WOMEN: THE UNTAPPED GOLDMINE.

The last few weeks have been so amazing. The amount of knowledge that I have amassed from reading stories of other women through pulseWire has been incredible. My life is full of stories, everywhere I go I just have the urge to write about something. Women are the most marginalized in society and it is through their stories being heard that they can be empowered. As women, we are endowed beyond measure yet many of the times, we do not realize how rich we are. How resourceful we are.

Many are the times I have pondered that I should have taken a journalism course. The logic behind this was that through journalism I could reach out to many people by sharing my stories. You can imagine my delight now that I know even without undertaking a journalism course I can still reach a wide audience thanks to Web 2.0!

What are these stories? Stories of women who wake up in the wee hours of morning every other day to go and sell their wares. They walk long kilometers to and from their houses to the nearest shopping centres.They risk their lives and their health so that they can put bread on table for their families. It’s the story of that woman whose baby was stolen while she was giving birth and she is yet to get her child back. It is the story of that woman whose child was arrested of false accusations and every day the poor mother waits for justice to prevail in vain. The beauty of all this is that women do not give up. Through Web 2.0 all these stories can be heard and inspire other souls around the world.

The enthusiasm that comes with web 2.0 for me is very evident. What thrills me most about web 2.0 is that I can share my stories and somebody will read them. That I will read stories from women all over the world and we will connect. Web 2.0 jells women together and from here, we are one formidable force. I do not need to have done journalism to tell the many stories that are already jam packed in my head. I do not need to travel all over the world.

Web 2.0 is like an international conference room where women from diverse backgrounds are gathered and therein they tell their stories in the best way they know how. It is through web 2.0 that the voice of the voiceless is heard. Web 2.0 gives us the power to speak without the fear of being victimized. It is an inspiring avenue, a tool that helps us address the ills affecting our society. What can I say? Web 2.0 is the way out in empowering women.

To paraphrase Marianne Williamson, our deepest fear(as women) is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’