Women urged to cling to their silver lining
Ngurimuje Naf Mieze – “Be genuinely yourself!” is the call First Lady Monica Geingos sent to Namibian women entrepreneurs at the 12th Namibian Women Summit which took place in the capital recently.Filled with emotion, the First Lady spoke heart to heart with attendees, weaving her speech around the life and recent death of Alina Kakehongo who was killed by her boyfriend in the capital. She reminded participants that even in the midst of death, every life is an opportunity from God to remind us that there is hope for a new beginning – if we don’t allow setbacks to rob us of our enthusiasm for life.
She used the summit theme, “Every life has a silver lining” as a lynchpin to remind participants that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it was easy to become agitated and to think life has no meaning, and therefore no excitement.
However, she reminded participants that life derived its momentum from a push and pull combination of positive and negative elements blended together, and it was those people who learn to see the silver lining in the midst of the chaos, who remain victorious. These are usually people who do not try to impress others with their lives, but who are genuinely themselves.
The theme of a silver lining being present in everyone’s life was tackled from many angles at the summit, and mainly through the life experiences of various speakers. Participants were reminded that sometimes the silver lining can be stained, ripped and cross-grained, while at times it is clear and inviting. What remains consistent, is that every person has to work hard to cling to that silver lining as a beacon of hope.
Chief executive of Letshego Bank, Esther Kali, shared with participants how she started off as a domestic worker and fat cake seller, because she was encouraged by the wisdom of her mother who told her that hard work always overcomes whatever stumbling blocks life brings over one’s path.
Namibian women at the summit were especially encouraged to learn about and use local as well as international opportunities to ensure that their businesses grow and flourish. Various business instruments were presented to participants like the use of social media to market their products.
A session that was an immediate hit and resonated well with many participants at the summit dealt with the legal rights of Namibian women entrepreneurs, and especially those who raise children as single mothers. They were advised not to allow pride to rob their children of the opportunity to be raised with the maintenance contributions of their biological fathers.
A local legal practitioner urged women to explore all avenues to ensure that their children are given the full support to which they are entitled to, despite the ongoing challenges posed by the current maintenance act in Namibia. Two of those challenges are the fact that the courts don’t always bring defaulting fathers to book, and that mothers are expected to stand in (sometimes) long queues at the maintenance court to collect fees from the fathers of their children.
Namibian women entrepreneurs were also encouraged to participate in international networking opportunities like the African Women Entrepreneurs Program (AWEP), an initiative of the US government that supports women entrepreneurs to market and sell their products through the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).