WHEN CREATING OPPORTUNITIES, LET THERE BE EQUITY.

By Elizabeth Ofori - General Manage The Lady B Bless Humanitarian Foundation, Inc

In a recent conversation with a very good friend, he said this "... Liz, there will always be the rich, and there will always be the poor. I don't understand what equality you want cos these dynamics will never change".

I thought about this for a split second and responded " yes, you're right...The dynamics of hierarchy are deeply entrenched in even the way our planet is made. There are different layers of the earth's crusts. Hierarchy brings balance and a good balance is what we intend to achieve sustainability no matter what it is you're doing"

"However, when we talk about reduced inequalities, we're not saying we want everyone to be rich, we're not saying we want everyone to be male or female, we're not saying no one should have a physical challenge (we wish), we're not saying everyone should be black or white or yellow or brown"

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SAYING!

We're saying that don't treat me differently because I have no money, don't treat me differently because I am male or female, don't treat me differently because I am differently-abled or physically challenged, don't treat me differently because I am white or black or yellow or brown, don't treat me differently because I am young, don't treat me differently because of where I come from.

Give me the opportunities that you know I deserve. Consider me based on my merits, my strengths, intellectual capacity, track record, my passion, skills.

Consider my vision, does it align with yours? Then consider me. Look at my grades, do I qualify? Then consider me. Look at my passion, my intellect, skills, is it what you're looking for? then consider me.

When creating opportunities, let there be equity.

What the rich person can afford 10 times over, the poorest person should be able to afford one.

Yes, there will always be different classes and levels of wealth among us. But we should never be OK when we still have people amongst us who live in such abject need that their living is almost inhumane.

Let's come together and build strong societies and communities where the least person can afford to eat a decent meal, have a decent job and provide his or her own decent basic needs.

IS EDUCATION & TRAINING ENOUGH?

The following submission is a recent understanding I gained reading  Trevor Noah's memoir "Born a Crime". I agree with him first hand.  

We have heard this saying over and over again...we're even taught it in rhymes during our preschool days - "if you give a man a fish, he will have a single meal, but if you teach him how to fish, he will eat all the time". Oh, how we believed it. And chanted it with such gusto.
Then we saw ourselves over the years trying to learn to fish so we can eat all the time.

What we forgot to see then, but hopefully we get to see now, is the fact that after teaching a man to fish, you need to provide him with a fishing gear so he can begin to fish.

Most people who have made it successfully today will always tell you about their big break. The one moment when someone or something presented him or her with the hook and line he or she so badly needed to put his fishing lessons to use and convert it into something substantial.

What am I saying?

I am saying that it's not enough to just give a person education or training without providing the job opportunity (or starter pack,  whatever form it takes) or what I call "the hook and line" needed to transform that knowledge into wealth.

That's the current case of the alarming rates of unemployment especially youth unemployment globally but sadly more in developing countries.

You see job advertisements asking for 25 years of experience for a role that simply requires basic knowledge in bookkeeping, organization or administrative work.

You see global organizations advertising roles that require a minimum qualification of a high school diploma or let me step it up a bit; a degree (which most young innovative people have) but they go ahead to say must have at least 10 years experience in a similar role.  (really?)

What we have failed to realize is that the world is shifting from the era of typical specialization to what we now call expert generalists. The days when a person studies accounting and becomes an accountant the whole of their lives is gradually but steadily giving way to the days where you need to be an expert in different fields.

In as much as experience is important in any given field,  we need to remember that we have to take the chance on the people  (especially young people) who have the energy, drive, passion,  innovative ideas and non - financial wherewithal to add value to your organization, institutions, or business.

Decent work should not be a privilege to a selected few but equal access to anyone who is ready to put the hand to the plough. - By Elizabeth Ofori  GM TLBBHF

YALI WEST AFRICA COHORT 14 PARTICIPATION

Young African Leaders Initiative – YALI West Africa Cohort 14 Participation

The first Cohort of the second phase of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) West Africa, arrived on the GIMPA Campus in Accra Ghana to begin the 3 weeks intensive onsite training.

Out of about 13,000 applicants,

 

ELIZABETH OFORI, the General Manager of the Lady B Bless Humanitarian Foundation was among the 150 participants from 9 West African countries selected to join the 14th Cohort of the YALI Accra RLC.

The 17-week long training comprises of 2 weeks online training, 3 weeks on site training and 12 weeks of post training activities including mentorship and internship/community service in that succession. The onsite training for the current cohort just came to a successful completion as participants departed to their various countries to continue with post training activities after which successful applicants will graduate to join the growing network of YALI Alumni.

The program was designed with core courses spanning relevant leadership topics like Leadership and Accountability, Ethical Leadership, Contemporary Issues affecting the Sub Region and Gender Equality and Equity. After these core courses, participants are divided into their respective elective tracks for which they signed unto the program; Civic Leadership, Business, and Entrepreneurship and Public Policy and Management. These 3 areas represent the 3 major aspects of a nation’s development and participants received deep and relevant lectures from seasoned and passionate facilitators filled with practical assignments and presentations covering relevant topics affecting the sub-region. The learning here was life-changing.

As a participant in the Civic Leadership Track, Ms.Ofori was trained in the sector of nonprofit management and building a sustainable social enterprise. The West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI) facilitated the whole session on nonprofit management and sustainability. She stated, "The knowledge and skills gained here are so impactful and useful to my work as the General Manager of the Lady B Bless Humanitarian Foundation and I am already geared for action to lead the foundation into higher impact and life-changing moments".

One useful aspect of the YALI program is the network of young, smart and uniquely diverse Africans who share similar passions. It’s a network for life and its value is immense.

Now that the onsite training has ended, the next step is completing all post-training requirement in order to graduate into the prestigious YALI Global Alumni Network.