As we approach 2020, we think about how cultures are changing and developing to include new societal trends that we have been working hard to integrate into our modern day life. One huge movement that is dear to our hearts is Female Empowerment! Women have long been a vital backbone of our evolution but have gotten little recognition for their skills and importance. Empowering women and girls and achieving gender equality are crucial to creating inclusive, open and prosperous societies. Gender inequalities, however, persist in many countries so it is important that we find new ways of addressing this issue.
In many parts of Africa, female empowerment is still a notion that is not fully addressed and so that is why we make it a main point of OBAAT’s mission. For far too long, women and girls in Africa have faced discrimination and inequalities in the work force which have not only hurt them, but their families, communities and their countries as a whole. By helping women become financial independent and providing them with health benefits and fixed salaries, we are helping their communities become stronger and give them a feeling of safety.
The Female UN provides the following facts on this important topic:
- Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality.
- Empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- When more women work, economies grow
- Increasing women’s and girls’ educational attainment contributes to women’s economic empowerment and more inclusive economic growth
Women’s economic equality is good for business
Nana Sao has a vision that is aligned with empowering females and those in impoverished communities.When we began our project, we connected with a Beader called Sthe from Durban, South Africa. She told us about how beading has been a part of her family tradition and how she uses it to empower other women to be independent using their handmade work. We choose to highlight her and her beading collective by flying to Durban and shooting a documentary and meeting the ladies. Sthe told us she gained celebrity status within her community and we changed her life forever. We are here to create these moments! Watch our interview with Sthe and her Beaders.
Our company has evolved, we have since built a small factory in Johannesburg to create a safe working environment for the women we have hired and given fixed salaries and health benefits.
