Fashion show charity lunch

Friday the 4th May, it was time again for the second year running ladies fashion show charity lunch against Human Trafficking! I am very competitive person so everything I do have to be better than the previous time. And of course it was 🙂 This year I also had the help of my new partner Madelaine, who recently joined my little “one-woman-band” and has been fantastic. With the support of all the amazing women that attended , me and Madelaine, raised just over 5500 euros including two children sponsorships, which is 650 euros each.

Last year we had 90 guests and this year close to 120 guests. Gunnel’s Fashion and Nina B had an amazing fashion show and being a big fan of their clothes, it was lovely to work with both Nina and Gunnel.

This year we also had the pleasure to try out a new venue, The View Bar, located at Centro Plaza, just next to both clothes shops. The food and service was great and with music by DJ Russell, the day couldn’t have been better. Well maybe the rain drops that came for a short moment could have stayed away but even so the day was a success.

Also, I made a new friend, Julie Miles. A wonderful person and a fantastic designer of jewellery. She helped us raise more money with her donation beautiful bracelets that we sold during the day. For those of you who missed them, she will be at Nikki Beach gala with us again and I also have some that she left with us until then.

Below you will find many, many photos from this fantastic event! Enjoy and have a lovely day !!! 

 

 

First event of the year

Tonight is the night! Gibraltar here I come 🙂

It has been a hectic last month in order to get this gala just right. Being the first time I move my events out of Marbella and seek a new audience, I have had to work very hard. To organise a charity event without spending any money is not always easy but for me this is also half the challenge. I insist that nobody should make a profit out of charity so I will only work with people who do this out of the goodness of their heart.

First step, find a suitable venue; beautiful, luxurious, professional and willing to do a breakeven cost for their menu. I found my perfect venue at the elegant yacht hotel Sunborn Gibraltar. Next step is entertainment and what is better than a fashion show? So I contacted my great friend Caroline Azzi who makes the most beautiful custom made jewellery and beach wear to take on this event with me. We were recommended to contact the most elegant dress, wedding and gala wear shop on Gibraltar to take part in the show; Diamond Occasions and I am so pleased they said yes. From here on we were 3 strong girls on board to create something amazing for this big night and I think we did it!

A big part is to find the right guests for an event and that is also very hard when you don’t have the contacts. I approached some of the key women around Gibraltar and Sotogrande and when they heard about Maiti Nepal, they were more than happy to attend the event and also invite friends.  Working with this charity never disheartens me, even though I see all the torture and violence the children and women of Nepal go though. I always try to focus on seeing the good. I see all the beautiful people that come together and work to end this crime.  I have made some fantastic new friends this last month while working on this gala. Also approaching local businesses for help with everything from auction donations, flower center pieces, welcome drinks, models for the fashion show, hair dresser and make up and the response and help has been huge. Thanks to (in no particular order)  Patricia Darch Interior, Saccone & Speed, Susan’s aesthetic service, Loveliest Flowers, Miss Gibraltar Pageant, Davinia Cano, singer Tmar, WiGoGo, Blue Sky Super cars, Bianca Zammit of Little Divas, Irene Rosenblatt, singer Claire Hawkins, hairdresser Nikki Antcliff and photographer Witto Ellul, all the models and of course Caroline Azzi and Diamond Occasions. I am so grateful for your help along the way to make this event a success!

Last but not least, the big surprise for the night is that we have a huge world star with us tonight….Sheyla Bonnick, founder of the world famous group BoneyM and she will perform together with S’Iza.

I always hold big hopes for every event I organise. Hope keeps us motivated and I truly hope we will raise a lot of money for the children of Maiti Nepal tonight ♥

 

 

 

Journey to Maiti Nepal

I have been meaning to write for weeks but it became very hectic before the trip. We packed 8 suitcases full of donated clothes and soft toys to bring to Maiti Nepal. I want to thank everyone that has helped me with this collection. I can tell you that the children were so happy with everything we brought them.

They had prepared a beautiful dance performance show in our honor and the welcome speech held by one of the girls brought up at Maiti Nepal as baby and now 18 years old and working there, made me cry. (find parts of their performance on my instagram @mariannesteneholm) Our first two days we have spent with the children at the Teresa Academy (Maiti Nepal’s school) and with the smaller children residing at the shelters. We had brought face paint to play with the pre-schoolers but our visit was so special for the children that the elder classes also wanted to join us. In the end the whole court yard was full of hundreds of children with big smiles on their faces, hugging us and asking us questions.

I have so many impressions and emotions going through my mind that I don’t know where to start and where to end.

For the next coming days, we will have some more serious meetings about urgent needs at Maiti Nepal shelters and which of those could be supported by the funds we have raised. I will be updating my blog with more information and photos from the trip again soon, I promise xxx

Art vernissage for charity

Last Friday it was time for our next charity event at the Benezra Art Gallery in La Quinta. The art vernissage was an exhibition of some exquisite paintings and sculptures by international and local artists and theme was horses.

Any paintings bought from the visitors will benefit Maiti Nepal with a 10% cut. During the event we also had a raffle with prizes donated from local businesses and our sponsor Wine Golf and Gourmet invited all the guests for cava a volonté. We also had the pleasure of listening to upcoming singer Veronica Malka with her new single Flawless She will be the opening act for Michael Bolton during his concert at the Puente Romano Hotel in July. We also had fantastic guitarist and singer David McLaughlin on stage performing.

It was a fantastic evening with so many kind people supporting us to help stop human trafficking. A big thank you ❤

Please enjoy all these beautiful photos from the event taken by LeMa Photographers

 

 

 

 

 

Don´t miss this amazing photo gallery

Here are some of the photos taken by the great photographer Gary Tapp during the Maiti Nepal  fashion show charity event at La Sala on the 31st March. We experienced a beautiful selection of models in spectacular clothes from Gunnel´s Fashion and Caroline Azzi Jewelry

Enjoy, Marianne ❤

My burglary experiences

That moment we all fear, when you are awakened by a strange noise in the middle of the night. The noise of someone trying to force enter your home. That is exactly what happened to me a few nights ago.

At 4 am I suddenly wake up from a strange noise, metal against metal tapping noise. A bit drowsy,  it took me a few seconds to realise the sound was coming from my balcony. I jump off the bed and rush into the living room, still half naked in the dark. On the outside of my sliding balcony doors I see the contours of a person hunched over, trying to open my lock with a tool. ,You never know how you will react until you are put on the spot like I was that night.  As my week had been very emotional due to Davidson being ill ,  I went absolutely berserk.  I just screamed from the bottom of my lungs and started running towards the window waving my arms up and down. The burglar looked up straight at me with his face covered in a balaclava. Judging from the surprised look on his eyes, he probably thought I would run straight through the window haha. As I reached for my key to open the door, the burglar realized I was coming out there. He suddenly turned around and escaped by jumping down to the garden below me. I continued screaming as I saw him disappear across the communal gardens below. Once he was out of site I called the police 092. They were very quick to come and checked the perimeters of the urbanization.

Break ins happen all over the world and the burglars get bolder and bolder. I chased a burglar out of  a previous home about 8 years ago too. Same scenario but I had left the safety lock open so the access was much easier. However Davidson was well in those days and thankfully he alerted me! We work so hard to make a living so to get some lazy people intimidating you in your own home at night makes me go furious. I will not feel scared in my home. Following morning we put in additional locks and made other safety improvements. Some people may think it´s not a good subject to blog about, but at the end of the day, who doesn’t know that burglaries happen?

 

 

 

 

Don´t stay in your comfort zone

Last weekend I went to the UK for some me time. Of course there was no way I could stay away from the gym 😉 Luckily my friend over there is a big gym fan too. He pushed me so hard:-) It was great!! I was completely wrecked haha. Not only did I learn some new things but most of all I realized that this last year I have been training within my personal comfort zone. I have honestly thought that I am training like a beast and can´t do more when in reality I CAN DO SO MUCH MORE. It´s funny how we can block ourselves mentally thinking we can´t do something. This weekend I was pushed out of that comfort zone and gained new confidence and motivation. I have now been back home for 3 days and every morning this week, I have upped the weights on every single exercise! How about that??!!

So my tip for this week is to get someone to push you out of your normal routine and try some new exercises and give you the balls to put more weights on. It´s not only good for the muscles but more than anything for our head!! Feels awesome 🙂

Below is my Sunday back routine that I can still feel today! And another video showing a different way training those important hamstrings!

 

 

 

 

2016 lessons learned and highlights earned

Hi all! I hope you had a great start to the new year! Today I am taking a little moment to look back at 2016. It was a very special year for me for many reasons 🙂 First of all, I turned 40. I can honestly say I believe that 40 is the new 30 because I both feel and look happier and healthier then ever! My mind set changed a lot last year. Just accepting who I am and not care about what anyone else thinks. I kind of found myself…and one thing lead to another so last year is also the year that I started to blog because I started to believe that I can motivate and give positive ideas to those around me.

2016 was also an amazing friendship year. Some of my old friendships grew stronger and I some new friendships got started.

My big worry of last year was Davidson getting older. But he is still here, a happy little old man. We enjoy every moment we have together and take each day as it comes. Every day with him here is my best gift.

Here are some of my last year highlights in pictures ❤

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maiti Nepal- My 2017

Today on the very first of January 2017, I want to tell you about my project for this year, so please take the time to read my story below donation link. I have big hopes in my ability to make a difference for these girls. I also want you to know that I will go to Maiti Nepal’s shelters and meet the girls and show you where your money has been used. I will prove to you all that any gesture of kindness, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in someone’s life. Help by donating on: We can’t help everyone but everyone can help someone

The cruel reality is that  more than 15,000 women and children a year are trafficked from Nepal and 150-300,000 Nepalese girls are currently estimated to be in brothels in India.  7- 24 years of age and servicing up to 50 men/day. Most are kept in cages. Maiti Nepal funder, Anuradha Koirala, has dedicated her life to these victims and her achievements so far are truly admirable.
Maiti Nepal focus on prevention of girl trafficking . They raid brothels to rescue victims. 496 traffickers have been convicted due to Maiti Nepals legal efforts. They go to jail for up to 18 years. Maiti Nepal also try to educate civilians as well as the police force in the high risk areas. They rehabilitate the victims and teach them new income-generation skills such as bead work, sewing, horticulture, furniture making, baking and cooking and they are provided shelter until they are ready to stand on their feet.
Maiti Nepal currently operate 12 intervention posts in the border areas to rescue the girls before reaching their end destination and with help from rescued girls, they can find the routes used and help recognize traffickers. The cost to operate a border transit home for one year is 20.000$ but the impact it makes is worth every penny.
I say: Stop Human Trafficking! If you have access to read this post, you have the means and possibility to make a difference.
“Take every child as your own daughter, and soon you will see her sorrow and then you will feel the strength that comes out of you to protect them” – Anuradha Koirala

Marbella in red alert

Just arrived home after 10 days holiday to Sweden and a most amazing trip to Iceland. Unfortunately I have returned to a Marbella and Costa del Sol in complete rain chaos and flooding. So my holiday blog posts will have to wait a few days. When we landed in Malaga my phone was bombarded with videos and photos of the disasterous morning many of my friends had woken up to. During 12 hours up to 200 l/ m3 had fallen. My pick up had not been able to leave home with the car as large parts of Nueva Andalucia was under water. I called taxi Marbella and they could not confirm if I would be able to get to my house. They recommended me to take the airport bus to Marbella and hope for the best. After waiting for the bus and making my way back the rain luckily calmed down so taxi could take me from the bus station and home. My apartment is on the first floor so it was luckily fine but my heart goes out to so many people and animals that have been badly affected. It is a very scary feeling to see this right on your door step. The tunnel under San Pedro under water, garages flooded and cars floating down rivers. Part of the Swedish school under water. A picture says more than a 1000 words so take a look at the images below. I also want to say that help is needed, both housing, warm clothes, food and aid with evacuating animals in refuge shelters along the coast: Help Costa del Sol after rain disaster

The rain has picked up again and seems to continue for the night:-(

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