Starting A New Business? 7 Key Points To Keep In Mind.
Farida Bedwei is proof of what a child with disabilities can achieve through the untiring efforts put in by parents or caregivers.
Farida Bedwei is proof of what a child with disabilities can achieve when untiring efforts are put in by parents and caregivers.
As I watched an interview with the smart and beautiful Farida N. Bedwei on CNN’s ‘African Voices,’ I was blown away!
Farida’s is a tale of grit and determination – she was detected with cerebral palsy at a very young age, yet she did not let disability stop her from reaching for the stars. Farida is now the Co-founder and CTO of a software company called Logiciel (Ghana). Logiciel has recently been featured as one of the top ten technology companies in Ghana. Once we listen to Farida’s story, we realise that there is no mountain too high and no ocean too deep.
Farida’s incredible journey is a testimony to what a child with disabilities can achieve through the untiring efforts put in by parents or caregivers. Around the time Farida turned 1, it was confirmed that she had cerebral palsy. Though detection of any kind of disability in one’s child can come as a tremendous blow for parents, Farida’s mother Lydia Bedwei did not let that intimidate her. This dedicated mother set about trying to find ways to help Farida reach her maximum potential despite the diagnosis.
Lydia home-schooled Farida till she turned 12, since she realised that there were no proper schools for children with special needs in Dominica where Farida’s father had been posted for work. Farida also underwent speech therapy classes to help her out of her speech impairment and physiotherapy to help with her motor skills.
Farida was put in a regular school in Ghana at the age of 12, mainly to improve her social skills, but she surprised everybody by performing brilliantly in academics as well. She developed a love for computers at an early age and went on to get a diploma in computer engineering. She also worked for some of the best software companies in Ghana. While working she managed to get a second diploma in e-technology and later got a degree in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire in England.
Farida has written a book, Definition of a Miracle, which though not autobiographical, is about a girl called Zaara and how she deals with cerebral palsy.
Watch this inspiring video to see why we all need to let nothing limit us or stop us from realising our dreams!
Image via CNN.
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If a woman insists on her prospective groom earning enough to keep her comfortable, she is not being “lazy”. She is just being practical, just like men!
When an actress described women as “lazy” because they choose not to have careers and insist on only considering prospective grooms who earn a lot, many jumped to her defence.
Many men (and women) shared stories about how “choosy” women have now become.
One wrote in a now-deleted post that when they were looking for a bride for her brother, the eligible women all laid down impossible conditions – they wanted the groom to be not more than 3 years older than them, to earn at least 50k per month, and to agree to live in an independent flat.
Most of my women clients are caregivers—as mothers, wives and daughters. And so, they tend to feel guilty about their ambitions. Belief in themselves is hard to come by.
* All names mentioned in the article have been changed to respect client confidentiality.
“I don’t want to take a pay cut and accept the offer, but everyone around me is advising me to take up what comes my way,” Tanya* told me over the phone while I was returning home from the New Delhi World Book Fair. “Should I take it up?” She summed up her dilemma and paused.
I have been coaching Tanya for the past three months. She wants to change her industry, and we have been working together on a career transition roadmap.
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