Liberal Women Reconnected & ReAWEkened

 “Women cannot sit on the sidelines. Women should speak up as leaders, use their education and their skills to help communities and countries be better prepared for future disasters.”

Guided by these words from Adelina Kamal of ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance, twenty-six women leaders from Asia and other parts of the world convened virtually on 30-31 October 2021 to reconnect with each other and share their experiences and stories on women leadership.

The 11th CALD Communication Workshop for CALD Women’s Caucus with the theme, “ReAWEkening: Reaching Across the Network”, was facilitated by the Speech Republic – a globally renowned training bureau based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With the guidance of Speech Republic training coaches, Monique Baidjnath-Badloe and Renske Driesten, the participants were able to know how to convey the right message, be a bolder version of themselves and learn to speak out even in the midst of a conflict in this digital era.

“Your messages and your ambitions are too important to not be heard. I urge every one of you to take a risk – to be daring, to be bold, to celebrate your femininity because that is what is needed for you to get your message across in this online environment,” mentioned Baidjnath-Badloe.

Representative for the 1st District in Negros Oriental, Philippines, Jocelyn Limkaichong was thankful for the opportunity to be among like-minded women leaders, “We come from different countries with different backgrounds so it was important to foster mutual respect and understanding. Thank you everybody for this journey and opportunity to touch base with all the women leaders out there. Thank you to the organizers, hopefully there will be more similar workshops that we can all attend together again.”

“Thank you all for co-creating this sharing platform to be a space for us to reflect, care and strengthen one another. I have felt your nourishment through the stories we have shared together and am grateful to the CALD Team and Speech Republic for facilitating this thinking environment,” said Nangamso Kwinana, Africa Liberal Network Coordinator.

On 30 October, a check-in session was conducted for the past participants of the 10th CALD Communications Workshop for CALD Women’s Caucus held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2019. The group was able to meet once again and reunite after almost 3 years. Since the pandemic started in between those years, the check-in program revolved around the stories, challenges, lessons, and bits of advice they learned during the period.

“The lows are what make you appreciate the highs,” according to Jayanthi Balaguru, CALD Women’s Caucus Chair. “The pandemic showed us how fragile life is and it makes you appreciate it more. It also makes you appreciate and cherish the little things – staying at home, spending time with family, and like now checking in with your friends, even if they are miles away.”