By Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan
PRESS RELEASE: BUILDING INCLUSIVITY; CELEBRATING WOMEN
Sharing success stories of women will always be inspiring. The incredible work that women continue to put into the development of our communities has impacted many lives, and inspired many other women and girls to stand up to challenges they encounter daily.
The last 12 months has been dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic yet, women have continued their exploits. From Kamala Harris emerging as the first female Vice President of the United States of America to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala leading the World Trade Organization as the first female Director-General, we have a lot of stories of women who have challenged the status quo and set new standards.
This year’s theme of the International Women’s Day is ‘Choose to Challenge’. In building an inclusive world that recognizes the contributions of women, we must call out gender bias and inequality while celebrating women’s achievements. This is a collective responsibility as we have seen the power of providing women with the platforms and enabling environment to thrive.
At Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, our commitment to the development of women took a leap in the past year. We leveraged women power in our major projects. Our Teens Speak Out event committee was chaired and coordinated by a woman. We ensured that women were adequately represented in our partnerships with KAIICID and the United Nations Development Program on curbing insecurity in North Central Nigeria.
We also had an increase in women’s participation in our essay and oratory contests where women also emerged winners. Undoubtedly, the imbalance is tilting towards the path of equality but there is still a lot of work to do. The gender disparity that has shaped our societies for centuries still exists but we stand a chance to reach a balance where equal opportunities are available to everyone regardless of their gender, religion, race, ethnic affiliation, sexual orientation, etc.
Going forward, we challenge more women to take up roles in various institutions especially in politics. For there to be a balance, we need more women to be involved and to occupy decision making positions.
