Q. What is your favorite part of your job?
A. I like “doing”. I like being home and going into the Center each day and sharing with the other women leaders who are coming in. It is thrilling to me to see how the women who have been with us have matured over the last one and a half years, and also to see how the new ones getting it are getting into it. As you might expect, things are evolving a bit. Besides advocating for a change of paradigm in Congo, they have begun to want to know how to leverage the online connection to impact their personal situations. That’s where the World Pulse forum really began to have some significance for individual women and where the light really began to switch on for many. The women began to dig in to the World Pulse Resource Exchange. It was tough getting some traction since everything posted was in English and we are French speaking. But using the Translation tool that World Pulse provides, the women began checking out all the opportunities. In the Opportunities section of the Resource Exchange we were finding trainings, project funding opportunities, and other compelling prospects being posted. Several of the women got selected for trainings and conferences, several got sponsors for projects, and a number of our young women and men are in the selection process for the United States Young African Leaders Initiative. Those things have kindled a fire. As women of a nation that sits in the basement of the world’s human development index, we need some resources, we need some funding for our projects, and we need some personal development. These women are change-makers. They are online advocates, yes, but like me, their real desire is to be creating the change they’ve been advocating for. Sure, these are small steps we’re talking about. But who doesn’t start with small steps? Just stepping is big to us!
Q. Where does a Culture Revolution start?
A. A Culture Revolution starts from within. It only takes a tiny spark to kindle the flame of unique and incredible life in each woman. Maybe I have given oxygen for their voice, and World Pulse has provided the microphone and interactive audience. The rest is what comes forth from every woman. And it is always new, exciting, interesting, refreshing, endearing, inspiring and enlivening. Our culture is changing, as each one grabs the mic and releases what’s within. Congo’s culture is changing, one woman at a time.
APRIL 2014
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