Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013 Visits Wellbody Alliance Clinic

Hello world!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I'm doing great, thanks to the Almighty for blessings and lessons. This past Monday, I visited the Wellbody Clinic in Gbense Chiefdom, Dorma Town. Guided by the Clinic's Managing Director, Shirley Gao, I took a tour of the clinic, heard its Founding story and learnt about the services provided, and interacted with the staff.  Wellbody Alliance organization and its clinic was founded by Dr. Mohammed Bailor Barrie and Dr. Dan Kelly; Dr. Kelly was a judge at the 2012‪ Miss Sierra Leone USA‬ Leadership and Scholarship Pageant. During the pageant weekend, Dr. Kelly was very interested in learning about the personal platforms of titleholders. On the night of the 2012 Miss Sierra Leone USA Talent Presentation, I spoke extensively about my platform of Advocating for SHERO to Dr. Kelly, in return he spoke passionately of the work and service Wellbody Alliance and its Clinic provides to the people of Kono District.

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Wellbody Alliance Clinic in Gbense Chiefdom, Dorma Town

Found in 2006, Wellbody Alliance has grown into one of the major healthcare providers in Sierra Leone. This non-profit organization serves over 30,000 patients a year from the Wellbody Clinic and their partner public clinics. This clinic offers free healthcare service to children 5 years old & under, pregnant women, and lactating mothers; a law that was established by First Lady Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma. In addition, Wellbody Clinic offers free healthcare services to: amputees and their dependants, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, individuals with Tuberculosis (TB), and destitute members of the community. The clinic provides free HIV testing, TB testing, pregnancy tests, and more; tests are done by the laboratory technicians.

Left-Right:
Mr. Foday Sheriff Kamara (TB Supervisor),
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson,
and Mr. Samuel Ndomaina (lab technician)

Left-Right:
Mr. Samuel Ndomaina (lab technician),
Mr. Abdulai Jalloh (Administration Officer),
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson,
and Mr. Foday Sheriff Kamara (TB Supervisor)

Construction of upcoming Wellbody Clinic's Women Center

Wellbody Alliance is currently building a Women's Center besides the Clinic, that'll be adjacent to the Administration Office. The purpose is to create a bigger space for women patients, pregnant women, lactating mothers and their children. Funds are still being raised for the completion of this structure.

Construction of upcoming Wellbody Clinic's Women's Center

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Ms. Aminata Bah (Pharmacist)

Fact: Wellbody, spelled wεlbכdi in the Krio language, means "good health" in english.

HIV/AIDS Awareness sign at the Wellbody Clinic

Observation Room at Wellbody Clinic

The Wellbody Clinic provides an Observation Room with 4 beds for patients, whereby patients are put under care for a few hours; the Clinic does not provide overnight services for patients, or perform any form of surgeries. The Clinic provides referrals to its patients to the Koidu Government Hospital.

Wellbody Clinic Reception area

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson and Ms. Shirley Gao (Managing Director of Wellbody Clinic)

Fact: According to the Wellbody Alliance website: "Our mission is not simply to provide medical services to the poor, but to build an effective healthcare system in the region that will save lives in a sustainable, equitable and just manner. We have a vision that drives all of our programs: the poor and all in Sierra Leone deserve the best healthcare possible, and Wellbody Alliance is dedicated to delivering it ... We have a mission that aligns our work: to provide healthcare as a human right to the poor in Sierra Leone. We do this through our community health work and high quality clinical care in Kono District."

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson

Left-Right:
Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson,
Mr. Nicholas Kargbo (Finance Officer), and
Ms. Shirley Gao (Managing Director)

Special thanks to Ms. Gao and the Wellbody Clinic staff for being such great hosts. I am thankful for their service to the people of Kono District, their hard work is highly appreciated! To the Founders, Directors, sponsors, and volunteers of Wellbody Alliance and the Clinic, thank you for living by the mission and providing such a necessary initiative for the people of Sierra Leone. God bless you all!

Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson with some staff members of Wellbody Clinic

Fambul den, this is Salone!!!

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.

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It Was Red At First Sight: Miss Sierra Leone USA Meets Sheryl Lee Ralph

Hello world!!!

Last wednesday, I attended a book signing and discussion event with Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph in Maryland. Her new book, Redefining Diva: Life Lessons from the Original Dreamgirl, is a great read, and I'm glad that I have my copy. I decided to attend this event because I grew up watching her on Moesha and have followed her public work since then. I've always admired her work, and how she always presents herself on the big screen and small screen. Ms. Ralph is also a HIV/AIDS awareness activist, and promotes the importance of HIV testing to singles and couples. Being that my personal platform as Miss Sierra Leone USA is SHERO, I thought this was a great opportunity to advocate for giving [S]ervice, awareness on [H]ealth, and making use of life's [O]pportunities.

With Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph

Getting an up close and live view of Ms. Ralph was fantastic because she was just as beautiful in person as on screen. She was also very sweet, and I love how humble she is regardless of her fame. She is a well-spoken woman full of grace and strength. As she spoke and read throughout the evening, I admired her confidence and tranquility. She's also very funny. 

Ms. Ralph reading her book on stage

Ms. Ralph is an American (television, film, and stage) actress, singer, and activist. She began her career on stage as Deena Jones, in the original musical, Dreamgirls. At the event, she proudly said that she was a Jamerican, because of her Jamaican and American parents. Sheryl Lee Ralph is currently touring the one-woman play, "Sometimes I Cry," a production written and performed by Ms. Ralph. This play explores the lives, loves, and losses of women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Ralph reading her book on stage

At this event, Ms. Ralph spoke about what she believes are the many definitions of the word "diva" and what it means to be one. She believes that "A Diva loves the woman she sees in the mirror. A Diva owns her talent and her strength. A Diva knows the first step on the road to fame is respecting herself" (Busboys and Poets). With this and many other things said, I found her talk to be very empowering and inspiring for girls, women, and society as a whole. There are many life lessons she shares in her new book, and I recommend it to all because it's a great read. With some of society's negative connotations of the word "diva," I believe the message of diva being "a person of strength, character, and a beauty that radiates from within" is conveyed in Ms. Ralph's book.

In her new book, one of the many things she discusses is her experience of being the only Black girl in a private school she attended as a little girl, she stated "I was the only Black girl in a sea of white people" and talked lengthily about her experiences and features that made her different from her classmates and teachers. When she was sharing her story, it reminded me of the fact that I am the only Black/African girl in the Mining and Minerals Engineering department at my university and internship, and also part of the small percentage of women in engineering at my university. But just like how I make the best out of my experiences, Ms. Ralph was able to make it through even though she was different! When asked what is her motivation to keep going strong in life, she gave all praises to her parents and family. It was beautiful to hear some of her family stories. It was interesting hearing some similarities with Jamaicans and Sierra Leoneans. We really all are just the same when you think about it, but just scattered in different places.

We were bonding

The moment captured in the pictures above and below is something that I will forever cherish because it shows how excited we both were to see each other for the first time. It was humbling to hear her say she's excited to meet me, even though she had never heard of or seen me in the past. I love when public figures show humility. She also gave me some advice with regards to my reign and life in general. How sweet!

I made Sheryl Lee blush? Mission accomplished!

With Sylvie Bello (Founder/President of Cameroonian American Council) and Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph

Lola, a beautiful and so sweet lady I met at the event

Another new friend I made, she was very sweet
She's also a pageant girl/titleholder

Fun Fact: The title of this post is related to the fact that me and Sheryl were wearing red lipstick. For those that know me personally know that red is my favorite color, and wearing red lipstick is my signature. Seeing Sheryl with red lipstick made me just love her more. I don't know if this is true, but I think red may be her favorite color as well, because I've seen her wear red in many photos.

Ruby B. Johnson
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA

SOURCE:
Biography of Sheryl Lee Ralph

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Miss Sierra Leone USA at Keep The Promise Rally & March on Washington

Hello world!!!

This past Sunday, I attended the Keep The Promise March on Washington. This Rally and March was organized by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. People in attendance at this event were people living with HIV/AIDS, advocates, politicians, supporters, friends, family, etc.; there were more than 2,000 people in attendance. Speakers included Dr. Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Ambassador Andrew Young, Michael Weinstein, Jenny Boyce, Reverend Al Sharpton, a video message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many more. The predominant message that was echoed at the Rally and March was the significance and urgency of President Barack Obama and other elected officials to do more in combating this domestic epidemic.

In my personal platform (SHERO), H is for health and E is for education; I chose to attend this event because I saw it as a great initiative for HIV/AIDS awareness in the United States, Sierra Leone, and all other nations. Sexual health and education is very relevant in today's society, and dialogues must be created in order to eradicate the existence of HIV/AIDS in our communities. In a country of 6 million people, Sierra Leone has 49,000 people living with HIV but only 3,660 people are receiving antiretroviral theraphy (ART) according to AHF. Sierra Leone has the lowest treatment proportion of any of the African countries in which AHF has a liaison. Do you know that nearly 1.2 million Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS with nearly 50,000 new infections every year? This is an all-time high according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

An entertaining performance was done by these ladies

Emcee of the Rally, Margaret Cho

Comedian and actress, Margaret Cho, mentioned that she has been involved with HIV/AIDS activism since she was a teenager during the height of the epidemic in the 1980s. She stressed on the importance of finding a cure as well as prevention.

Poetry by Roxanne Hanna-Ware
She has been living with HIV

 Thousands of researchers are in our nation's capital this week for the 19th International AIDS Conference. The conference will take place in the U.S. after 22 years of struggle against U.S. travel restrictions.

Member of the rally who asked to take a picture with me

With Aaron M. Laxton, HIV/AIDS blogger, activist, and public speaker
He had one of the many powerful signs at the Rally and March

Aaron M. Laxton is a dynamic young man that I met at the Rally, who has been living with HIV. Read more about him in his blog, and watch his youtube videos. His story needs to be heard by all.

Michael Weinstein is the President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. He stated that the Rally and March "...is about a rebirth of AIDS activism across this country. Our message today is the war against AIDS has not been won. Our message today is that the world must keep its promise. Now is not the time to withdraw and also today that the voices of people living with HIV in this organization will be heard."

L to R: Sign language interpreter, Dr. Cornel West, Michael Weinstein, and Tavis Smiley

Dr. Cornel West was one of the keynote speakers at the Rally, and it was great hearing him speak again. I first saw and heard Dr. West speak at my university a few years back when he was invited as the keynote speaker for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, hosted by Virginia Tech's Alphi Phi Alpha. Dr. West is a prominent and provocative democratic intellectual who has taught at the Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris.

Tavis Smiley is a broadcaster, author, publisher, advocate, and philanthropist. He is currently the host of the late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS as well as the The Tavis Smiley Show and co-host of Smiley and West, which he co-hosts with Dr. West.

With Julian B. Kiganda, President of Vibrant Design Group

Flag parade
Miata Jambawai talking about how HIV/AIDS affects Sierra Leone

During the Rally, there were a few countries and U.S. states represented with flags on stage to talk about how their region is affected by this epidemic. I was surprised but happy to see the Sierra Leone flag on stage because it shows that my nation is making HIV/AIDS awareness a priority and making strides towards its end. Representing Sierra Leone was Miata Jambawai, Country Program Manager at AIDS Healthcare Sierra Leone. She came all the way from Freetown for this occasion and will be in DC all week for AIDS 2012. It was a pleasure speaking with her, and I was honored to have carried the Sierra Leone flag during the March with her by my side.

Member of the rally who asked to take a picture with me

Jenny Boyce has been living with HIV

Jenny Boyce is a woman from South Africa who has been living with HIV/AIDS. She shared her story of living with HIV over the past decade, and use of lifesaving antiretroviral treatment (ART). She gave a message full of hope, love, support, and spirituality.

Video message of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Peace Laureate, and one of the greatest living moral icons of our time who was a key leader in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He has been very vocal and active towards ending injustices, including the tragedy of HIV/AIDS in his country and around the world. In addition to HIV/AIDS, he has campaigned to fight against tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, and many more.

With mom, friend's niece, and friend

With my friend, Rolanda

With my mom and friend

Miss Sierra Leone USA next to the AIDS Memorial Quilt display

 The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at various locations around DC, and one can still add a panel or share a memory. Search and view the panels online here.

A very hot and beautiful day in DC

Trying to keep my eyes open for the photo

One of the reasons why I was very proud to have been part of this event is that I got to talk to people about my country, Sierra Leone, due to lots of people asking what my crown and title is for. Some people knew of Sierra Leone, some had never heard of it, and some have heard of it but did not know much. It was great giving them a geography brief about my Republic. A comical moment was when some people thought I was Miss America, and would yell "I love your crown, Miss America!" "You look beautiful, Miss America!" "There she is, Miss America!" "Let's see the wave, Miss America!" I smiled about it when I heard, but I tried correcting some about my title if I had a chance. Many people asked to take pictures with me, and I tried my best to keep my eyes open in the pictures because it was really hot and the sun was shining brightly.

Miss Sierra Leone USA Photo op for Dab the AIDS Bear Project

Ambassador Andrew Young giving his speech

Ambassador Andrew Young is a civil rights leader, ordained minister, former U.S. Congressman, former mayor of Altanta (Georgia) and former United Nations Ambassador. He spoke about his experience as a diplomat and the importance of the global fight against AIDS and why must all "Keep the Promise" on HIV/AIDS.

Photo op

Miss Sierra Leone USA Photo op for CodePink

Photo op for CodePink

Miss Sierra Leone USA in front of the Washington Monument

Rev. Al Sharpton giving his speech

 Reverend Al Sharpton is a civil rights leader and a prolific advocate for the rights and freedoms of the disenfranchised. Known for his work for the betterment of the African American community, Rev. Sharpton's speech talked about the glaring injustice of HIV/AIDS, which disproportionately affects communities of color. He talked about how political and faith-based leadership is essential in the fight against AIDS, and how Churches and faith-based organizations in the United States hold the power to unite communities and to help bring an end to this deadly epidemic.

Miss Sierra Leone USA wearing Boshok Clothing

Photo op for CodePink

Wyclef Jean rocked the stage!

One of the highlights was Wyclef Jean's performance, and I feel strongly to speak for all that he gave us some great entertainment. He gave us some classics and newbies, and his performance was a blast from start to finish. Something I especially loved about Wyclef's performance was seeing Dr. Cornel West dance, it was great seeing a more relaxed and fun side of him. He's actually got some great moves, but Tavis Smiley shied away from dancing and did a few moves at the corner of the stage. Thank you Wyclef for letting me witness that moment!

Wyclef Jean's performance at the Rally

Wyclef Jean performing during the Rally

Umbrellas were out because of the hot sun
Everyone got a free umbrella

Getting ready for the March to start

The Green, White, and Blue flying high in the sky

The U.S. flag leading the March

Miss Sierra Leone USA marching with Miata on the streets of DC with the
Sierra Leone flag

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic event and I took so many lessons from it. Personally, I would have love to have seen and heard more women on stage speaking about the epidemic, as keynote speakers. I think women's perspectives need to be heard about this epidemic and how it affects women personally and also with regards to family and professional life.  Do you know that women constitute more than half of all people living with HIV/AIDS globally, and that women are at least twice as likely to acquire HIV from men during sexual intercourse than vice versa? For women in their reproductive years (15-49), HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death globally, and women in Sub-Saharan Africa constitute 59% of all people living with HIV/AIDS (The Foundation of AIDS Research). These are some of the reasons why I felt the need to have been part of Sunday's Rally and March, and also why more women's voices need to be heard!

Miss Sierra Leone USA proudly carrying the Sierra Leone flag

I would have also love to have seen and heard the perspective of someone living with HIV/AIDS that is under 30 years old. HIV/AIDS is very relevant to the younger generation and I want people to know that those born after 1990 are not immune to it. Another perspective I wanted to have heard at the the rally was someone who is related/taking care of in some way to someone living with HIV/AIDS. The perspective of HIV/AIDS caregivers is very important

Miss Sierra Leone USA with Miata Jambawai at the end of the March
Check out the guy behind me who creeped on our picture. lol

Get tested. Know your status. Know your partner's status. Safety first at all times. Prevention is the only cure for HIV/AIDS. Speak up. Speak out!

P.S: Special thanks to my mom, friend, friend's niece for being there with me throughout the Rally and March, regardless of how long and hot the day was. I love you all.

Ruby B. Johnson

Your Miss Sierra Leone USA

Did you like my t-shirt? Find it and many more designs at Boshok Clothing.

References:

Keep The Promise 2012

Blink of An Aye Photography

Dab The AIDS Bear Project

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