The Philippine Embassy in London concludes its #PurpleWednesdays activity with this last set of profiles from gender and development advocates from the community.

 #PurpleWednesdays highlights the new recurring theme from 2023 to 2028: “WE for gender equality and inclusive society”.

 #PurpleWednesdays #WEcanbeEquAll.

Ms. Jamaica Paula Belmonte is a graduating university student. She believes that a more gender-equal and gender-inclusive society can be attained through ensuring gender representation in the decision-making process, especially on matters related to education, healthcare and workplaces.

She adds that, “It should not be about how masculine or feminine a person is for a certain job. It should be about how capable a person is, regardless of their gender.”

Ms. Pyx Marfa, a journalist, believes mentors play a role in building a network of gender and development advocates. She shares, “Speaking freely and independently without fear of being suppressed, and not being under-represented are a few ways to achieve gender equality in this field. I am fortunate to have a strong female mentor, Ms. Rose Eclarinal - News Bureau Chief of ABS-CBN, who empowers me to break out of my comfort zone.”

On the home front, she adds, “Being a mom and a wife, my husband and I share parenting responsibilities for our child and home responsibilities as well. We also encourage our child to voice his opinions, initiating conversations about gender equality and delegating him household responsibilities in his early age. With this, gender equality starts at home and parents are in the front lines of change.”

Ms. Mahani Rajak arrived in the UK in 2000 and has worked as a nanny and a housekeeper. She shares that she was never experienced discrimination from her current and previous employers based on her background or gender.

She is proud of her involvement in community activities and espouses inclusivity in all the organizations she is part of. “As a woman, I promote equality for all. We hold trainings and other activities to encourage everyone to work together regardless of our gender.”