February 29, 2008

Parallel Events: Friday 29th February

Filed under: Conferences — BKUN New York @ 7:52 pm

Financing the Empowerment of Rural Women - Rural Development Leadership Network  

I really loved this session and particularly the general tone of the event. There were 6 speakers, each from very different contexts sharing very different ways in which rural women have succeeded. One of the speakers said that “it is very difficult to get people to invest in themselves when they have spent such a long time NOT investing in themselves. ” This really emphasized for me, the importance of realizing one’s own worth in the process of empowerment, because without this, no matter how much you help a person with physical resources, they will not be able to use them effectively and sustainably.

Another speaker demonstrated how even the poorest women can be philanthropists, if not in monitory terms, then in time, wisdom, care and support. This for me is the key to real empowerment . . . showing a women that she has something meaningful to offer, no matter the circumstances. The final speaker shared how, in working with the Belize Rural Women’s Association, they had been determined that “with or without money, they were going to break this cycle of the poverty of women.” I really loved this point because it’s saying that we are even MORE powerful than money, we have power despite it . . . and that power comes from who we are and not what we have. Very inspiring!

Gaby, NY