Continuing to empower our women

THE EDITOR: Having celebrated International Women’s Day last week, it is important to reflect on what women have contributed to worldwide human development through the process of empowerment, and the potential for them to make even greater contributions if societal structures facilitate same.

Women have been able to stand tall in areas of sports, leadership, education, medicine, culture and many other fields.

In TT, we have had women at the pinnacle of leadership in Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the prime ministerial post and soon the first female president, Paula Mae Weekes, in the apex of national governance.

We have had international beauty queens, sportswomen, musicians, doctors, agriculturists and a whole spectrum of career personalities and professionals during the life of this nation.

The task has been an uphill one for all those women who made it to the top and performed with great expertise.

Women struggled to obtain universal adult franchise and so got voting rights long after men were enjoying same.

In terms of receiving an equal salary for equal qualifications and competence, women fought to break the glass ceiling in that area.

With enlightenment and education, women began and are still struggling to find a place in the boardroom.

It took some time before women began to be recognised as the co-heads of the home.

Yet, there still are too many homes where domestic violence and abuse are used to “keep women in their place.”

There is a dire need for the rapid acceleration of the empowerment of women in our society.

For over 25 years, Moms For Literacy has been empowering women through literacy.

On this occasion, our organisation thanks our founder, Amber Gonzales, for her relentless and expert work in the area of literacy competence, clearly recognising its empowerment capacity.

We also complement all individuals and organisations who work assiduously in their own way to help empower women.

TREVOR OLIVER, programme coordinator, Moms For Literacy