My Yali Ignite Talk

Hi my p’tits coeurs,

Part of our Yali Experience in Kansas State University. We did an ignite talk to inspire people and motivate them to care about issues that we care about. Also share our passion with them. I did my ignite talk on women empowerment since you might know that I am passionate about this issue. Here is my talk.

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Have you ever bought a pink dress for a new born girl?

Have you ever seen a woman who did not benefit for an opportunity because she was a woman?

Have you ever been surprise of seeing a woman driving a tractor?

Good evening, my name is Marie from Ivory Coast  and I will be talking about women empowerment.

I did my 10^th grade in Maths and Sciences.  We were 5 girls out of a class of 24 people. During the whole school year, the boy in the Class found it difficult to talk to us. When I got my A-level, one of my relatives advised me not to study petroleum because I could not be able to a ‘Family life’. I end up study ‘Business Management’. I remember that day when I met my friend in an hospital and I asked her what does she want to do in the next 5 years.  She proudly told  me that she want to travel to Europe to find an old man and get married.  I was shocked by her answer but I wanted to understand her.

Statistics shows that women make 52% of the world population.

Only 6 women are CEO of the Fortune 500 companies.

Women make up more than two third of the world’s illiterate people 796 million.

1 out of 3 women is victim of violence against women in the world.

In 2016 in Ivory Coast,

23% of teen girl of 15 to 19-year-old have at least one child.

38% of women were victim of female genital mutilation.

36% of married women were married before 18-year-old.

The statistics are scary. Why this statistic ?

Why women still have the same status even if the Sustainable development goals place them as a key target?

Why did my friend decide to limit her dream?

Why did my relative decided to give me this advice not to study petroleum engineering ?

Maybe because of education.

Maybe because girls don’t have many inspirations.

Maybe because girls are not expose to carrier opportunities.

Maybe because the society ask us to be pretty instead of being competent.

As an African women who believe in the potential of women and their contribution in the development of the continent, I decided to do a step forward by creating a blog to promote successful women stories.

Also I founded with 2 friends, the Smart African Women Leaders Platform , an organization who aims at exploring and developing women potential through education and leadership experience. We provide a platform where women and girls can support each others. We  inspire girls to have a vision, define their future, develop their leadership potential through STEM, Entrepreneurship, Fitness, fun activities and mentoring .

We focus on women  and girls because beside being a person and an economic agent, women raised the children. As James Agrrey said ‘ If you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educated a woman you educate the whole nation’

Just take a minute to imagine how the world will be if all women are educated.

1. Their children will be likely to go to school
2. The rate of infant and maternal mortality will decrease.
3. Teenage pregnancy and child marriage will be reduced.
4. The population explosion will decrease .
5. Domestic violence and sexual violence will also be reduced.
6. There will be more women involve in the political process, in Science fields.
7. There will be an improve socioeconomic growth.

There many valuable reasons why we should all support education.

Let’s break the stereotype of gender role.

Let’s create more opportunities for women and girls

Let’s create more program to educate women.

Let’s share the inspiring stories of successful women in all areas.

Let’s build a better world where economic development will be inclusive for men, women and disable person.

Let’s us make it easy for girls to be girls.