Thursday was International Women’s Day and the Standard Group, in partnership with Hotel InterContinental Nairobi, hosted a dinner party that saw the convergence of many great women and men of this country. NJOKI CHEGE was there

This year’s theme for the International Women’s Day was ‘Connecting girls, Inspiring futures’ and Thursday’s dinner couldn’t have been more practical. It saw the coming together of younger women and their role models.

Some of the women who attended the Women’s Day dinner at the Hotel InterContinental in Nairobi.

The evening began on a high note, with guests arriving shortly before 7pm looking glamorous and ready to have a good time. Power couples, both in the corporate and entertainment world, were in full attendance, the men showing full support for their women.

It was a star-studded guest list, consisting of who’s who in the entertainment, corporate and media world.

To crown the occasion, Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero, gave a moving speech about what the day’s theme meant to her and her passion for positively impacting the lives of young girls around the country.

Role models

"This year’s theme is powerful because it focuses on an issue that is close and dear to my heart," Susan said.

She recounted the life of her father, the late Tom Mboya, a man who continues to influence and inspire decades after his death. Through the famous ‘Tom Mboya airlifts’, many poor but academically gifted students were able to study abroad and turn around their lives, some of them becoming national leaders.

"The biggest indicator of where a girl will end up lies not in her family background, but in the people she interacts with who influence her life," offered Susan.

She also gave some staggering statistics on the state of girls and women empowerment in developing countries, challenging everyone in the room to be a role model.

"Being a role model doesn’t take a lot of time and effort. All you have to do is be yourself and allow yourself to interact with young people and let them learn as much as they can from you. We have to realise the power of our actions even in seemingly hopeless situation," Susan said.

Drawing inspiration not from the generations ahead of her but from generations after her, Susan revealed that she finds great fulfillment in influencing the lives of the many young girls who have crossed her path –– 141 in total.

Dorcas Muga-Odumbe, Nishma Karia, Zipporah Musau and Njoki Karuoya.

Group Marketing Manager of Radio Africa Group Limited and queen of the airwaves Caroline Mutoko, challenged the crowd that the best way to connect girls and inspire futures was through investing in the future generations.

Offered Caroline: "There are several women who went before us and beat the bush for us. That is why you and I are here. The only way we can inspire the futures of these young girls is through paying it forward. If you do not pay back, we will ask ourselves ten years from now –– where did we go wrong?"

She also challenged the companies represented in the room to involve more women in decision-making positions because while women make up majority of the workforce, they still remain a minority at the top.

Leadership

"We need more women on the board because I assure you that will directly translate to huge profits and even better leadership," said Caroline.

The General Manager and Operations Director (Africa) of InterContinental Nairobi, Karl Hala, urged the guests to embody the theme and spirit of the International Women’s Day in their day to day lives.

"About a 101 years ago, the world celebrated the first International Women’s Day. Issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment were largely radical ideas. However, today, we have seen great milestones in gender equality and women’s empowerment, and that is why we are here to celebrate today," said he.

In the spirit of connecting girls and inspiring futures, Karl talked about Hotel InterContinental’s partnership with Mbagathi Primary School, where young girls have created impressions of their favourite female personalities. The paintings are up for sale and the proceeds go towards the purchase of various facilities in the school.

Inspiring

"Today we are here to connect girls with great women of the present in order to inspire their futures," Karl said.

Rev Linda Ochola-Adolwa of Mavuno Church challenged everyone in the room to rise up and be a role model for the younger generation.

"I challenge you to arise from fear and inaction and be the model to young women and men who direly need mentorship and role models in their lives," Rev Linda said.

Nancy Wettstein, the managing director of Pivot Point Kenya-Hair and Beauty School and Urembo Salon, gave the crowd a few tips on grooming and looking and feeling good.

"While there are no particular standards to determine beauty and handsomeness, I personally believe that the key to looking good solely lies on your ability to invent your own personal style and identity," she said.

The occasion ended on an even higher note as guests danced the night away to authentic Kenyan music led by Kayamba Africa.