The call for gender equality is now stronger than ever, as the many voices of women continue to be heard all across the world.

International Women’s Day marks a powerful event, as it celebrates the progress made towards achieving gender equality. It also encourages a moment of reflection on what could be done to further strengthen the momentum towards equal opportunities, gender equality, women’s rights, and women empowerment. A key objective is spreading awareness on how to achieve equality and empowerment for all women—and most especially—young girls.

Teach Them Well and Let Them Lead the Way

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all. One of its 17 goals aims to achieve gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

Today, a spark of optimism continues to erase the gender gap, one step at a time: women are slowly given leadership roles, and laws that promote gender equality are being passed. Yet, the roads leading to the goal continue to be long. For young girls—even more so, as the challenges remain: early pregnancies immensely affecting the lives of teenage girls, the risk of child marriages increasing over the next decade, and extremely limited opportunities for young girls as a result of living in areas that do not have access to education.

Introducing the value of gender equality at a young age is highly critical in paving a better life for young girls. Access to education is key to unlocking a brighter future for young girls—it all starts with nourishing their minds and empowering them at an early age for them to explore a whole new world of potential. As precisely sung by the incomparable Whitney Houston: “teach them well and let them lead the way.”

Breaking Barriers

Teleperformance continues to break barriers in creating countless of opportunities for young girls to learn, grow, and prosper. To us, education plays an integral role in shaping the future of young women, and it also acts as the platform to encourage girls to seek equality, respect, and empowerment in everything they do—not just at a young age, but for the rest of their lives.

Working with several partners that share our vision of a fairer and better world, we relentlessly stand for women empowerment and education for all. Here are a few of Teleperformance’s initiatives that aim to spread awareness in closing the gender gap:

Teleperformance in Colombia
Teleperformance in Colombia held their initiative “You Can be What You Want!” to promote gender equality among at-risk girls living in disadvantaged situations. Beneficiaries of the Instituto de Bienestar Familiar, the girls were presented with tales and stories from books as told by our Teleperformance team. The objective was to introduce better opportunities to these young girls, that they could have—and achieve—different positions and jobs in the fields of technology, science, sports, and leadership.

Teleperformance in South Africa
Our team in Teleperformance in South Africa assisted the Saartjie Baartman Ladies Home, a facility that supports vulnerable women and children who have either been affected by drug addiction or abuse. For six months, the facility helps women who have achieved remission from drug dependence by providing housing, while also preparing them for a new life after moving out of the facility.

Teleperformance in South Africa paid the Saartjie Baartman Ladies Home a visit to encourage the women and build confidence in their abilities. We had eight volunteers who spent three hours at the organisation. Our volunteers taught the ladies how to polish their interview skills and how to answer possible interview questions. In addition, our teams donated toiletries, stationery, and preloved clothing.

Teleperformance in South Africa also supported St. Anne's Homes for Destitute Mothers. Our teams displayed generosity to help the mothers and their children by purchasing tickets to the St. Anne’s Homes’ fundraiser. All in all, the initiative was attended by 36 Teleperformance volunteers who also purchased 36 tickets, contributing R800 to the fundraiser.

“Young women deserve to have a seat at the table regardless of their ethnicity, race, or background.” As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s make it a point to amplify this statement every day, at all times—and keep on working towards a fairer world for all.