A group of ArcelorMittal Liberia female staff Wednesday, March 29, 2023, participated in a community engagement outreach to observe International Women’s Day.
The outreach, held at the Chapel of Praise Church on Johnson Street, Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, brought together about three dozen women who discussed the importance of women becoming good supporters.
They engaged in presentations of different topics and made mention of the need for women to lead by example, protect their children against rape and all forms of domestic violence, and see themselves as key actors in society.
One of the speakers, Patience Tody, Strategic Resourcing Supervisor in the Supply Chain Department, admonished women not to just make decisions for “now” but for the future.
Tody encouraged women to be supportive of community development initiatives and support one another in ways that promote cohesiveness.
“Don’t do things for reward in return. You can’t say because I am doing this so I need a return, favor, or reward.
“Do things so that the community can see and let your conscience serve you right. Let it be your judge all the time,” she said.
She urged the women to promote themselves by getting out of their comfort zones and engaging in self-help activities that can help them realize their full potential.
Abie Yatta Kamara, an ArcelorMittal Young Professionals Program Intern assigned as Management Assistant in Corporate Services Department, in her remarks said women must build strong relationships with each other and develop trust and confidence among themselves.
She said women must be reliable and trustworthy in all they do so that society can begin to see and feel their actual worth.
Said Kamara, “One of the very important attributes of an ally is prioritizing, putting things that matter the most first.”
Women, she noted, must have courage and put the wellbeing of their children first and help them develop into productive citizens.
Other women who spoke at the AML International Women Day Outreach in Buchanan were Nathaline Gonquoi, Senior Recruitment Officer (International), Phase 2 Expansion Project and employee and Ophena Nimley, a trained Assistant from the Rail Department.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
Marked annually on March 8, International Women’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women’s achievements, encourage, educate and raise awareness for women’s equality as well as call for positive change in advancing women.
Women groups all around the world use the month of March to lobby for accelerated gender parity and engage in fundraising for female-focused charities.
The ArcelorMittal women outreach in Buchanan was key to point out that everyone everywhere can play a part in helping to forge gender equality from a wide range of campaigns, events, rallies, lobbying and performances.
For International Women Day 2023, the global campaign theme is “Embrace Equity”.
The theme encourages campaigns tied to meaningful, important conversations on why equal opportunities are not enoughand why equal is not always fair.