Women and men from all walks of life celebrated the theme of breaking the bias on International Women’s Day on March 8.
Rotary E Club invited a number of stakeholders to the event, hosted at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, which sought to highlight the importance of mentorship amongst women.
Event MC Shereen Hunter said this year’s Rotary theme is ‘each one mentor one’.
“We desperately need to break the bias regarding what women can do and the spaces they can occupy,” said Hunter.
Rotary district governor and global health expert Professor Stella Anyangwe told her story of overcoming gender stereotypes.
She was one of only six women enrolled in the first medical school in Cameroon. Today, she is one of two women in Cameroon to have an MD and PhD.
In 1995, she joined the male-dominated Rotary Club and has since become the first black female district governor in 100 years.
Since joining Rotary, Anyangwe has made it her mission to bring one woman into the club each year.
“It is my duty to hold a younger woman by the hand and lift them up,” said Anyangwe.
Keynote speaker Advocate Rasigie Bhika advised the women in attendance to find worthy and uplifting South African female role models. She listed people such as Miriam Makeba, Thuli Madonsela, Lilian Ngoyi, Mamokgethi Phakeng and Caster Semenya as some of her role models.
Bhika began her work in the office of public prosecutions in 1990 as the first black woman.
“We have a duty to lift up our community. Let someone stand on your shoulders and be fearless,” advised Bhika.
Second keynote speaker Anja Ranjan, who serves as the Consul General of India in South Africa, echoed the words of the other speakers, encouraging attendees to pledge to help another woman who needs to become successful.
“Together, we can do anything,” she concluded.
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