On the margins of the recently ended Generation Equality Forum in Paris, France, H. E. Clar M. Weah held talks with H.E. Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, at the Palais de L’Elysée.
The two First Ladies held fruitful talks about the advancement of gender equality, women empowerment and other specific issues germane to women and girls. For her part, H.E. Clar Marie Weah spoke about the multiple challenges and hardships faced by the women and girls in Liberia and the effort she continues to make to promote the advancement of women and girls in Liberia.
First Lady Weah informed her French counterpart that her focus is not limited to women and girls alone, but rather her various initiatives in support of the advancement of women and young people. She also informed First Lady Macron about the work of the Clar Hope Foundation and its achievements in Liberia.
First Lady Weah, during their discussion, highlighted Liberia’s beauty as a nation with its virgin beaches, waterfalls, rivers and lagoons with vast resources, and called upon Madam Macron to see Liberia as such and help, as France is working and assisting in development of other nations.
For her part, Madam Macron told her counterpart that, as part of her women empowerment program, she founded a vocational training school for girls over the age of 25 to complement a vocational training already in place in France, which only applies to unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 25.
She said she was rather surprised at the multiple hats worn by First Lady Weah, and promised to assist the efforts in Liberia.
The two First Ladies concluded their meeting with an agreement to explore several possibilities, partnering specifically on a program that would aim at financially empowering the women of Liberia.
The empowerment program, according to information, will specifically aim at breaching the financial gap that the women of Liberia are faced with. However, as opposed to microloans, this project targets women entrepreneurs who need access to credit to expand their businesses, with the initiative making commercial credits available to them at a very low rate.
First Lady Weah accompanied H.E. President Weah to the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, France, held in June 2021.