My First Taste of Women Empowerment

Most nights I lie awake thinking of all the stories I read in the day, of women and children being prosecuted and abused, and how I could do nothing to help them. Last night I lay awake thinking about the days when I didn’t have to struggle with such thoughts. The only time I didn’t have such thoughts is when I was in primary school. As always, one thought lead to another and I began to marvel at the fact that my school was run only by women – a diverse group of catholic nuns and women teachers.

I spent 12 years at St. Ann’s High School Tarnaka, from the age of 3 to 14 – the foundation years of my life, and I spent them in the company of girls from different backgrounds, all of us being educated by the same set of empowered nuns and teachers. I had taken for granted their ability to run a school of about 3000 girls, because they always made it look so effortless. Today, as a working professional, I realise, what a mammoth undertaking it is to successfully run a large school and ensure that each girl has a success story to tell.

Twenty years ago, or more, the words ‘women empowerment’ and ‘feminism’ didn’t have the power they do today. But I believe, this school is where I first encountered both these concepts. I watched women empowerment and feminism come to life through the work and everyday toil of visionary and inspiring women – women who set us up with examples we could embrace and follow.

The nuns and teachers of St. Ann’s Tarnaka, are not only excellent educators but also great managers and leaders. Watching them go toe-to-toe with men in a man’s world, inspired us back then and still does today. The girls from my school were the best at everything, whether it was grades, sports, or organising some legendary sports and cultural events. Other co-ed schools in the area would send their boys and girls to learn from us and compete with us, and we would always win. We were relentless and not intimidated by the world, because, St. Ann’s Tarnaka, refused put us in a box of stereotypes. We were taught to learn like girls, run like girls, laugh like girls, empathise like girls and be proud like girls. Being a girl didn’t have any negative connotations for us back then and the same is true today. We excelled because we could flourish and thrive. I only hope that young girls today are brought up to believe in themselves and just be themselves – unafraid and successful. I pray that St. Ann’s Tarnaka and other such empowered schools keep spreading their light in these dark times.

How was your school journey? Is there anything that you look back on today and think your educators were ahead of time? I would love to find out!