Name: Tanya Nasti
Grade: Year 12
Age: 17 Years
School: Inverell High School
Hometown and State: inverell, New South Wales
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
Ever since I was a young girl both my parents taught me I could do anything if I put my mind to it. They always told me that girls are some of the strongest people on earth and throughout my life, this fact has constantly been proven to me as the women in my life have continually inspired me through their empowerment of each other and their communities.
The first 5 years of my life were spent in Kashmir, a disputed area between India and Pakistan. I lived in the Indian occupied area of Kashmir, there were constant riots and protests and women played a major part when these events took place. The Indian army committed a great deal of human rights violations in the region, however, every time some horrible thing happened I would see the spirit of the women around me lift everyone up. They always made sure their families and communities were well taken care of. This always inspired me as a young girl, it was amazing to see these women support and build up their communities while being extremely well educated and constantly trying to seek knowledge. Many women would fight for the rights of other Kashmirs and I would witness my own grandmother go to our neighbours’ houses to make sure they were doing well and were well taken care of. This really inspired me, I wanted to be just like my grandmother and the other women in my community.
When I was five years old me and my parents moved to Saudi Arabia and the next six years of my life would be spent there. Despite the many restrictions on womenäó»s rights that were present in Saudi Arabia at the time, I still saw women rise up and empower each other. The women in my neighbourhood would always gather together during special occasions and make sure everyone was doing well, they would constantly empower each other and help each other when anyone needed help. It was amazing to see and it taught me to always be there for and support my fellow females.
In 2015 we moved to Australia and came to a small country town called Inverell. The move was much more difficult than the move to Saudi Arabia, this was a completely different culture and living in a small country town meant me and my family were practically the only Muslims. Going to high school should have been difficult for me considering I was the only Muslim in the entire school, but it wasn’t. The main reason for that was the amazing girls I became friends with, they continually supported me and went out of their way to educate themselves about my culture.
Throughout my life, I’ve seen that the best way for women to empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change is by coming together and working together. In a world where women are constantly pitted against each other, it is important for us to come together and support each other after all, that’s what the women in Kashmir and Saudi Arabia did and they were stronger because of it. They are still able to laugh and smile despite their situations because they are together. Even my own amazing friends, they came together and made a shy and scared Muslim girl feel so welcomed in a new community and environment. I believe that being there for a fellow woman is one of the most empowering things a woman can do.