March 8
#BreaktheBias: Rubbing Minds with the AfriWomenGrassroot Women.
Today, some of our beneficiaries from our Molete Centre joined us at the AfriWomen Place for a round table discussion and lunch to celebrate this year’s international day.
The day’s discussion recognised the phenomenal achievements that women have made and continue to make in the fight for gender equality. Also, the participants took time to reflect on the challenges that women are yet to overcome.
Thinking about her experiences of biases, Mrs Tope Ojo pointed out that her father’s attitude to the girls child education meant that she was not educated but that it made her resolute to ensure that all her children will get an education.
She advised women to stand bold for the education of the girl children because it has the benefit of nurturing a future educated carer and breaking generational poverty from the family.
Furthermore, Mrs Ojo emphasised the importance of having a network of educated persons around her. ‘I was offered a contract, but because I did not have any certificate to tender, I lost the job, this prompted me to join the Afriwomen adult literacy center’.’ My business has grown, I have ventured into new businesses since I joined’.
For Mrs. Ogbakani, an igbo woman, girl-child education in her culture is considered important. However, because of her mother’s early death, she lost the opportunity to attend school. Instead, as the eldest, she had to work to send her siblings to school. But she understands how much her lack of education has affected her socio-economic development.
Mrs Ogbakani highlighted that even in gatherings like the church, she is unable to make contributions during conversations, and this influenced her self-esteem.
Another participants AlhajaAlakija said people still believe that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. Men believe that they ought to lead us; to hold political and all leadership positions. She urged more women to stand up and state that they will not be relinquished to the kitchen. She encouraged more women to come forth and take more participatory positions in the community and solicited for the support of men.
Alakija also highlighted that sometimes women impede the progress of fellow women. She narrated an incidence when a woman wanted to vie for the post of an honourable in a ward. At the meeting, some women said hey could not support the woman, because they could not be trusted. She tried to convince them, to no avail, and she had to join the other team.
Despite all our progress, gender-based discrimination still persists in various forms. This one of the reasons why the AfriWomen is passionate about playing her part to ensure girls and women are given all the rights, supports and opportunities that they deserve in life. Adebukola Oso the founder of the AfriWomen commended all the adult literacy centre beneficiaries for taking bold steps to be more in life. Notwithstanding their age and status they recognise the importance of education in breaking biases andend-of-the-year for it.