Today Is Women's Equality Day
Since 1971, Women's Equality Day has been observed on August 26, the anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Sadly, the 19th Amendment didn't extend to all women. It would take decades of advocacy before many minority women gained access to the polls. Today, I'm thinking about how important it is for human beings to advocate for one another.
In April of 2017, I made my first of three medical mission trips to Arusha, Tanzania in East Africa. See map below. The goal of the trip was to provide needed health care equipment and supplies for the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center, the Selian Lutheran Hospital, and the Selian Hospice & Palliative Care program. Even more important, we were there to support nursing education at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center (ALMC) School of Nursing.
In Tanzania, most girls' formal education stops at around age 12, if not sooner. Often they're encouraged or forced into an early marriage. On my first trip, our group went to the Maasae Girls Lutheran Secondary School (MGLSS) where I met nearly 100 girls ranging from age 12 to 17 who would spend six additional years in school, often never going home to their villages. Many of these girls would then continue their education – becoming doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers and leaders in their community. Much as the suffragettes helped guarantee a woman's right to vote, these young student advocates were changing the future for their daughters, sisters and other women.
Wema was 14 when I met her at MGLSS. Originally from Arusha, she finished her schooling at 18 and then attended university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where she studied community development. Today, Wema is a confident, strong woman who is supporting her community and paying it forward!
Although I haven't visited since before COVID, I continue to love Tanzania, and I'm honored to support the needs and education of young women there.
Women's Equality Day is a reminder of the undeniable strengths and talents women bring to every profession, enriching our world in countless ways. Thank you for celebrating with me and everyone at EvergreenHealth.
