Women need a proper vision and strategy in order to be fully empowered people in society.
This is according to Violet Mureka, CEO of Deeva Beauty College in Bungoma.
During the Usemi wa Kina Mama show on West Fm Ms, Mureka says women with proper vision and strategy in life can achieve greater goals in terms of business, investments and even farming.
Violet Mureka who schooled in Namasanda RC in Musikoma, proceeded to Namachanja high school and having a passion in plaiting, started doing school lines to school going children without knowing that one day she will be an entrepreneur and CEO.
She says life has been difficult. She had to fend for herself, look for survival means and make sure that her greatest goal is to achieve what she wanted.
She says being a young girl it was challenging and appreciates one lady by the name Hellen who saw potential in her, mentored and encouraged her in matters of the salon until she once was able to open her salon and later grew to where she is.
Having lacked school fees and living a life she never wanted made her work extra hard, and through that she joined Kibabii University, did certificate, Diploma and finally pursued a degree in Business Administration that saw her graduate last year.
She says it has been a journey and half as a woman, and having spent many years before going back to school, she had so much in her mind, great vision and the passion in beauty matters that pushed her to get to her dreams.
She was passionate in salon matters and never degraded even the twenty shillings paid after offering her services knowing that one day she would get more.
Ms, Mureka says as a woman it’s challenging to get empowered because traditions especially amongst Bukusu dictate that a woman can’t lead or shine, placing her in the kitchen and giving birth something she says hinders many women who do not know their rights from achieving their dreams.
She also attributes to lack of education as a factor that has hindered many women from getting to where they can because they do not have enough knowledge advising parents to stop seeing where they are but rather open their eyes and see beyond tomorrow by educating their girls who will rise and help them more that boy child who after marrying concentrates in their families and forgets parents.
She says she had a vision she has been working on to achieve her goals, gave herself timelines and sometimes challenged herself over her greatest desires.
She says finances have been a hindrance to achieving but this should not discourage women from working hard to be where they want to be
As a woman most of the challenges she has faced is the turnover of employees, she says you teach them, but later after becoming experts, leave and at least leave with a customer something that affects business though feels again being a blessing because she has empowered someone who can fully take care of themselves.
She says sometimes customers are too many and without patience some leave angry because they have not gotten the services they wanted.
Ms Mureka also says leaders have failed them because the support in terms of training and capacity building is not enough urging all elected leaders to make sure women and girls are well mentored because they so much believe in them and by so doing encourage a girl somewhere and that may change her life positively.
She asks men to support their women and empower them fully because women think in line of families unlike men who think of marrying more wives.
She says women can be empowered in all aspects and when given money those with visions and dreams and empowered can shock the nation by achieving what no one thought of.
She urges women to join women chama’s, caucuses that can help them grow, interact, and network and learn from what others did to get to where they are.
She says if they get out, meet, hold chama’s in their houses or premises helps others learn what they did to get to where they are.
She asks women not to be jealous and mean in helping others grow because if they help each other they can lead the world and rule.
She advises those who have not joined any chama or merry go to do thorough research on the kind of chama or Sacco they are joining to avoid being conned or making losses from the small amount they have made.
She encourages women that despite being broken, they should fall but rather wake up, gain courage and explore places; she says they should be aggressive in whatever they do and shouldn’t allow others to look down upon them.
Parents on the other hand should ensure children get something to do, enroll their daughters in mechanical courses, beauty therapy, and other related works that can boost them economically and impart business ideas that can help them go far.
