The Tribune

WITH suicides and cases of depression on the rise, the Everyone Counts Organisation (E1C), together with its women’s group, recently hosted its first annual women’s empowerment summit.

Under the theme “When life gives you lemons”, the organisation aimed to do its part to help Bahamian women deal with their daily struggles, be they caused by finances or relationships.

The E1C organisation hosts monthly mentoring programmes for women and children. All outreach groups are created to show love, support and to enhance self-worth.

Founder and president Nyoka Anderson opened the summit by welcoming the attending women and encouraging them to listen carefully and to take notes of all information that would be shared. The event had a line-up a dynamic list of speakers and entertainment.

One of the speakers was Melisa Hall, wealth coach four women and a women’s empowerment guru. She practices corporate and commercial law with emphasis on wealth building.

What you confess you possess, is her motto. “When you are faced with financial lemons, God is trying to get something to you or something out of you,” she said in her opening remarks.

Mrs Hall told the women that during financial difficulties there are some steps they must take in order to stay ahead of their problems:

1. Clarify – You must clarify what it is you want in life.

2. Count the cost – Creating a budget means you tell your money where to go.

3. Change – You must change what you have done in the past, be strategic.

4. Be content with what you have .

5. Commit to manage your successes.

6. Cry out for help if needed.

7. Create it, go after what it is you want, make it happen.

“We as women must create, manage and protect our wealth,” Mrs Hall said.

Meanwhile speaker Simmone Bowe, a transformation and transition strategist talked about ‘relationship lemons’. Each woman in attendance was asked to make a list of various relationships – love, work, family, to name a few. Under each heading, each person had to write down a feeling that captured how that relationship makes them feel. It was noted that there are a lot of women that felt some type of anger, misplacement, and in some cases resentment, about various relationships in their lives.

Ms. Bowe gave the ladies the five following tips:

1. Know yourself; know who you are as a person.

2. Free yourself; cut off fruitless relationships.

3. Love yourself; set boundaries, do not allow people to violet you.

4. Prepare yourself; become what you want to attract.

5. Enjoy yourself; do what makes you happy.

Pastor Miriam Emmanuel, an internationally acclaimed preacher, teacher and psalmist, then took to the podium.

She spoke to the ladies about how to stand firm during difficult times. She encouraged them to push beyond what they see in front of them, as some situations have a way of creating doubt and eliminating hope. She spoke about Esther and how the Lord is able to use women, “but we must believe and stand firm even when things seem impossible.”

Women and teenage girls in need of a support group can e-mail the Women of Strength sisterhood programme at wosclubpresident@outlook.com, or the Children of Tomorrow youth programme at e1cchildrensdirector@gmail.com and everyonecounts@live.com.