Celebrating International Women's Day - Interview at AllFM radio 96.9

IWD is an acknowledgment of what women have succeeded in, an overview of what is currently happening, and a great chance to visualize how realities can change in the future. At Afrorain we believe that no one should delude ourselves that it’s an equal world and we contemplate that there is still a great deal to be done. 2023 research still shows that, there is only 6.4% of the directors of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSI)companies are women, and it is estimated that the gender pay gap will not be aligned until around 2050.

At afrorain, we point out that women can be as successful as men. We advocate for change in the practices of DEI and the progress of women in the workplace.

On the IWD, we had the great opportunity to have open and frank conversations about how we all can support each other and help women to thrive and succeed in society. We were invited as an empowered women's organisation to the Manchester radio AllFM 96.9 - Somos CR programme to talk about International Women's Day and share different perspectives. The best part of it was meeting different types of empowered women who share the same motivation for connecting and supporting each other.

When people support each other, incredible things happen!

SOMOS.CR is the only Latin and Spanish-speaking radio in Manchester: AllFM 96.9 every Tuesday from 5 pm to 7 pm. You can also find them on Facebook @somos.cr

"A focus on gender equity must be part of the society's DNA" says Salufa, the founder of Afrorain.

- Creating an inclusive world is the key! How? Challenging the education standards based on challenging gender stereotypes, reporting out discrimination, drawing close attention to bias, and “embracing DIVERSITY. (Salufa,2023)

The International Women's Day #EmbraceEquity

At Somos.CR, we discussed that in many parts of the world, with a close focus in South America, girls and women still face gender discrimination and significant stereotypes. In some countries, cultural beliefs and practices perpetuate the idea that women are not as valuable as men, and as a result, women are still often denied the same opportunities for professional job, career progression, development and even education. In fact, data shows that in countries with such mentalities and affected by political fragility or conflict, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be kept away from education than boys. This is crearly a violation of their human rights which leads to hold back these communities and countries as a whole.

To clarify, Gender equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their gender. This includes equal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, as well as the ability to live free from gender-based violence and discrimination.

Salufa higlights that until to date in the UK the gender pay gap remains too high and unfortunately quite a few women continue to face sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Reports, research and data on the gender pay gap has adressed more organizations to take accostability to address inequality at work. However, more action is needed. Read more

International Women's Day at the Manchester Central Library

The Walk for Women was back again this International Women’s Day 2023, with a group walk on Saturday 4 March.

The meeting was outside the Manchester Cathedral, on Victoria Street, at 12noon for a 12.30pm start, walking together along Deansgate and then up Peter Street to St Peter's Square. This walk was a fabulous opportunity to come together with different people to share the same passion for equality and creating opportunities for Manchester women. 

After the Walk for Women, a number of community groups and organisations joined to display stalls in the Central Library. Everyone was invited to come along and find out more about the work going on in Manchester’s communities.