Young businesswoman Ziyanda Zulu held an event called ‘Imbokodo Empowering’ on Human Rights Day. Her initiative served to bring women together so that they could discuss their rights and the challenges they face in their daily lives.
Held at a café in Vryheid and attended by women from various places, the event had the theme ‘Look Beautiful and Comfortable’. Thandeka Sibisi opened with a prayer and welcomed everyone present.
To break the ice, the ladies then all introduced themselves. Event organiser Zulu outlined the purpose of the day and said, “Firstly I would like to thank you all for availing yourselves today. The reason we are here is to vent. As women, we go through a lot in terms of parenting, struggles in our life, depression, anxiety, self-care and more, so now we will be discussing these topics to find solutions and build up one another.’’
Sibisi touched on the topic of self-care and emphasised the importance of taking good care of yourself as a woman. ‘’Most of the time, when we think of a woman taking care of herself, we think of how well she does her makeup or the clothes she wears, but it goes way beyond that. Self-care for a woman starts from the inside; you must have peace within you first. If you are not a peaceful woman, you tend to gossip a lot, compare and bad-mouth people. Another thing that women need is to form good, healthy relationships with other women in order to care for themselves. So let’s build relationships that are good for us. Lastly, as women, we need to watch what we eat. If you eat whatever is brought to you, you will age before your time and certain diseases will infect you. Gym is good for the body, but 80% of a healthy body is made up of what you eat. Also drink plenty of water.”
Ma’am Nomalanga dwelled on the topic of depression, where everybody interacted. The ladies were asked what they think causes depression, and most answered that it is pressure from society and yourself – expectations from people; thinking one is a failure; loss of close friends and family; and thinking you are not good enough or doing your best. Nomalanga also probed for solutions to depression. The answers she received were: people should learn to speak out; take some time off; don’t try to be a superhero and ask for help if you need it; take things slow and easy with yourself; do things that please you and not the next person; and don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. The attendees said it was a fun and informative session.
In closing, the women were told to believe in themselves and carry themselves with confidence and a smile in everything they do. ALSO READ:Women abuse is on the rise
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