Sixteen young women from Canada and South Africa are halfway to completing their three-month stay as Youth Leaders in Action. The volunteer opportunity is organized through partnership between Canada World Youth (CWY) and the Volunteer Centre in Khayelitsha, South Africa.
On Aug. 9, South Africa celebrated Women's Day. Our exchange team participated in a 5-km women's fun walk.
To me, Women's Day is the celebration of one's femininity, individuality and independence while remembering those who strived, struggled and fought for our birthrights to vote and be treated as equals.
"Women's Day is to celebrate the integrity and honour of women; to acknowledge and appreciate their contribution to society and the world as a whole," said Lynette Adams, one of our volunteers from Cape Town.
The focus of our women's team is to promote the empowerment of our gender within our host communities.
We also attended a conference entitled Celebrating the Beauty of Women. At the event we came across women who are leaders and role models in Khayelitsha, from a chairwoman of a local organization to a poet to a political activist. Despite their smiles and courage to change a society dominated politically and socially by men, many of these women are survivors of domestic violence. Domestic violence is one of the key issues that we focus on in the program, as well as HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.
The conference wasn't just informative, but interactive and engaging as well. We were split into groups based on what section we lived in, and were asked to draw or write about the issues women in the area face. I was astonished to learn of how much crime, violence and abuse women and children face despite how much community support and organizations there are addressing the issues in the area.
Dr. Thereon, the only male speaker, gave eye-opening remarks of why communities face such negative impacts.
"We haven't learned to stand together and protect each other, to make peace with one another and make peace with our past, rather than dividing ourselves based on race, colour, wealth or status," Thereon said.
"I know we can't change the entire community or the world by being here, for that is unrealistic, but we can make a small impact. With every great outcome, a seed was planted; my justification for being here is that someone needs to plant that seed."
