Mkapa Foundation Celebrates International Women’s Day
Admin
March 9, 2021
Mkapa Foundation Celebrates International Women’s Day
On 8th March BMF joined the world to celebrate the International Women’s Day (IWD) by holding a discussion involving BMF Staff, Mkapa Fellows Alumni and Program Health Care Workers to deliberate on the opportunities that women as leaders can tap in overcoming challenges at the workplace especially during this era of COVID-19. This was held in line with this year’s global campaign theme of choosing to challenge.
Dr. Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro, the CEO of Mkapa Foundation who was the keynote speaker presented to the participants of the discussion on the eight traits that help build powerful female leaders. The traits highlighted the need for powerful women leaders in this era to have strength, perseverance, ability to create women empowered workplaces, adaptable skills, ability to know how to ignore bad advice, grit, ability to know how to ask and tenacity.
She also highlighted and emphasized to the women that despite the eight traits, it is important for families to be considered as a socialization agency. “Families play a big role in raising future leaders as these traits can be in built from a childhood level,” she said.
Mkapa Foundation as an organization with women in top leadership continues to annually celebrate women achievements. This year, the Foundation participates in the global campaign to choose to challenge gender bias and inequality. This comes after evidence portrays that despite women’s increased engagement in public decision-making roles, equality is far off. Women hold about 21 percent of Ministerial positions globally, only three countries have 50 percent or more women in Parliament and 22 countries are headed by a woman. At the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until 2150, another 130 years.
