What can be done to break down barriers that prevent women from fulfilling their potential and reaching top leadership positions in the church and in society? That question was at the heart of a webinar hosted by the LWF on 8 March, International Women’s Day, featuring five women leaders from the global communion’s past, present and future.
KAKUMA, Kenya/GENEVA | 8/3/2021 Webinar participants after the session in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Photo: LWF/ P. Omagwa
Webinar from refugee camp in Kenya, brings voices of young refugees
(LWI) - Young women in Kakuma refugee camp face many obstacles when aiming for equal opportunities as men and boys. In a webinar: “Emerging Women who Choose to Challenge”, young refugees and staff of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Kakuma shared their daily struggles to realize their dreams and having careers of their choice.
“For women, to speak up is still a big challenge,” said Hilda Thuo, LWF Livelihoods Officer, Kakuma Area Program, and member of the LWF Kenya-Somalia gender action team. She underlined the importance of cultural dynamics in gender relations at Kakuma refugee camp. “Many communities still adhere to cultural practices which hinder women in attaining their goals.”
By Rev. Helen Chukka | 8/3/2021 PhD candidate Rev. Helen Chukka. Photo: Private
LWF scholarship holder explains her focus on Dalit women
The caste system is a brutal, systematic, and intentional social construct that stratifies the society into a strict social order, which sacralizes some bodies while dehumanizing others. Although its origins can be traced to the Hindu social system, it has infiltrated all religious traditions in India today. Its ideology of purity and pollution has penetrated both the private and public spheres, ostracizing communities that do not fit in the hierarchical order. While the beneficiaries are the dominant caste communities, who enforce violence and maintain the status quo, the victims are the Dalits, formerly referred to as untouchables.
In a world where the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to reverse decades of progress in women’s education, employment and socio-economic status, International Women’s Day on 8 March, marks a moment to “step back and celebrate women’s achievements.”