Organisation empowers women, girls to be entrepreneurs

IN commemoration of Women’s Month, the Abbaquar San Dream Centre, held an entrepreneurship workshop, among other activities, aimed at empowering and uplifting the women and girls living in Wentworth.

More the 50 women and 15 girls attended the event held at the Silvertree Hall in Wentworth on Tuesday, August 9.

Olivia Jones, the chairperson of the non-profit organisation, said the women were treated to a fun-filled day of motivational talks, music and dance, games, and prize giveaways.

“We wanted to empower the women of the community and the best way we saw fit was having motivational speakers from the community, who have experienced some of the same challenges and struggles that most women are facing, such as gender-based violence, and unemployment. We hoped that the speakers, through their own stories of hardship and success, would inspire the women to overcome their struggles too.

“We also wanted it to be a day to spoil these women, and during these tough economic times, many families are trying to put food on the tables, before thinking about their own needs. So we did prize giveaways such as gift cards to have their hair done, get a massage, or a new pair of jeans. This was so that they could look and feel good,” she said.

Jones said girls, aged between nine and 17, were given the opportunity to attend a free business entrepreneurship workshop.

We had sent out an invitation to the principals at some of the schools in the area, to encourage the girls to attend the workshop. We had representatives, from the Wentworth Advice Centre, a non-profit organisation, who advised the girls on how they could start their own businesses.

“Looking at the current unemployment rate in our country, it is important that we empower our youth that they need to be independent and explore their entrepreneurial skills, by opening their own businesses. The workshop was well-received by the girls and they were very excited to receive a gift at the end,” she said.

Jones said each of the women was given a balloon to release.

“They were asked to write their problem on a piece of paper and place it into the balloon, which they then blew up and released into the sky. We thereafter asked them how they felt to let their problem go, and for many, it was a weight lifted off their chests.

“Following the success of our first event, we are aiming to continue in our strides to empower and educate women and young girls through future workshops and events,” she said.

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