An Abundance of Love & Support an Intergenerational Story #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias

International Women's Day is a day set aside to honor women and their relentless work to improve the world in which they live. Women's voices matter and should be heard more on this day when women worldwide are celebrated for their achievements as mothers, wives, aunts, mentors and employers. Women constitute a greater proportion of the world's population, but women continue to be constrained in their ability to contribute to the world's economy. The ability to make a positive difference in the lives of my children, spouse, family members, coworkers, and any other women who seek my assistance is a blessing in today's modern culture, where appearance, career, and marital status are meaningless. On this International Women's Day, I am grateful to live in a world where I can be myself without fear of condemnation. My identity and values are inextricably linked to my African ancestry, which I continue to love and appreciate. I left Zimbabwe at a young age with the help of my parents, especially my mother, to start a new life on a different continent without any of my relatives. With the help and guidance of my mother, I was able to overcome and break through all the barriers that come with being an immigrant.

When I was thirteen, my mother began her own cleaning business, which was unique for women in Zimbabwe at the time. Despite the setbacks, she defeated patriarchy, and the business she founded continues to prosper today. The enterprise has persisted and thrived in an economically vulnerable country for over 30 years. Her company has risen to such prominence in the cleaning sector that she no longer has to advertise it since it markets itself. She did it by persevering in a male-dominated field and charting her own course. Through watching my mother succeed in business, I gained confidence and, as a result, I have no worries about eventually becoming my own boss.

As a mother, wife, student, employee, and mentor to several women, I am honoured to join other women from various countries in commemorating our rights and gender. In my African community, it is said that a community raises a child; I would not be where I am today without the assistance of my late grandmothers and all of my mother's sisters and aunties, who spent their time tirelessly teaching us about life and the difficulties women face from their adolescent years to where I am today. My daughter was not as fortunate as I was to be raised in the same setting as I did in Canada. When I look at my sixteen-year-old daughter, I see a generation growing up in a country that has succeeded in empowering girls to be resilient, powerful, and better people, but has also produced women who have been broken by sexual abuse, addiction, and mental health issues because of the demands of the modern world. When I asked my daughter what International Woman's Day meant to her, she replied, "It is a day to honour the women who have influenced my life and taught me and other young girls that they can achieve anything without fear or gender bias." She stated that she had been blessed to be surrounded by strong women who had led by example and expressed her thoughts through the words of women who had triumphed over adversity in a very dominant world. She applauded those who have fought for women's rights in business and even in the music industry. These women have paved the way for us to accomplish anything in this world, whether in sport, the arts, or medicine, and Beyonce's "Run the World" "GIRLS" is one of her favourite songs since it empowers women.