The most common sentiment in the new year was most likely “2020 was horrible, thank god 2020’s over”. And I for one agree with this notion, it was a difficult, mortifying and exhausting year.
In the midst of a global pandemic where over 2 million people have died, political uncertainty that led to an insurrection by a mob at the pinnacle of democracy, and a worldwide racial reckoning through the #BLM movement, I was torn about where to devote my attention. I wanted to feel useful but it was hard to feel of value just “locked-down” in my home in Mumbai. When it came to the pandemic, I wasn’t a frontline worker, the only way I knew how to be helpful was by staying home and calling people out for not wearing their masks. Political uncertainty is something I wish I could help ease, but as I’m not a politician or political activist, I could only contribute by remotely volunteering — not remotely close to how much I wanted to. A racial reckoning is something that hit home for me, I did my best to support minority business and donate to #BLM groups, but everything I did seemed insignificant. The more I forced myself to act, the less impact it seemed to have. …
On March 4th 2018, actress Frances McDormand broke the internet — and blew our minds — during her acceptance speech for Best Actress with just one sentence: “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider”.
An inclusion rider is a provision in an actor or filmmakers contract that the cast and/or the crew in a film reflect real demographics, including a proportionate number of women, minorities, LGBTQ individuals and people with disabilities. …
I had a conversation with a friend who recently moved into her own place. She laughed and told me how she had moved with all the brash confidence of someone who had previously always lived at home and had never actually run a household by herself. ‘How hard can it be?’ she thought to herself- and was in for a rude shock.
She wasn’t completely unaware of how much work it was. In her house her parents firmly believed in raising independent people so daily chores and division of labour were a given, so she wasn’t completely helpless. But this was still inadequate to prepare her for the sheer amount of mental and emotional labour that goes into this work. Within 10 days, she found herself having to take a working day off just to get back on top of things like bills, grocery shopping, dealing with finances and a hundred other tasks which can only be done during working hours. This doesn’t account for the fact that her mind was constantly thinking of what needs to be done, what needs to be stocked up, if people have been paid, what will be had for meals, it really is endless. …
When someone is employed or actively seeking employment, they are known to be participating in the labour force. According to the International Labour Organization, the participation rate for women globally is only 49%, while for men, it’s 75%. While the gender gap in the global labour force is represented by a 26% gap, some regions in the world continue to maintain a gap of more than 50% (ILO, 2018). …
I’m a young woman of color from the global South, entering a world that is more uncertain than ever — especially for women. The COVID-19 pandemic means that more women — especially women aged 25–34 — will be pushed into poverty than men globally; while 25% of self-employed women have lost their jobs in Europe and Central Asia, only 21% of self-employed men have become unemployed. …
“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent”
― Madeleine K. Albright
With only a week to go until the end of my degree, I find myself where many have stood before, at the base of their career ladder. In Covid-19 world, even getting a grip on that ladder is a stretch. Being a woman who wants to get through the door into male-dominated tech spheres… I might as well be Elasti-Girl. I recently reached out to successful women in my life from various fields, to gain some advice on how they got to where they are now, and how they would have done it differently. …
During her VP acceptance speech on Saturday, November 7, 2020, Kamala Devi Harris said “Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty and justice for all, including the Black women, who are often, too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy…Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision — to see what can be, unburdened by what has been.”
The Vice President-elect’s words strongly resonated with those who fight for equality, have been overlooked, or have struggled to be recognized. Activists, social entrepreneurs, and non-profit founders, in particular, felt a sense of alignment with the expression “see what can be, unburdened by what has been.” As a fighter for a greater cause, social entrepreneurs often observe the history of a particular group’s struggle. …
In the 2 years since I’ve added the title ‘Co-founder’ to my CV, there have been many strange and wonderful lessons life has thrown at me — even if I didn’t want to learn them at the time. To be quite honest, I never dreamed of being an entrepreneur. In fact, I had the opposite dream: I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. However, the learning curve for building your own company is equally as steep, definitely not as singular and completely… worth it. So, here are some of my learnings from one founder to another.
Rejection is good for the soul
I don’t want to preach about how failures make you stronger because they do. I want to give concrete examples of the kinds of rejection I’ve faced so far and exactly how that translated for the better. …
Quality, Empathy and Transparency: what being “human-centered” really means for businesses nowadays.
A few weeks ago, my social enterprise, ila Generation, turned 2. Looking back at these past two years as an entrepreneur, I realised again how many lessons and skills I had learnt in such a small amount of time. So many that I couldn’t recall them all in just one conversation. Yes, entrepreneurship teaches you a lot about yourself but also about business and not only from the perspective of the seller.
As part of my entrepreneurial journey, I have been targeted by a wide range of offerings to “enhance my business” the same way I have been given the opportunity to look into other businesses values and functioning. The least I can say is that we are all far from having the same approach with our clients’ needs and wellbeing and have different definitions of success. …
Mali; Unlocking the new frontier for terrorism
The deteriorating state of the Sahel region (Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad) is one brimming with complexity.
For Mali, a country that prides itself for having more Grammy-awarded musicians than any other African country and a history that goes back thousands of years, it is a depressing sight to witness all of its richness being systematically erased by Islamist terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, who hide behind a façade of misinterpreted Islam.
Mali, which in Bambara translates to “the place where the king lives”, is famed for ancient cities like Timbuktu, mentioned in children’s tales across the globe. Centuries-old bard families act as a ‘living archive of people’s traditions, commanding universal admiration’ and are called Griots, retelling history and traditions in the form of music till this day. Past leaders such as Mansa Musa speckle Mali’s history, with Mansa considered to have been the richest man in the history of humanity, paying further homage to the unique cultural richness present in the country. …
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