“I went to London to meet the Prince…” Prince Frederick Von Laundenberg

( right to left) Prince Frederick Von Laudenberg, Janice Temple, Daniel Fashe

On my recent trip to London, I met Prince Frederick Von Laudenberg World Peace Emissary and Daniel Fashe of (TEAA) The Educational Alliance Africa at the Mexico City Reception during World Travel Mart London 2012.

When Prince Frederick Von Laudenberg introduced himself to me as “The Prince”, I was startled. At first, the Mother Goose Nursery rhyme began flowing through my head, “I went to London to meet the Prince..” Then my mind flooded with questions:

Who introduces themselves as “The Prince”?

Where is his “Princedom”?

They have real “Princes” in London?

What does a “Prince” do?

Photo: London Double Decker Bus

During my trip to London, I had Mother Goose Nursery rhymes running through my mind. I can’t explain my connection to my childhood literary beginnings.

Photo: “Hot Cross Buns”  (center)

It probably begin with my stay at the AVO Hotel where one of the staff members, William actually sang “Hot Cross Buns” to me while toasting one.

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha’ penny, two ha’ penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha’ penny,
Two ha’ penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

Photo: AVO Hotel Dalston with staff member William

Hot Cross Buns is another Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme and a British pastry. I came to simply adore “Hot Cross Buns” while living in Istanbul, Turkey. I would go the Turkish bakery next door to our apartment in Istanbul almost daily to order them for my family for breakfast. In Turkey, I read the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes to my children. I felt it important to educate and raise my children on the same literature that I learned as a child. I packed and carried a large bound Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes book with us from country to country.

Maybe my wanderlust imagination for travel was sparked by Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes!

It was another childhood connection to actually devour a British “Hot Cross Bun” in London. There is a “cross” in the center of the “Hot Cross Bun”. Do you see it?

Photo: Janice enjoying my stay at AVO Hotel Dalston in Hackney

Now back to my experience of being in London and meeting a real “Prince”,  Prince Frederick Von Laundenberg.

Photo: Daniel Fasche and World Peace Emissary Prince Frederick Von Laundenberg

When I had the opportunity to pull Daniel Fasche to the side, I quickly asked him if he was a real “prince”?

Daniel replied yes, Prince Frederick had dedicated his life to charity. Prince Frederick advocates for children by seeking sponsors for children charities. Daniel shared with me his charity, The Educational Alliance Africa (TEAA). This peaked my interest because I am huge supporter of children and education.

Daniel Fasche is one of the organizers of The Educational Alliance Africa which is a London based organization with the goals of advancing education and social welfare through a homework club, skills development and Lupus Support Network. TEAA was created in 2001 to provide supplementary education and recreational activities in the UK and Africa.

World Peace Emissary Prince Frederick Von Laundenberg along with Daniel Fasche have teamed up to launch the Nigerian Voluntary Sector Council, NVSC and its Inaugural Charity Awards scheduled for February 7, 2013 in Lagos, Nigeria.

This is a bonafide organization and I am a member of their advisory board. Please join World Peace Emissary Prince Frederick Von Laundenberg and Daniel Fasche by donating to support this organization during the Holiday Season.

For more details see Press Release below:

LAUNCHING THE NIGERIAN VOLUNTARY SECTOR COUNCIL, NVSC AND ITS INAUGURAL CHARITY AWARDS

After months of international consultations, including research work, meetings and telephone conferences and discussions, the promoters of the Nigerian Voluntary Sector Council, NVSC, a conglomeration of some Nigerian Voluntary Organisations in the Diaspora and in Nigeria have concluded plans to launch an umbrella body that will unify most of Nigeria’s currently unwieldy but vibrant civil society and voluntary organisations to be known and addressed as THE NIGERIAN VOLUNTARY SECTOR COUNCIL, NVSC. The NVSC is a nongovernmental, non-racial, nonreligious, non-gender specific umbrella organisation and its membership is open to all Nigerian civil society and voluntary organisations at home and in the Diaspora.

The Nigerian voluntary sector council, NVSC as an umbrella body shall be a structured leader in the Voluntary Sector similar to the third sector that exists in the United Kingdom. It is the economic sector envelope in the place between the State and private sectors, which is capable of reducing the impact of the challenges facing the sector and to make it sustainable.

The third sector has been hailed as the future core of the economies of the developed nations of the western world. In the United Kingdom for example, it is attributed up to 10% of the national GDP, which is not a small part of the economy at all. This can easily be attained and surpassed in Nigeria given the impetus and drive behind this initiative – the NVSC. Ideas and actions to make the sector in Nigeria stronger and able to compete favourably in the economy are urgently required and the establishment of a well structured NVSC is the answer. The NVSC among others would be able to provide ongoing capacity development for the sector.

Currently, some of the biggest challenges the governments in Nigeria are facing make it impossible for them to cater for certain necessary societal developmental needs such as youth and women empowerment, skills development, and poverty alleviation as well as disease awareness and control campaigns due to the bureaucracy that exists therein. We are launching Voluntary Work Experience to help reduce some of these impacts.

But the current voluntary sector on the ground unstructured as it is makes it difficult for those in the Diasporas to form necessary links with their counterpart in Nigeria to access globally available resources, share learning and form partnerships for development. To arrest these problems, an umbrella organisation like the NVSC,

which can pool together these third sector organisations, between the State and the private sector, for growth and development is necessary.

There are thousands of civil society organisations in Nigeria that are not benefiting from the synergy they could muster working together under one roof like the NVSC but are dissipating their energies as a result of their solo operations. This would stop when the NVSC is established.

Therefore there is a need for the Nigerian civil society and voluntary organisations to come together to work better with the government of Nigeria and private sector companies through the collaborative efforts of Diasporas and local organizations to achieve the set social goals and the United Nations agreed millennium development goals, MDGs.

When this third sector of the economy is established in Nigeria, through the auspices of the NVSC reformations come February 2013, it would:

1. Create millions of employment opportunities

2. Attract more social investment globally and contribute to skills acquisition and development thereby alleviating poverty

3. Ensure transfer of knowledge and experience through international volunteering and internship with a view to empowering the youth and women.

4. Promote the culture of volunteering and civil society participation in Nigeria

5. Act as an umbrella or infrastructure organisation for the NGOs, Charities, Foundations, Trade Associations and community based organisations in Nigeria Help to recruit and train volunteers, trustees and patrons for member organisations.

6. Provide and assist in social research in Nigeria

7. Advice and or liaise with government on issues that affect the communities.

8. Aim to inspire and restore confidence in Nigerian Voluntary Sector by empowering member organisations to be able deliver quality services in their fields of operation.

9. Promote and reward good practices in the sector

10. Provide organisational and capacity development for the sector to reduce impact of shortage of skills and issue of brain drain in the sector

11. Advocating for the sector by providing a voice to the sector within the country and abroad.

The NVSC will institutionalise an annual conference with Charity Awards ceremony. We would employ social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, website, texting, etc, where the members of the public will be able to decide the winners for the best organisation or individual on each category of nominees.

The award categories include:

i. Best charity organisation locally managed ii. Best Youth Organisation

iii. Best Volunteering organisation iv. Best Community Media; Paper, Radio, Tv.

v. Best Social Enterprise / Cooperative vi. Best Faith Charity – Charity / Muslim

The Inaugural Annual Conference and Charity Awards 2013 ceremony will be at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria on the 7th February 2013.

We commend it to you and hereby solicit your help to support its survival. If you require more information about the NVSC or its sponsorship, please do not

hesitate to contact us by email: admin@nigerianvsc.org Daniel Fashe +44 (0)7404 104 967 or fashe@nigerianvsc.org Phillip Ilenbarenemen Email: phillip@nigerianvsc.org

Thanking you in advance

Phillip Ilenbarenemen

Chair, Management Committee

NIGERIA OFFICE: 23 FOLAWEWO STREET, ALLEN AVENUE, IKEJA LAGOS, NIGERIA UK OFFICE: 815 OLD KENT ROAD, LONDON SE15 1NX Email: admin@nigerianvsc.org www.nigerianvsc.org

 

Can someone tell me the words to the little diddle that is stuck in my head, “I went to London to meet the prince..”? I have googled it, but have been unable to find to it. I see the words and pictures on page in a Mother Goose Book that is all that my foggy memory elicits. Please comment below.

by Janice Temple Flight Travel Blogger

Follow on Twitter @skychi_travels