DRC – Women’s Leadership and the Professions of the Future
As part of its Values Education Programme (PEV), aimed at promoting youth, Foi et Joie [Fe y Alegria or, Faith and Joy] DRC has changed its training policy by calling on resource persons from the upper social class to address young people living in remote areas. For example, in the town of Kikwit, which does not have an industry, a school conference was organised on "Female Leadership and Future Professions". This space for reflection aimed to help young people see the future beyond the boundaries defined by the surrounding culture, particularly with regard to girls.
To give weight to this initiative, which is so vital for young people living outside large cities, Foi et Joie RDC called on Ms Mamitsho Pontshi Lobo, Co-pilot at Congo Airways, the national aviation company of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to show young girls other facets of women's involvement in society and to emphasise the fact that the acquisition of skills is the essential factor for future jobs.
The training had three objectives: (i) to promote the trades of the future, particularly those related to digital technology (ii) to encourage young girls to have the ambition and determination to realise their dreams (iii) to encourage young people to continue and complete their schooling correctly in an environment where marriages and early pregnancies are frequent or accompany the ordinary life of young people
In a context where sociocultural norms, gender stereotypes on girls' education and the lack of training opportunities and preparation for leadership are all barriers, it has proved necessary to present girls with models of society on which they can draw inspiration to build their dreams and revolutionise the prevailing mentality—a way to encourage them to work hard to achieve their ambitions.
Through this conference, which has evolved in a discriminatory environment during her academic studies in aviation, Ms Mamitsho Pontshi Lobo demystified all the cultural prejudices around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). She then sensitised the girls to go for these professions while showing them the benefits attached to them.
Foi et Joie RDC's concern is getting young people out of their "cultural ghettos" by providing them with reliable knowledge that can help them see the world around them differently. Training and information are undoubtedly the keys to success in such an undertaking.
Source : fealegria.org
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