On the 28th November 2021, INES-Mali held a summit at ISPRIC in Bamako, the capital city of Mali.
Moderated by the golden voice Miss Hawaou Kanouté, The Young Women Empowerment Summit « YWES 2021″ was the first of its kind in Mali design to tackle young women issues.
Dubbed: » La jeune femme, le futur de la nation » which means, the young woman, the future of the nation, the summit drew about hundred young professionals, tertiary and some High school students.
The summit, presided over by Mr Manasse K. Djan, was opened with a remarkable speech . An excerpt:
» there is a sister somewhere being denied a job because she refused to sleep with the boss,
There is an aunt somewhere who is fired because she got pregnant and could no more be as effective as she use to be,
There is a mother somewhere who is subjected to beatings by her husband for whatever reason,
There is a girl somewhere who is being denied school just because she’s a girl, not a boy,
Is it a mistake to be born a girl? NO
They’re our sisters, aunts,mothers, wives and protectors and they must be respected and protected too… »
Two conferences and many other activities were at the order of the day.
The first speaker Ms Nathalie Kone Traoré, a gender expert who spoke on « Gender Based Violence GBV » stressed on the necessity of stopping to limit women just to their outer beauty. Women are more than that and capable of many things in the house, in the society, in the country and beyond. She pointed out the unfortunate fact that violence is not just emanating from men but also among women themselves. She encourage young women to speak out about all forms of violence and be one another’s protector. Young men in attendance were also implored to protect women and ensure that together we end up eradicating Gender Based Violence GBV.
The second speaker, Madam Fatima AL-ANSAR, country director of Timbuktu institute Mali, addressed the audience in a very interactive manner on the thematic: » The importance of women education « . Using a part of her life experience to communicate to the participants, she pointed out that education for women is very important to bring changes in the community. She expounded by talking about her journey from being a student in a public local school to becoming an asset to erect a school edifice in her community. She encouraged the participants to believe in themselves. Climbing the ladder to achievement might seem difficult but believing in oneself and daring to be different on regular basis will eventually get you to the peak. Madame AL-ANSAR encourage the participants not to focus on their background and using it as a limit, but rather they should believe in becoming the reference by making positive difference in their daily lives.
Slam, choreography performances followed and the summit ended with the gratitude words of the President of INES-Mali.
Editor Manasse K. Djan
