Changing the mindset of women

Mine is a Patriarchal society, thus the cultural and social background of most women have influenced their mindset to that of second class beings, subjects and mediocre, which is worsened by poverty, both academically and financially. These are the challenges and barriers to creating change in my community.
All forms of violence against women thrive in my community because the women look down on themselves and see themselves as no match to their male counterparts.
As part of the solutions to overcoming this mindset, I have decided to be a motivator to the women. My motto is “Pursue with Passion, be persistent, don’t give in or give up”. I use my story as a testimony. I am a medical doctor today because I persisted, I did not give up, despite all odds, I pursued my vision with a passion, and God gave me my heart’s desire. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, either as an invitee or a convener at women gatherings, in the church, villages, seminars, marriages, child dedications and medical outreach programs, I don’t hesitate to speak to the women with the aim of changing their mindset. I also encourage my friends who are of like minds to mine, to encourage our women folk whenever they have the opportunity. We all use our personal stories as examples.
For financial empowerment, I encourage women to start money making ventures, even if it’s as small as groundnut selling by the roadside. I also encourage them to form cooperative groups, so that they can access micro-credits loans from the government.
I see these challenges as common to most sub-Saharan African Nations, if not the entire developing nations of the world. Therefore I foresee using Pulse wire to tap ideas from other members who have working projects/programs that have succeeded in changing the mindset of women in their communities, and have achieved academic and/or financial empowerment for the women.