“No amount of challenges that most women are meant to encounter in their lives should constraint them from realizing their dreams. So long as they are confident enough to face any possible problems they may encounter, they could prevail and achieve their dreams.”
The Addis Ababa City Administration Deputy Mayor, Adanech Abiebe uttered the above remark during an experience sharing program carried out recently between experienced and young women that was organized by Addis Ababa City Administration Youth Volunteer Coordination Office with the aim to exchange life experience.
In the especial program held under the title ‘I share my life experience’ Adanech noted that though women are faced with multifaceted challenges owing to various visible and invisible hands, they should be strong enough to confront their problems and develop a mindset of “I can do it,” because there could be nothing they cannot accomplish If they dreamed it.
“Hopelessness makes one lag behind from success. Women should neglect negative comments such as ‘you cannot do it’ from the surrounding; rather they should strive to proof those people wrong through working industriously and committedly. After all success comes through hard work.”
Adanech further noted: “Nothing gives me more pleasure than serving my people; and at the top of this, it is teamwork that takes the priority to fit in leadership positions” remarked the Deputy Mayor.
She also highlighted the importance of sharing life experience with emerging youth women as it helps them confront the problems they may face in their daily lives.
The potential of turning life challenges into opportunities is the best characteristics of successful women in the world; thus building up self-confidence, identifying abilities and developing ‘I can’ feeling is the finest way to success, Adanech stressed.
Mentioning that women should surpass the complicated challenges they may encounter on their way to success, she stressed that instead of blaming others, they should focus on developing themselves.
Moreover, she stated that the women should take the life experience and journey of strong and experienced people so that they could use the lesson they draw to fulfill their life goals for the future.
In similar program held under this same theme, Meaza Ashenafi, President of the Federal Supreme Court has shared her life experience for youths that were drawn from various parts of the city.
Born and raised in Benshangul gumuz, she came to Addis at 17; Meaza said that she was very keen to learn and she came to Addis to join the University. Meaza had been serving at different positions.
Known for her advocacy for the rights and legal protection of women, she was the founder and former executive Director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA) which has played a paramount of significance in providing legal support for vulnerable women.
Speaking at the experience sharing event, Meaza noted that the fact that EWLA was active in advocating for promotion of human rights and financial mediation in favor of women, the then government bodies were not happy about it to the level where they threatened her to stop Association’s move and after a while, they compelled to shut it off .
However, the three strong attorney general women who founded EWLA did not stop there and headed to accuse the government and put it before law. Fortunately, the verdict was in favor of the women and was able to reopen the Association. Even though she had been serving in different positions, she said that it was at EWLA that she found herself in. The Association has been performing tremendous activities providing legal support for women.
She was also the co-founder and Chairperson of the Board of the first ever women bank-Enat Bank in Ethiopia. As to her, the idea of establishing ENAT Bank came while she was attending a discussion that was organized amongst businesswomen and majority of the participants were concerned about absence of lands to run their business.
The businesswomen who sat next to Meaza told her that if the women had enough money, they would not have been troubled by land issue as they would have easily access it and expand their businesses.
After hearing the women, Meaza wondered that the main discussion point should have been how to create access to finance for the women. So, she insisted on having further talk with the businesswomen and invited her to chat outside. After a thorough discussion with her and the other women with similar concern, they were able to establish the first ever women bank in the country.
After sharing both of her stories, she advised the youths to be patient and go all the way to reach where they want to be in life and explained how it is important to take risks for something that they believe would worth it.
“As a woman who came from an extended family where my mother used to lead the house since my father was the mayor of the city, our mother was the role model for the family especially for her five daughters.”
“Even though there were no television or access to books was inadequate; plus we were not able to see other women as role model, the mother who raised nine children with discipline who turned out best in their lives is a great role model”, she said.
As she advises her children, she told the youths to just do their jobs and not expect anything from people because their works always speak for themselves.
During the ceremony, different influential people were also invited and shared their life experience for the youths.
It is to be noted that such program has multilayered significance as it not only help youth shape their future and take lessons; but it would also benefit them not to make same mistake and right their future.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
The Ethiopian Herald 28 August 2021
