Women In Leadership – I Can Be It

https://freetoshine.org/

Free To Shine will deliver ‘Women In Leadership – I Can Be It’ gender equity workshops, to raise awareness and change social norms, in each of the 47 rural communities we work with. We will also create a series of short video clips covering key learnings, which will be published on the web and facebook as an ongoing resource. The lack of gender equity in Cambodia is the result of traditional norms and gender discrimination. Girls are taught throughout their childhood to be humble and shy. They’re taught ‘laugh, but don’t laugh too hard, or too loud. Stand, but don’t stand with your feet too wide apart, like a man. Smile, but smile sweetly. Speak, but use a soft voice. Girls should do all the house cleaning and laundry. They can drive a moto, but not with a male passenger. Girls may work but are not encouraged into leadership or decision making roles.

The community workshops will include discussion and role play and will be open to teenage girls and boys, and adults. They will focus on knowledge and practical advice:
– Identify and address gender bias through discussions of the differences in daily life between girls/women and boys/men.
– Explore why gender equality is good for the community and for boys/men.
– Outline education and career opportunities for girls, by highlighting accomplishments of women leaders in Cambodia.
– Teach boys to be confident to try new things, to champion their female relatives and to model gender equality