asia, Europe and USA,  and to my pleasant surprise the reception and excitement I received as I walked by and talked to many passers-by was absolutely phenomenal! This is not an exaggeration by any means, Kenya was greatly and positively received by all nations at the World Travel Market and this is clear in the pictures. We almost ran out of film as precious moments were captured in pictures and video footage which I will share soon. For many exhibitors, tourism boards and global travel market trade and businesses, Face of Kenya UK became the first point of contact for Kenya at WTM. This was a significant role that I could not shirk from but responsibly uphold with tenacity, humility and gratitude to be an ambassador and advocate for Kenya and a voice for our nation as the Face of Kenya UK!  What a privilege!

There is more to come from the World Travel Market, join me for the last installment of World Travel Market 2014 as I conclude the final day, the celebrations that took at the East Africa Stand and more!

Yours truly

Laviniah

                                                                                            Yours Truly

                                                                                         Laviniah Karanja - Face of Kenya UK 2014
                                                                                         

I  am honoured  to accept this role and responsibility as the Face of Kenya UK 2014

Firstly I would like to thank God for grating me this wonderful opportunity at such a time as this.

I would like to thank Janet for her vision and for this outstanding social platform. I want thank the committee members of Face of Kenya UK, my family and friends, AKCC in recognition of their efforts and support and all my supporters. Where I am now, to be standing on this platform today would not have been made possible without your support and vote of confidence in me.

The very reason for which I joined the contest is what implores and motivates me to this new role. I am passionate about my homeland of Kenya, for the youth and Kenyan Diaspora to fulfil their highest potential and the need to make a difference and insurmountable contribution in Kenya and the world at large.

As the Face of Kenya UK and community champion, I intend to use this platform to encourage the youth in diaspora to fully tap into their gifts and talents pushing for collective community programs that will support our goals and dreams and most importantly showcase and market the wealth of talent in Kenya and in the Diaspora, bringing our beautiful nation to the forefront.

We have limited time but much to do, together we can make a change, together we can promote Kenya on the world centre stage. Let us make the year of 2014 an incomparable year where we will lead our nation forward and support our Kenyan counterparts.

Thank you

Hello all, 
As the day of the contest looms and I campaign to be the Face of Kenya UK 2014, what continues to motivate me is a reminder of what underpins this social platform. Face of Kenya UK is enabling me to support and fundraise for Project1917, a  charity that sponsors orphaned children and the less privileged to pursue secondary education in Kenya. While I was in Kenya I was able to see what the charity does first hand and the impact it has on these children. I visited two beneficiaries of Project1917, namely Charles Mwangi- a form one student at Ruthagati High School and Jeffrey Kahoro attending Nyeri High School. 
Each of their stories are too compelling to overlook, When I sat down to talk to Charles and the school's principal Mr Maina Wachira, this is what he said about Charles who had already shown great potential in the short time he has been at the school; "Mwangi is now in a priviledged position, although he experienced tremendous hardships in life, he is finally beginning to see a light a the end of the tunnel as a result of Project1917 that is fostering and supporting him to be an upright and responsible citizen of Kenya".
I was delighted to have a feature article on Daily Nation Newspaper capturing the visit to Ruthagati High School and Nyeri High School  http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/nyeri/Laviniah-Karanja-educate-local-orphans/-/1954190/2281934/-/cumo7sz/-/index.html

Mwangi expressed his sincere gratitude to the charity and how much the opportunity to continue his secondary education meant to him which brought me to tears. Unable to attend school, he had watched as other children went to school but he remained hopeful and made a promise to his grandmother that he would leave a legacy once he attended school. His legacy is to be a person who is capable of achieving grade A's and able to go to university, he broke down as he made this vow not only to his grandmother but to his principal that he will work hard to ensure he reaches his target and leaves a legacy in Ruthagati Secondary School. Project1917 is making his dreams come true.

Jeffrey Kahoro, another beneficiary of Project1917 and a student at Nyeri High School, a school that is renowned for it's excellent performance nationally, in Central Province and in the larger Nyeri Disctrict. Jeffrey, a bright student who had attained sufficient grades to be admitted to Nyeri High School, had been unable to further his education until his plight was highlighted by the Nation.co.ke in early 2014 and the UK based organisation-Project1917 stepped up to sponsor him through high school. He is now an attendee at a prestigious school renowned for it's prominent past students, if I can name but a few; Former President- His Excellency Hon. Mwai Kibaki (1944) Former Deputy P.C James Waiboci, Former M.P Joseph Kamotho (1959) Socio Economist-World Bank John Makilya (1970) Deputy P.S Ministry of Education Peter Kihika Mathanjuku (1969) KBC TV Presenter Christopher Kubasu (1971) CEO British American ( Benson Wairegi (1972) Lecturer-Kenyatta University  Simon Gathua and the Principal of Nyeri High School-Mr S.K Nderitu. 

It is safe to say that he is good company and is now in a position to fulfill his greatest potential and reach his goals.
My objective is to highlight the predicament of the less privileged in Kenya by ensuring they are afforded the basic need of education, a fundamental requirement of boosting their future potential. Lending from a powerful quote from Nelson Mandela, education is truly "the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" with this sentiment I hope to use the Face of Kenya UK platform to offer support to orphans in Kenya and to help make their dreams a reality as their dreams too are valid.

I am requesting those who believe in the future of our nation by ensuring the youth in Diaspora and in Kenya reach their highest potential in life in order to make a positive impact globally to support this worthy cause-Project1917 and to join me on the 21st of June for the Face of Kenya UK 2014 contest.