An enormous number of people around the world need
humanitarian aid today. Many public and private organizations are involved in
helping those in need, in charity, and in developing a volunteer movement.
Women have traditionally taken an active position in this area: studies show
that women make up about 75% of the employees of non-profit organizations. Some
of the most pressing issues of modern life are being addressed at the Building
Trust Area as part of the RussiaAfrica Economic Forum. The session Women at
the Forefront of Humanitarian Aid is dedicated to womens role in shaping and
developing the global system of humanitarian aid.
Speakers at the session included Mavila Vanessa,
Founding President of the Eboko Foundation; Slauzy Zodwa Mogami, Founder, Chief
Executive Officer, and Chairperson of Ladies in the Frontline; Jeanne dArc
Mujawamariya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Rwanda in the Russian Federation; Ukeme Utuk, CEO of the Reachout and Smile
Initiative for Social Empowerment, and Moscow student Valeria Valyaeva.
The session was moderated by Veronika Peshkova,
President of the Foundation for the Development of Public Diplomacy Womens
Perspective and a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), who noted that humanitarian aid is not only
about providing food, items, and housing. «Its also educational aid and
helping to overcome crisis situations. And womens associations are very often
the ones that find themselves at the forefront of humanitarian activities. In
the modern world, womens initiatives are gaining momentum and in the social
sphere in no small part».
Women are capable of solving issues at any level if
they are allowed to take decisions. Vanessa Mavila, Founding President of the
Eboko Foundation, noted that all women are concerned about the safety of their
family and children. «It is crucial to have a sense that we are not afraid of
the future, that we can develop normally, and can ensure the future of our
children», she said. «My organisation has brought together many African women
so that they can fight the scourge that exists in Africa a lack of security.
We fight for peace and educate our children so that we can live in good
relations in society in the future».
The discussion participants noted that women, who
control about 80% of global consumption, are generally not allowed to make
strategic decisions. Yet the humanitarian sector is one of the most «friendly»
to women in this sense today. Womens issues hold an important place on the
agenda of all major international associations, and womens empowerment is a
priority. The development of womens initiatives will contribute to the
sustainable development and equalization of opportunities. What is being done
today will become the foundation for the lives of future generations,
particularly since young people are taking an active life position today and consider
equal opportunities for all to be a prerequisite for development.
The
session was attended by sixteen-year-old Moscow student Valeriya Valyaeva, an
activist with a working group at the Innosocium Foundation. «Our young people seek to
change the world. They are motivated to help those in need. And we advocate for
the equal rights of men and women, among other things. My peers all over the
world are joining together to have an impact on improvements in the publics
quality of life through our joint efforts. And its good that this movement is
supported by adult organisations», Valyaeva said.
Educational and humanitarian projects that attract
young people are impacting the society in which we will live in the future. As
the speakers noted, women are largely the ones who shape the conscious of their
children. So women are shaping the mentality of future generations by expanding
the boundaries of their capabilities.
«Its hard to overestimate the role of women in
humanitarian aid projects. Women are often the first to come to the rescue and
can be agents of global change», said Elena Marinina, Deputy CEO of the
Roscongress Foundation and Director of the Innosocium Foundation. «Women are
the ones who shape the humanitarian aid system at the local levels and are the
driving force behind charity, which is gradually changing the global picture
for the better».
The RussiaAfrica
Summit and Economic Forum are being held on 2324 October at the Sirius Park of Science and Art in Sochi. The Roscongress Foundation is the event
organizer, and the co-organizers of the RussiaAfrica Economic Forum are
Russian Export Center and Afreximbank.
The Building Trust
Area programme was prepared by the Innosocium Foundation the social platform
of the Roscongress Foundation.