On Wednesday, Sept. 20, Kenya Director of the Pangea Network Dorothy Ombajo and her coworkers shared a compelling message about women’s empowerment.

“We are the Pangea Network, a nonprofit based out in Houston,” Program Manager Ivana Situm said. “We do work in Kenya and here in Texas with women and youth.”

The Pangea Network hopes to bring change in the social conditions of many struggling women in Kenya.

”We have several woman cooperatives,” Ms. Ombajo said. “These women are women who cannot read or write. Most of them live in rural areas, are single mothers, and have at minimum three children, [normally] five or six. They need to feed and provide for these children and their families, and with little education or none, it is really hard.”

In order to stabilize the effects of women’s unemployment in developing countries like Kenya, the Pangea Network stepped up to bring change.

“We empower these women with skills,” Ms. Ombajo said. “[The Pangea Network Cooperatives] go to a six month training where they learn basic business skills, human rights, leadership, food and nutrition, personal development, and reproductive health.”

By sharing the conditions of the struggling country, the leaders of the presentation hoped to develop the attendees’ geographic understanding of the world.

“History students should know what happens in other parts of the world and they should also be able to compare their situations to other situations of other parts of the world,” Ms. Ombajo said.

The speakers also wanted students to realize how fortunate they were compared to the Kenyans helped by the organization.

“You come from a country where everything is available for you, but unfortunately, some of you take it for granted,” Ms. Ombajo said. “This country has order which many countries wish they had.”

In addition to the discussion of Kenya’s issues, Ms. Ombajo also shared her personal experiences, both as a lawyer and as the Country Director of The Pangea Network, to inspire students to take after their dreams.

“[I hope] it will motivate them to see that they can do whatever they want to do do with their lives, because it is in their hands,” Ms. Ombajo said. “The opportunity is there; they just have to take the challenge.”

The Pangea Network also shared future participation opportunities for student involvement such as the Young Women’s Leadership Challenge.

“Events like the Women’s Leadership Conference allow young women like myself to learn what a woman is capable of and what we can do to empower ourselves,” Ria Gupta ‘20 said.

In addition to participating in its events, you can also contribute to the Pangea Network’s cause by donating here.

“To fund one African woman’s education, a donation of $25 is needed,” Gupta said. “I will be doing fundraisers throughout this year in Westwood to raise money for the cause and will donate it to the Pangea Network.”