Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Attends Shina Inc.'s Building Women to Succeed Conference

Gree(n)tings everyone!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been doing well and doing all I can for God's glory. On October 16th, I attended Shina Inc.'s 2015 Building Women to Succeed Conference. The theme of this inter-gender conference is "Dare To Speak Up: Unspoken Practices. Cultural Impact and Approaches to Positive Change." I was invited as a guest and panelist. On the In Their Perspective: Our Young Ladies panel, I spoke about Africa, mining, women's empowerment, and sustainability, as well as how I've used pageantry to make an impact. I insisted on the importance of women finding their niche, daring to be different, and mentorship.

Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Mrs. Jessica Kamala Mushala (SHINA Inc. Founder/President) and Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnosn

According to the SHINA Inc. website, "Our mission is to help the Most Vulnerable Groups through the exchange of ideas, support and aid in the areas of education, economic, social and cultural development to empower themselves. By working predominantly at community level, we collaborate with grass-roots organizations in rural areas that tend to be overlooked due to the high concentration of donors in urban areas. We promote, encourage and foster better understanding between communities in the United States and abroad."

According to their website, "SHINA, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 based in Maryland. The word Shina (pronounced sh-EE-na) is derived from the Kiswahili language meaning: "roots" and/or the "thick trunk" of a tree. Our mission is to promote, encourage, and foster better understanding between communities in the United States, and abroad."

Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016,
Salone's Eco Queen.

Photo Credit:

VIJIMAMBO

Salone Tourism Thursday - Crops in Sierra Leone

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Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Attends High Fashion Movie Premiere

Gree(n)tings everyone!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I am doing fantastic, all praises to our awesome God! On October 10th, I attended the movie premiere of "High Fashion." The cast of the movie is predominantly Sierra Leonean, and was produced by Sierra Leone's own Winstina Taylor and Jnap Sesay. This movie is entertaining and intriguing. I highly recommend seeing it.

Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Mr. David Buakei Vandy (Actor, High Fashion) and Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Mr. Brian Conteh (Actor, High Fashion) and Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Entertainer Mohamed 'King Milan' Bangura and Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Salone Jamboree Journalist Murtala Mohamed Kamara and Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

The great art of films does not consist of descriptive movement of face and body but in the movements of thought and soul transmitted in a kind of intense isolation. Louise Brooks

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016,
Salone's Eco Queen.

Miss ECO Sierra Leone Participates in 2015 The New Americans Expo Panel

Gree(n)tings everyone!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been doing well, all glory to the Almighty. On October 4th, I participated in the inaugural The New Americans Expo. I was a panelist in the "Immigrant Challenges in America" session. All panelists and moderator in this panel are of African descent.

Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

I talked about my experience as a Sierra Leone-born woman growing up and living in the United States from middle school through university, and life now as a woman pursuing a mining career. Additionally, I talked about how I am promoting my Sierra Leonean culture through pageantry and advocating for girls/women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, as well as the sustainable future of the mining industry.

Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Tata Nelson "Madiba" Mandela

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016,
Salone's Eco Queen.

Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Attends I Am Hannah Vigil

Gree(n)tings everyone!!!

I hope you and yours are doing well. I've been blessed and highly favored, thanks to our awesome Lord Jesus. On September 19th, I attended the "I Am Hannah" vigil hosted by the Concerned Sierra Leoneans (CSL) group. The event was chaired by Dr. Fuambai Sia Ahmadu (CSL Vice President and CEO of Miss Sierra Leone USA). The primary purpose of this event was to discuss the conditions surrounding and policies (Hannah's Law) being implemented after the heinous assault of the murdered teenager, Hannah Bockarie, few months ago; also, there was a discussion on violence against girls and women in Sierra Leone and how we can end this practice. Afterwards, there was candle-lighting in honor of Hannah and all the women victims of violence in Sierra Leone.

Miss ECO Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson

To start the session, I led the Christian prayer. There was also a Muslim prayer conducted. As one of the speakers at the event, I had the opportunity to talk about the implications of gender-based violence, as well as how critical this issue is to ecotourism in Sierra Leone because a nation is judged by how they treat their women and children. I have always been passionate about women's issues so violence against women is near and dear to my heart; when I was in college, my minor was women's studies leadership and one of the things I've made a priority with my organization (When You Believe Foundation) is violence against women. In fact, October commemorates National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016 Ruby B. Johnson and Dr. Fuambai Sia Ahmadu (Medical Anthropologist)

A woman of faith is blessed by faithful men in her life who hold the priesthood of God and honor this privilege: her father, bishop, husband, brothers, sons. They value her and the divine gifts given by God to His daughter. They sustain and encourage, and they understand the great mission of her life as a woman. They love her; they bless her. Margaret D. Nadauld

Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Eco Sierra Leone 2016,
Salone's Eco Queen.

Salone Tourism Thursday - Mining in Sierra Leone

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Salone Tourism Thursday - Cotton Tree of Sierra Leone

Follow my adventures as Miss ECO Sierra Leone on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.