Angola: SINPROF champions women empowerment amidst the Covid-19 pandemic

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Teachers Union of Angola (SINPROF) organised a meeting on 17th February 2021. The meeting focused on ways to support the activities carried out by the union women. The meeting took place at Hotel Tradicional of Cuíto-Bié and was attended by a group of 47 union members, among whom were 25 women.

The theme of the meeting was "Female Empowerment in Union Organizations”. It was chaired by the National Secretary for the Development of Women, Olga Moniz, who was assisted by the Vice President of SINPROF, Mrs. Herminia Nascimento. The meeting also noted with concern the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the activities that are yet to be completed in 2021.

The Vice-President of SINPROF, speaking at the meeting, said that the training of unionized women in the correct use of scientific research and technologies will facilitate the interaction between women. She also emphasized the importance of taking into consideration women’s empowerment in the union.

Olga Moniz, National Secretary for the Development of Women, shared with participants the experience she had in Cape Verde during the International Workshop on Gender and Leadership for Lusophone countries, which was organized by Education International Africa’s African Women in Education Network (AWEN) in January 2020. She assured them that a national activity plan inherent to women would be elaborated and the Provincial Secretaries for the Development of Women would adapt it to their local reality. She also spoke about the need to mobilise women in order to increase the number of unionized women and their empowerment. She finally urged all Provincial Secretaries to provide moral and financial support to the Women Empowerment Desk of their provinces, to enable them implement women/gender activities.