In October, EAP held a women workshop for its female employees on women empowerment focusing on self-assessment and navigating how best the company can offer support for women to have more impact, respective to their roles. The sessions focused on gender mainstreaming of women, assessing how the company policies/ culture impact female employees professionally.
This workshop is in line with one of the company values ‘Turi kumwe’ meaning we are together, with female employees coming together to discuss and navigate challenges they face. Key takeaways from the discussions was the existence of societal gender norms that pose a threat to creating a safe space for women in decision making. It was a reminder for women to be resilient regardless of gender norms.
“... in a traditionally male dominated industry, the workshop opened a safe space for me as I interacted with other women, learning how they overcame the challenges and how I can do so by exercising my capabilities. I was generally inspired!” - Rosine Byukusenge, Drafter
According to the IRENA, there is a 32% women representation in the RE sector. In the 2019 report, IRENA states that discouraging workplace policies greatly affects the number of women in companies in RE. As a young company growing its team, EAP is working on gender parity in staffing and leadership development.
EAP recognized the need for systems culture analysis to support gender diversity adoption. The first women’s empowerment workshop was a great stepping stone to ensuring a conducive environment for women to thrive and make an impact. EAP looks forward to more of these women workshops at least 4 times a year. The excitement to achieve the 40% women representation by 2025 goal cannot be overemphasized.
