MASERU — Women from different organisations met at Maseru Sun hotel on Tuesday to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme “Dare to Dream”.
The day is celebrated on March 8 every year.
The event was organised by a local non-governmental organisation Essence of Women.
The director of Essence of Women, Tendai Murahwa, said women need to dream to achieve their goals.
“Our theme today is ‘Dare to Dream’ because every achievement begins with a dream,” Murahwa said.
“There are challenges that women face while trying to achieve their goals. The challenges have to do with the roles that we play as women socially and professionally,” she said.
She said women need to become more confident to realise their goals.
Speaking at the same occasion guest speaker Tumi Frazier, who is an author, motivational speaker and consultant from South Africa, said women need to have effective life and work habits.
She said they need to change their lives and be accountable for both their professional and daily lives.
She said women should also add value to their lives by making the best of what they have.
“They also have to get around the right people because if a woman hangs around negative people, they reflect badly on her,” Frazier said.
“We as women should alter our expectations but never lower our standards. We have to give whole heartedly without expecting anything in return.”
She said the reason why most women fail to achieve their dreams is because they focus on missed opportunities.
“Some women do not achieve their dreams because they are looking at doors which have closed for them while open doors pass them by,” Frazier said.
“Whatever you are doing as a woman, know that you are here to live. Create a life of significance and achieve your dreams.”
Limpho Maema, who is a project manager at Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Lesotho, said women need to realise that they are where they are today because other women made sacrifices for them in the past.
Maema said women should be more like men in order to achieve success in their respective businesses.
“The reasons why men’s projects succeed are that they are not judgmental and jealous of each others’ achievements. They also do not harbour hatred and know how to support one another.
“These are the qualities we should adopt as women to ensure that societies in our communities do not fall apart but grow from strength to strength,” Maema said.
“We like to point fingers at one another rather than look at ourselves and ask how we are each responsible for our failures. We should not let our human nature be our worst enemy.”
Louisa ‘Maliako Mojela, who is the chief executive officer of Women Investment Portfolio Holdings, said women must reflect on their contribution to society.
“As women, we need to be able to differentiate between power that stems from aggression and power of strategy.
“It is strategic power and an unwavering belief in oneself that is required in corporate boardrooms and beyond,” Mojela said.
She added that women need to ensure that their struggles bear fruit and pave the way for the next generation.
She said they should also pay a conscious attention to how they raise their daughters who will form the next generation.
She said 50 percent of all South African women were unemployed and were mostly single mothers.
“Never underestimate the power of networking. Create solid networks around you made up of people who can add value to your life.”
The celebration also saw a fashion show being held by Pabatso Exposee, where models wore different Seshoeshoe creations.
