The first annual Association of Women in Boldness (AWiB) kickstarter conference was held on January 13th at Hilton Hotel. Members, guests, and media members were present at the event that is held yearly to mark the New Year, evaluate the previous one, and plan for the months ahead.
Speaking at the event, President of the Board of Directors Kemer Temam said that the conference is held to set out a theme for the year as well. The theme that was selected for this year was ‘systemic transformation’, an ode to the deficiencies and issues brought to the forefront of society due to the events that transpired in 2020.
One of the main focuses of the ‘systemic transformation’ theme is going to be personal development as a fuel to drive communal development. Board Member and Phoenix Business Consulting PLC founder Nebat Abbas told LinkUp Business that AWiB’s weekly and monthly seminars and training events are the perfect precedent for this year’s theme. According to her these events cover everything from professional and marketable skills to issues related to stress management, trauma, and other personal well-being related concerns.
The findings of an Impact Survey that was conducted at the end of last year were also presented at the event. According to the survey, AWiB’s main avenue of impact was the networking and mentorship opportunities it provided. Kemer affirms that the mentorship aspect is one that AWiB plans on expanding rigorously. While mentorship has been a part of the organization at an informal level, in 2019 specific events and seminars were held in order to create a better network between junior and senior members. These events were supposed to continue into 2020 but had to be held back due to the pandemic.
Kemer is not deterred by the effects of the pandemic, however, and sees them as opportunities to do better. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for 3 years and was nominated to the President-elect role due to her active and enthusiastic participation in many of AWiB’s affairs. She told LinkUp that one of the organization’s main focus areas under her leadership is going to be sustainability and bringing more youth into the fold.
Kemer also acknowledges that it is time for AWiB to drive change at a policy and legislative level by serving as a contact point between the community, corporations, and government officials and institutions.
The wheels for the realization of this goal were set in motion when AWiB hosted the ‘A conversation with educators’ event in December of 2021. The event brought together prominent figures in the field of education like Professor Panos Hatzianderas (Lebawi International Academy), Professor Tirussew Teferra (Addis Ababa University), and Aster Solomon (New English Private School), among others. The night featured discussions and presentations on the challenges that educators face at a global and local level in ensuring that the unique challenges within the field are surmounted in a manner that is just and sustainable.
Next month, in continuation of this theme as a part of the ‘systemic transformation’ framework for the year, AWiB is hosting an event on Ethiopia’s healthcare sector that is going to future healthcare professionals both within the public and private sector, soon-to-be healthcare professionals, and (tentatively for now) the Ethiopian Minister for Health Dr. Lia Tadesse. Monthly conferences held by the organization are going to follow this model and cover any and all relevant sectors for the realization of the potential for growth and development, in all regards, that Ethiopian society harbors.
AWiB was established on April 8th, 2010 with the intention of unleashing the potential of female leaders in Ethiopia through networking platforms that drive personal and professional development. The organization holds more than 80 conferences, seminars, and other related events per year that allow members to share their own experiences as well as learn from other prominent female leaders across all industries and walks of life.
Visit AWiB’s website to learn more about the organization, the work it does, and how to be a member.