APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2015 THE VOICE | 27

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APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2015

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INSIDEDREAMS COME TRUE - page 28

ARTISTIC VALUES - page 29

CHILDREN’S BOOKS - page 30

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Clare Chiedozie Eluka has worked hard for her success and yet it can be traced back to developing a rare and

undiagnosed illness as a 17 year old and the quest to fi nd a solution. The journey would take her around the world and to her fi rst store in Bayswater. It would de-velop her artistic creativity and contribute to dreams fulfi lled and those she hopes will come such as franchising or availabil-ity on the High Street.

SYMPTOMS

It was during her fi rst year at college that her skin problems worsened and she felt ill. At fi rst, Eluka thought it was relat-ed to the pressures of leaving foster care and learning to live independently while negotiat-

ing work and university. It was not.Although given antibiotics by the doctor, they did not work. “They would surpress the symptoms and then triple them. They would affect my mood and self esteem,” ex-plains Eluka. “I’m trying to per-form with my group and work in a beauty shop and my skin looks horrible and I’m trying to study and attend college and can’t get out of bed.” She was eventually diagnosed with Candida Albicans (yeast allergies).

CHANGESA friend’s mother suggested she became her own doctor. She did and started developing skincare products using shea and cocoa butters as bases. Her brothers, noticing signifi -cant changes in her now “fresh

looking skin”, encouraged her to sell the products. In April 2009, Eluka took 20 tubs of the cream to Spitalfi elds Mar-ket. They sold out in two hours. “People wanted good qual-ity natural skincare products,” she says of the cream that had “shabby chic” packaging, “and it was my lightbulb moment”. The cream, known as Harmony Creme Balm, is the company’s best selling product.Her brothers, noticing signifi -cant changes in her skin, en-couraged her to sell the prod-ucts. In April 2009, she took 20 tubs to Spitalfi elds Market where they sold out in record time despite the lack of sophis-ticated packaging. She real-ised that people were looking for good quality natural organic skincare products. It was her “lightbulb” moment and the start of her ethical business.

AWARDS

Premae Skincare has become one of the leading ethical skin-care brands in the country and its initial success was via social media. The brand continues to win awards and accolades in the media. It has been featured in Vogue, the Sunday Times and national and international magazines. Some members of the Royal family use the Phar-ma100 products.As an individual, she is the recipient of a number of ac-colades including selection as one of Forbes’ Africa’s Top 5 most infl uential women of West African Heritage (2013) and an Inspirational Woman of the Year 2014 award as a role model and inspirational woman. Trinity College, Dublin awarded her an honorary doctorate for her work and contribution to the organic skincare industry.

RICHES

Eluka lived in a mansion cour-tesy of being a looked after child where her neighbours included Sade and Denise Van Outen. It was a mansion decided on by the state and one where, statistically, as a child of the state, her chances of success were not expected to be high. She never felt com-fortable despite the riches around her in the form of suc-cessful neighbours.Years on, with the support and belief of her family and steely determination, Clare Eluka has created riches of her own. It is called called Premae Skincare.

Dreams come trueDr Clare Eluka, founder of the award winning luxury Premae Skincare brand is a role model. Her path has been one of determination and taking the positives from negatives

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Our mums come from different walks of life, but they have one thing in common. They have all transformed the lives of children who had an uncertain future.

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“She brings so much joy to my life, so much happiness.” Susan, Coram adoptive mum

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APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2015 THE VOICE | 29

FAMILY MATTERSvoicenewspaper www.voice-online.co.uk@thevoicenews

Graphic designer Thierry Lagrin and daughters Seryne and Selma are avid draw-ers. it is an art they in-

corporate into their daily lives thanks to their dad and his interest in history and social observation.

Lagrin says:“My daughters are always drawing. They draw every-where, so they need little encouragement. I believe that drawing opens a child’s mind to creativity, enabling them them to be fl exible and expressive the use of colour enables them to do this too.”“When children use colour, they’re learning about coordi-nation and matching. They’re learning about the emotions.”“I think the value of drawing with children is sometimes underestimated as it is often used as a distraction tactic. It is much more. ““I encourage my daughters to be creative by observing what is around them and visualiz-ing it just as a writer would a story. Drawings tell stories and they’re endless. Your person-ality is contained in them. “I’m more than happy that my children draw and I’ll be keep-ing the best drawings as sou-venirs.”

Seryne, aged 7, won a local schools competition to design a road safety poster. “I express myself painting. I always draw because I like it.I draw in school, at home and in my room. I draw in muse-ums too because we go there. My dad teaches us about his-tory.”“I won a competition to de-sign a road safety poster for children. I did it using Photo-shop and by scanning in im-ages that I drew of children crossing the road at the zebra crossing. I wanted it to be vis-ible. I was surprised when I won. It was great winning because I had to stand up in front of the whole school and

so they knew I was the win-ner!”“Red is my favourite colour because it is shiny and many of the fl owers I like are red. I like blue too because my eyes are blue and so is the sky.I think I’m good at drawing because my dad is a graphic designer. Drawing makes me feel confi dent.”

Selma, aged 6, likes history and it often forms the basis for her art.“I really like drawing because my dad teaches me to draw. I do colouring in books as well but I don’t do it well. I am get-ting good by practicing.”“Yellow is my favorite colour because It is the colour of sun-shine. I like purple too.I go to the museum some-times when I draw and I learn a lot.”“Do you know that a place with Martin Luther King is called Selma? I’m going to draw a poster of Martin Luther King. There is a place called The Ritzy that has a picture of

Martin Luther King in a book-let. I’m going to get it for my poster.”

Artistic values

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FOSTERING LONDON - a new childfocussed Independent fostering agency in the process of registration with Ofsted.

We seek professionals who are valuedriven with a passion for fostering.

• Panel Chair/Members• Administrator • Assessors.• Education Consultant

If you want to be part of shaping a new organisation contact:beverley.peat@fosteringlondon.org.uk

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Teach your children to ALWAYS STOP, LOOK, LISEN AND THINK!

Sudbourne Primary School

Paula Briggs

Drawing Projects for Children by Paula Briggs, published by Black Dog Publishing (2015)A book packed full of ideas for drawing with children. It contains information on ma-terials to use and methods to provide various results. The activities test children’s skills, creativity, imagination and boldness. Some of the materials that can be used stretch the imagination. Draw by torchlight, draw to music, draw in museums, draw on plaster, draw eve-rywhere!. Paula Briggs has done a great job in showing how valuable and acces-sible art can be not only for fun but educational pur-poses too. Welcome to the world of endless possibili-ties and self expression.

“I encourage my daughters to

be creative by observing what is around them and visualising it just as a writer would a story”

The Lagrin family explain why art rules in their household and what it can teach

Young artist: Seryne’s award winning poster

| THE VOICE APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 201530

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Organization Accreditedby Joint Commission International

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Children’s booksEbony Reads provides a round-up of the latest books

brown girl dreaming Jacqueline Woodson, published by Nancy Paulsen Books (2014)Multi award winning author Jacqueline Woodson shows us what dreams are made of in this memoir in verse recording her family history from slavery to the post civil rights era and childhood memories from the 1960s and 1970s. Born in 1963, her birth certifi cate says “female negro”.Woodson describes the aspirations her parents had for her and those she had for herself. In a household full of oral stories, it is no wonder she chose to become a storyteller, fulfi lling her dream in ways she may not have imagined while preserving histories. This book will mesmerize teens and adults alike for it is about inspiration, aspiration, resil-ience and facing challenges. The idea of living one’s dream and fulfi lling one’ s potential should stay with the reader long after the last chapter is read. Brown Girl Dreaming won the American National Book Award (2014)

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes from Around the World, edited by Elizabeth Hammill, published by France’s Lincoln Children’s Books (2014)A wonderful book of nursery rhymes from across the globe. Delight in verses from Africa and the Caribbean and stun-ning images from illustrators that includes legendary chil-dren’s illustrator Jerry Pinkney whose drawing Noah is fea-tured in Who Built the Ark?.Over the Hills, which is des-tined to become a classic, shows the universality of rhymes and often, there are equivalents in other countries rather like the Brer Rabbit and Anancy Stories. Enjoy the four versions of Little Miss Muf-fett from America, Australia,

Jamaica and the UK. Over the Hills is a must have book that should inspire children to read, draw, recite, learn and have fun interpreting the rhymes.

15 Things Not To Do With a Baby, by Margaret McAlis-ter, published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (2015)The do’s and dont’s of wel-coming a new baby in the fam-ily is the focus of this picture book centered around a sister and her baby brother. Suited to older children, it would make the perfect gift for fi rst time parents who would immedi-ately appreciate the humour and grandparents.

The Adventures of Obi and Titi by Oyemi BeghoObi and Titi is a children’s book series, set in 15th Cen-tury Benin, that highlights Afri-can history. On the strength of the trailer, which incorporates music into the story, we’ve placed Obi and Titi on our waiting to read list but we hope the author will consider an animated cartoon series drawing on the richness of oral stories. It was captivating.

ADOPTION AND FOSTERINGBlack Children in Care, Health, Hair and Skin, by Denise Lewis and Flora Awolaja, published by Pos-itiveImageoroject (2014)A practical and informative guide to caring for black children in transracial place-ments, that is a quick read with strong visuals. It is a wel-come addition to the literature in this area.

I.d.e.a.l for Young People with Disabilities- a magazineIndividuals with Disabilities Express About Life is a lifestyle magazine that draws on the realities of living with a disability, dispelling many of the myths often associ-ated with itFounded by Philadelphia based Zarifa Roberson, in 2004, its strength is its com-mitment to inclusion and highlighting the experiences of young black people whose voices are seldom heard. With an increasing international focus, I.DE.A.L magazine is all about living one’s best life.www.itsanidealworld.com