The poor little girl, Michaela, reportedly had a difficult childhood. She was born during a time of war and lost both of her parents at a very young age. Unfortunately, the little child also had a terrible time at the orphanage. It seemed no one wanted to adopt her and she thought she would spend the rest of her life at the shelter. However, her life took a remarkable turnaround when she got adopted by a loving woman named, who helped her fulfill her biggest dream.
It seemed no one wanted to adopt her and she thought she would spend the rest of her life at the shelter. However, her life took a remarkable turnaround when she got adopted by a loving woman named, who helped her fulfill her biggest dream…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Michaela was born in Sierra Leone and soon after her birth, she lost both her parents to the civil war in her country and was placed in an orphanage. At the orphanage, Michaela’s nightmare started. She suffered from vitiligo, a condition where the skin loses pigment cells and as a result loses its color. The condition caused her neck to develop white spots which subjected her to a lot of ridicule and name-calling from her community.
Her only friend was another girl with the same name as her, “Mabinty”. Because of her condition, she was labeled as the “Devil’s Child,” and no one would adopt her.
She recalled her terrible experience in the orphanage saying, “They ranked us. Number one was the favorite child, and number 27 was the least favorite … I was number 27.”
She suffered from vitiligo, a condition where the skin loses pigment cells and as a result loses its color. The condition caused her neck to develop white spots which subjected her to a lot of ridicule and name-calling from her community.
Her only friend was another girl with the same name as her, “Mabinty”. Because of her condition, she was labeled as the “Devil’s Child,” and no one would adopt her.
She recalled her terrible experience in the orphanage saying, “They ranked us. Number one was the favorite child, and number 27 was the least favorite … I was number 27.”
“They kept saying, ‘Why would somebody want to adopt the devil’s child?’” she told Today. Unfortunately, the little girl spent a lot of days hungry and starving because of the neglect she faced. Her life seemed hopeless until she randomly came across a picture of a ballerina in a magazine. She shared in interviews, “It was not just the fact that she’s a ballerina. It’s that she looks happy. And I wanted to be happy,” she added, “if what she was doing made her happy, that’s what I wanted to do.” When she was three, tragedy struck once again.
A 3-year-old Michaela was stabbed in the stomach by rebels. But her luck was about to change. An American woman was on her way to Africa to adopt Michaela’s friend Mabinty. There was confusion on the orphanage’s end and they called Elaine to clarify which “Mabinty” she planned on adopting.
She shared in interviews, “It was not just the fact that she’s a ballerina. It’s that she looks happy. And I wanted to be happy,” she added, “if what she was doing made her happy, that’s what I wanted to do.” When she was three, tragedy struck once again.
A 3-year-old Michaela was stabbed in the stomach by rebels. But her luck was about to change. An American woman was on her way to Africa to adopt Michaela’s friend Mabinty. There was confusion on the orphanage’s end and they called Elaine to clarify which “Mabinty” she planned on adopting.
When Elaine found out Michaela was an orphan who already had been rejected 12 times, she decided to adopt both the girls, naming them “Michaela” and “Mia”. She told her husband about adopting two girls after she had already signed the papers. The couple had earlier adopted three boys from overseas. All three of their adoptive sons suffered from hemophilia. Elaine was always on top of the special care her sons required of her. But tragedy struck when their blood product was affected by HIV. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
At the time, medication for the virus did not exist and the family lost all three of their sons. This prompted them to adopt again. This is when the couple adopted a four-year-old Michaela. Once adopted, she immediately told her adoptive parents of her dreams to dance.
Her adoptive parents encouraged her interest in dancing wholeheartedly. Elaine and her husband drove her to dance classes themselves and nurtured her interests. It took a while for Michaela to accept their unconditional love and support.
The couple had earlier adopted three boys from overseas. All three of their adoptive sons suffered from hemophilia. Elaine was always on top of the special care her sons required of her. But tragedy struck when their blood product was affected by HIV.
At the time, medication for the virus did not exist and the family lost all three of their sons. This prompted them to adopt again. This is when the couple adopted a four-year-old Michaela. Once adopted, she immediately told her adoptive parents of her dreams to dance.
Her adoptive parents encouraged her interest in dancing wholeheartedly. Elaine and her husband drove her to dance classes themselves and nurtured her interests. It took a while for Michaela to accept their unconditional love and support.
Michaela recalls feeling scared that she would lose her new life. She said in an interview, “I used to have to sleep with the light on. I was just terrified that if I turned it off when I would wake up, I would be in the orphanage again.” Michaela was fuelled by her need to prove all naysayers wrong. But she faced some obstacles even in America. She found that her skin condition was an issue in her career as a dancer. But Elaine told Michaela to soldier on and that her white spots were actually pixie dust!
Because of the love and acceptance she got from her adoptive parents, she was able to overcome her anxieties and is now a celebrated artist recognized globally for her abilities as a dancer!
She persevered and all her years of hard work paid off with her successful career. At the age of 17, she started to work with the Dance Theatre in NYC.
But she faced some obstacles even in America. She found that her skin condition was an issue in her career as a dancer. But Elaine told Michaela to soldier on and that her white spots were actually pixie dust!
Because of the love and acceptance she got from her adoptive parents, she was able to overcome her anxieties and is now a celebrated artist recognized globally for her abilities as a dancer!
She persevered and all her years of hard work paid off with her successful career. At the age of 17, she started to work with the Dance Theatre in NYC.
As at 1850, Ara was one of the most powerful towns in Ekiti with a settlement spaning as big as that of Ijaye in Egbaland. In August 1855, the people of Ara (also called Ara-Ekiti) committed mass suicide to avoid getting enslaved by Ibadan.
The mass suicide was initiated by the leader of Ara town, Alara Elejofi, who (with the help of his first son) destroyed his properties, killed his family and himself. Many other households in the town replicated this act, and when the Ibadan army arrived with their wide array of weaponry, they turned back at the gory sight of dead bodies that littered the town…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Earlier, the people of Ara had rebelled against their former Alara (ruler) because of his bad governance and the grevious offences he had committed against his townspeople. He was exiled. It was during his exile that Chief Elejofi took over the rulership of the town.
The exiled Alara was not willing to let go of his throne and thus sought help from Ibadan. His request was granted because Ibadan, which as at then was gradually filling the vacuum created by the fall of Oyo, was hungry for towns to shove under its administration. The Ibadan army had just returned from an expedition in Ijebu-Ere and with their help, the deposed Alara returned to Ara and was fearfully accepted.
Shortly after Ibadan restored the deposed Alara of Ara, its army attacked Ikoro, another town in Ekiti, because they prevented Ibadan army from foraging on their crops, and also because there were rumours that Ikoro was planning to attack the Ibadan army.
During the attack on Ikoro, some other towns in Ekiti, including Ara-Ekiti, tried to defended Ikoro. The restored Alara prevented his townspeople from joining the fight against Ibadan, hence another unrest ensued in the town. Ibadan eventually defeated Ikoro and went ahead to punish the towns that helped Ikoro during the war, including Ara. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
During this period, Chief Elejofi had again taken over the rulership of Ara and held on to it for some months before it eventually crumbled due to starvation, and to avoid being enslaved by Ibadan, the people of Ara-Ekiti committed an unprecedented mass suicide. This incident is quite similar to the mass suicide of Igbo slaves off the U.S. coast in 1803.
The town of Ara was left deserted for many years before some of its exiled descendants returned home. Ara suicide remains one of the most disturbing chapters in the history of Ekiti and the entire Yoruba land.
This past summer, Kelsie Skillen, 19, was beaten by her boyfriend, James McCourt, 19 in Glasgow, Scotland. Kelsie, a makeup artist, shared pictures of her injuries on Facebook.
Mother says boyfriend forced her 5-year-old daughter to put uriine-soaked socks in her mouth and then pulled it out so aggressively that two of her teeth fell out, but that’s not the worst of it!
Prosecutors said the 23-year-old mother, Katrina, and her 27-year-old boyfriend Jose forced her 5-year-old daughter to put uriine-soaked socks in her mouth and then pulled it out so aggressively that two of her teeth fell out.
But, unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it! Last week, the mother pleaded guilty to her role in the death of her 5-year-old daughter. Prosecutors said the mother pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony count of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission, NYP reported…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
According to the court documents, the District Attorney’s Office agreed to reduce her sentence at 45 years if she pleaded guilty. Investigators revealed that the 5-year-old child, Mercedes, suffered weeks of extreme physical abuse that left her with cuts and bruises and caused her to lose large chunks of hair and several toenails.
Both the mother and her boyfriend abused the child for three weeks after she asked him to help discipline the girl. She claimed he forced her daughter to put dog fe-es in her mouth as he screamed at her. The mother also said that her boyfriend stuffed a sock soaked in ur-ne into the girl’s mouth and then pulled it out so aggressively that two of her teeth fell out, officials have said.
Her boyfriend claimed he only slapped the girl on the a-s and accused the victim’s 6-year-old sister of pulling out her hair. Ruiz, who pleaded not guilty to injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, is scheduled to go to trial in October.
