Willowmoore girls empowered by women talk
A “girl power” talk took place at Willowmoore High School on May 26 to inspire and encourage girls to be the best they can be.
The event played host to inspirational speakers like Victoria Welthagen (Miss Benoni), Suret Stroh (CEO of Lady Gracious SA/Man of God SA) and Rose Maja (iThemba Rape and Trauma Support Centre).
The three women took the stage to inspire girls about never giving up, no matter how hard life can be.
“I suffered from attention deficit disorder (ADD) so I struggled in school from Grade 4,” Welthagen said.
“I was often teased because I was taller than my friends and teachers.”
However, Welthagen gave the girls two quotes that she lives by: If you can dream it, you can do it; and a beautiful appearance will last a few decades, but a beautiful personality will last a lifetime.
The beauty explained to the Willowmoore learners that women empowerment comes from determination and beauty that shines from within.
“I have a main goal and that is to make a difference by impacting youngsters in life,” she said.
“I want girls to be confident in who they are and what they stand for.”
Stroh gave the girls five steps to reach their dreams namely; have a picture, dream it, write it down, take action and believe it to achieve it.
“We need to live by our dreams,” Stroh said.
“Having good intentions are not enough to make us grow, our dreams need to become a reality.”
Lastly, Maja took the stage to share her life story.
“I was raped at the age of 12,” she said.
“Later on I was raped by five men who broke into my house.
Maja said she became angry after being abused to the extent that she woke up in hospital after her husband broke her spine.
“The doctors said I would never be able to walk again, but here I am walking,” she said.
The 53-year-old said her anger landed her up in jail on several occasions after she left her husband, until one day she met with a social worker and eventually joined a church.
“I found iThemba and started working there in 2006,” she said.
“I realised that what happened to me was not my fault.”
Maja concluded by telling the youngsters that being told they are beautiful is not what is important in life, but leaving a statement and legacy everywhere they go is.
Also read: DoSD aims to empower learners
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