Mieza Everdeen

In conjunction of International Women's Day 2017, Stellavingze International had invited an army of strong women for an exclusive female-only get together session at Melilea APHQ Bangsar South to discuss on the role of women in today's world. As an organisation that empowers women to be independent, resourceful and strong, Stellavingze International made the best decision when they invited the role model of a strong, independent and successful woman to lead the event which is the president of Yayasan Suara Wanita, Tan Sri Datin Paduka Seri Hajah Zaleha Ismail. Flanked by Datin Azizan Hj Shariff (President of Majlis Pembangunan Wanita & Keluarga), Datin Noor Faezah Mohd Ashraf (vice president of Yayasan Wanita Cemerlang) and Ms Wee Siew Ling (President of Stellavingze International), the conference talk was one to be remembered 

The International Women's Day serves as a reminder to all women in this world that they are worth more than what they think. Women, though always have been labelled as delicate, is also steel-tough. Women today leads as politicians, capable of handling matters that were men-exclusive in the past. Women today are celebrated sportsperson, top CEOs, superbly talented artistes, scientists with groundbreaking researches, holders of Nobel awards and yet we still are the successful wife, mother, daughter and sister too at home. Clearly women today has shown that we grow up better than what is expected of us and we don't show any signs of slowing down.

The conference talk was led by Tan Sri Datin Paduka Seri Hajah Zaleha Ismail where she started on the importance of being a knowledgeable woman regardless of who you are. No matter if you are a working woman, a stay at home mother or a college student, be knowledgeable in many ways and never put your other responsibilities (i.e: i have a baby, i don't have the time to learn other skills) as a stopper to advancing your knowledge and making full use of it. Tan Sri reminded us women to never be stingy with knowledge as it is meant to be shared. The biggest loss in one's live is to die with knowledge that never had the chance to reach someone else. Since knowledge is an asset, women must know how to utilise her resources to ensure that she gains something from the knowledge that she has. Skilled women too must be punctual in everything she signed up for. As a woman, it is known that we juggle a family with husband, kids and house chores but we too have our social lives and responsibilities out there as women of the community. Women today must be physically, mentally and emotionally balanced to ensure that she becomes a perfect role model for everyone in her family and also in the community. We were also reminded that even we aren't a country's president, we too are leaders. We lead our family, our siblings and the extended family through a showcase of good deeds as a respectable woman.

In all honesty, I am proud to be a woman and I encourage all women out there to be brave and stop the stigma that women are made to be at home. Women today needs to be brave enough to step out of their safe zone and explore the world with its endless possibilities. Long gone were the days where women got objectified as the fragile petals of roses. Women today are women who takes charge of her own happiness, her family's well-being and her nation's success. Happy International Women's Day 2017 to all women of the world ^_^