SOFFIA MAGAZINE 6TH EDITION

and within their communities?
I have been overwhelmed by the
love and support I’ve received
from these communities. I cannot
imagine what this initiative
would’ve been without them.
The mind is the most powerful
tool in the universe, and when we
believe in ourselves the possibilities
are endless. None of these
women had ever entered a bank
or even owned a bank account
before joining this network. A couple
of weeks ago, they were discussing
their first bank experiences,
and this woman said to me,
“I never thought that I would ever
enter a bank.” It’s things like this
that really get my emotions flowing,
When she entered the bank,
she asked to sit on a swinging
chair, after swinging nonstop, she
said the bank was like heaven,
that it was so cold. One of them
also told me that they thought life
was all about eating and brewing
“ataya” (Chinese tea) every
day, which is exactly what they
did, and now this same woman
trades gaweh across regions.
In Ballangharr, they mine “gaweh”
and sell it wholesale. These are
just some examples that prove
to us, our warriors are not only
beginning to think differently but
building successful business.
Do we need to change our mentality
towards women in order
to make positive changes, or
should women change their
mentality for their own good as
well?
Right there, you hit the mark.
Absolutely. The mentality of men
towards women will not change
until women change how they see
themselves and other women.
Women need to learn to let go
of the limitations that have been
placed on them by society. It’s the
toxic belief that we’re “just women”
that we need to break away
from. A classic example, In Kerr
Nderry, we established a Convenience
store, previously the villagers
had to travel miles to buy
basic necessities, so we opened
it a shop at the “Pencha”, where
everyone congregates. Before
we opened the store, the women
told us “Kumba”, we are only
women, we can’t even manage a
store” and I responded with “You
have the same gifts as anybody
else who can manage a store.”
Today not only are the managing
a store they are running one of
the most successful businesses
in that region. Consequently,
we’ve opened two other stores
in the same region. We are now
in Jalamba, and Choyen so the
women continue to expand. It’s
all about mindset.
Do you involve men in this
initiative?
I happen to be a strong advocate
for men, and though my focus
is female empowerment, I am a
champion for families more than
anything else. I’m very fortunate
to be with a man that is also a
strong advocate for women, and
his support has been invaluable
to this journey; My ability to do
what I do would not be possible
if I were “against men” because
they will also be benefiting from a
society of strong and empowered
women too.
How do you think we should
approach gender gaps; thus
the issue of gender equality is
still a challenge in our society?
Firstly, as a society, the way men
have been raised in our households
has done a disservice to
themselves and their female
counterparts. Men cannot be
raised to honor us as mothers,
and then disregard everyone
else. We must raise men to be
compassionate, empathetic, loyal,
and supportive. To be a man,
8 | SOFFIA MAGAZINE +220 9913854