My raw submission for the “I am beijing +25 Application”.
As I sit behind my desk, I start to wonder what it is like to structure a motivational letter for an application when I’m currently not motivated myself.
And so I open a couple folders in my laptop that remind me about times that I was motivated. As I do this, the “I am beijing +25 application” stands out for me. and here is a snippet of the questions and answers I submitted (Feel free to comment);
Tell us shortly about yourself while focusing on what you do in advancing girls’ and women’s rights in your community. Maximum 200 words
My response,
Well, I believe in women rights for a number of reasons, not only being that it is a basic right but because no one, is to be left behind due to circumstantial features that they cannot alter. Professionally, I work and do research in the civil engineering sector. My drive for the science field has been both due to family and love for the subjects. Immediately after my undergrad school, I took part in a program that was facilitated by both school and a religious organization. They worked on providing life skills and education to young girls in rural Tanzania. In a trip to Northern Kigoma, I taught a class of 60 students in a week and not more than a quarter were girls. Out of 463 students in the whole school, only one girl was deemed successful in her O level exams. With a vivid idea of the ratio there is between boys and girls in the science field from my undergrad class, after a year, I started incorporating my work trips with school visits. I, then, managed to organize a motivational and a “shedding light” session towards the number of careers present in the science field for women as well.
What do you know about the Beijing platform for action in connection to girls’ and women’s rights? What does Beijing +25 mean to you as a young woman in Tanzania?
My response,
The Beijing platform for Action is a means towards a future of multi-generational inclusivity of women’s rights through raising awareness and evoking stances such as “The Future We Want; the UN We Need” by the UN Women Chapter. These affirmatives were placed as a commitment to a multilateralism culture. A number of tenacities were reached to provide accountability for the government to participate in the realization of gender equality and women empowerment under the key 12 areas that are poverty, education and training, health, violence, environment, institutional mechanisms, economy, power and decision-making, human rights, armed conflict, media, and the girl child. To me, Beijing +25 is a safe space/hub for connecting, cultivating and converting mindsets. Under the Beijing Declaration and platform for Action, 1995 — Education and training of women, the strategic objectives are written for only one side of the coin. My involvement in this program is going to deal with the other side of the coin — the girl child’s. The sub-Saharan rate of realization of these rights are dormant or grow exponentially slow, mainly because of the mindset we grow with. A changed mindset for a young girl is a changed generation for many others.
If admitted in this program, how will you bring on board, manage and sustain a group of other 25 girls as Beijing impact sisters?
My response,
The chance to be part of this program will bridge my beliefs into commission. This safe space if granted, will be a cultivation period for me and other young girls on the type of mindset evolution that we need to acquire in order to aid our country and its administrative organs, accelerate the realization of gender equality through us. Currently, Social Media has provided a great way of communication and its accessibility will help effect the change that we want to bring about in society. Off social media, we can bridge these gaps through the education sector and provide means of inclusion by sessions that address gender inequality and increase awareness. Hence, I would emphasize having constructive discussions and equal rights content through this platform that will ultimately, fuel actions that can be translated into real life changes.
Being a part of the Beijing +25 is being able to show other girls that we believe in your inclusion and we are ready to take part in the change with you. As a Beijing impact sister, it would be an honor to be able to be a face of relativity and converting mindsets together.
Ideally, I am hoping that sharing this piece will provide me with the spark that I need. But if it doesn’t, I stay optimistic that sharing this piece will provide someone else their answers. Eitherway, I thank GOD for this piece.
Thank you for taking this journey with me as I uncover different ways of storytelling from everyday life events — Neema
