Stichting Oneheartmalawi

4 days 9 hours ago

Meet Esther Philip, our OHM electrician!

Girls and women in Malawi face more challenges compared to boys and men. For example, when parents can’t afford to pay school fees anymore, a girl tends to be taken out of school earlier than a boy. From a young age, girls carry more responsibilities, like taking care of their siblings and helping their mom in the household. The number of child marriages and teenage pregnancies is high. This causes serious risks to their health and limits their future opportunities, especially education. In general, girls have fewer opportunities to access education than boys, which keeps them economically dependent on men.

At the OneHeartMalawi Vocational Training Centre we want to give chances to both young women and young men. However, because of the hard situation in Malawi for girls and women, we are thrilled to see that more and more women start the welding & fabrication course. Next to that, we like to empower women in other professions. Esther Philip is our electrician and it is beautiful to see how she talks to the female welding & fabrication students and inspires them. Today we would like to introduce her.

Esther:
‘I am Esther Philip and I am 32 years old. I have 3 sisters and 3 brothers and I am the first born. I have two kids and have a big responsibility towards my siblings and my 2 kids. I know OneHeartMalwai from the beginning, when it was still in the building phase. I grew up and went to school in Monkey Bay. I always wished to be an engineer. Unfortunately, I failed to finish that study because of finances. In 2015 I went to the university in Blantyre for 2 years. After that, my dad couldn't pay the school fees anymore. I have my electrical engineer certificate, but wished I had a degree. In 2017 I went back to Monkey Bay to try out on the ground what I learned at school. I am the only female electrician in Monkey Bay. It is not always easy to find work, since male electricians sometimes take my jobs giving a lower quotation to the client. But it is getting better and better and I find more work through word-of-mouth recommendations.

I advise the female welding & fabrication students not to look down on themselves. They have the ability to achieve. If they have the ambition, they will succeed. My ambition is to be an approved electrician contractor. I want to give opportunities to fellow electricians and teach others, both girls and boys.”

Esther told us she wished she was younger because she also wants to learn the welding & fabrication skill. We guaranteed her that her age is not an issue and that she is more than welcome to start at the OneHeartMalawi Vocational Training Centre to broaden her profession. 💚

#WomenEmpowerment #electrician #chances #career #oneheartmalawi