from ALFRED SHILONGO in Windhoek, Namibia
Namibia Bureau
WINDHOEK, (CAJ News) – THE celebration of women should not be restricted to a single day but every day of the year, an app developer said as the world commemorated International Women’s Day last week.
The occasion is celebrated yearly on March 8.
“However, we cannot just focus on that singular day, all month, in fact all year we should be celebrating women and their contribution,” said Audrey Chanakira, Mobile App Developer, Software Services at Green Enterprise Solutions.
“As a woman, I have to be honest, I don’t think I need to be celebrated as that makes me think of having a parade thrown for me or balloons and cake. Certainly not every day,” Chanakira said.
She added, “To me it is much more about acknowledging women, their contribution, and their important role in society and not just as homemakers, but in all facets of life.”
This includes the technology sector, the sector within which Chanakira works and is thriving.
She noted for many years, women have been fighting for equality and while there was a shift, more needs to be done.
“We do not just need to be treated as equals, we need to have our differences acknowledged, embraced, and used to the advantage of the company, organisation, or environment we find ourselves in as women,” Chanakira said.
In ICT, she said, more women were entering the field but it is still a rarity.
“We are not quite unicorns, but it’s close. We want, need, and deserve our seat at the table. Not because of some equality drive, or positive discrimination but because what we bring to the table is essential to an organisation and to the development of society as a whole.”
Chanakira lamented that in ICT, women were still underestimated when it comes to their knowledge, expertise and skill.
She raised the need to encourage and make sure that girls and women want to enter the space.
“We need to stimulate them at a grass roots level,” she said.
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in 1975, proclaimed as the International Women’s Year. In 1977, the UN General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as an official UN holiday for women’s rights and world peace
– CAJ News