Thank you everybody. Welcome to this session.And today I, I want to share uh the work that I'm doing uh on um making sure that women understand that stem, especially women in very uh under priv privileged community, understand that STEM is uh is a powerful tool that they can use to uh reduce poverty. And I have, I have a presentation that I'm gonna share. Um And uh just to uh to go through it, let's just get this presentation. So, first of all, my name is Marie. Marie, uh Tuki. Um uh I'm based in Perth in Australia. Uh I've worked internationally and I've been able to observe, you know, how women, especially women in regional uh area are struggling to, to, I mean, to, to make uh to, to, to, to actually ha have a good living. And that's, that's really what I've been focusing on trying to find uh a solution using stem uh to help them to empower themselves economically and help reduce the uh the poverty. So that's uh that's been one of my focus for the last few years. And uh so I have been uh focusing on Africa, but also on the indigenous uh community here in Australia. So, I mean, we, we, as, you know, as we can see, you know, the uh woman are the one that are the most affected by poverty.

And there's quite a lot of reason for that. I mean, uh there's uh structural reason, there's society reason, there's, you know, uh cultural reason. So it's, it's really, you know, a lot of, you know, a lot of factors that are uh uh that are contributing to the problem. And uh and it's important that women understand what are the, you know, what are the tools, what are the strategies that are available to them? And if, you know, they don't have access to that, it's important that women like us will actually have a certain knowledge or certain, you know, access to uh you know, certain tools that we bring them, the, the tools to them so that they can, you know, they can uh you know, find a solution to their problem and, and start to really empower themselves because that's what it's all about here.

And what I've realized is that, you know, uh when you uh start to uh you know, involve women in stem and help them to understand the um the stem impact in that we, they do on a, on a daily basis, then they, they find opportunities and they, they actually, you know, realize how they can uh empower themselves, especially now that we are, you know, we are in the middle of the um fourth industrial revolution.

Uh So there are opportunities in a way and know the knowledge can be shared, they can collaborate. So there's a lot of opportunity for them to uh you know, to, to take advantage of. So just to, to get back to, to the problem. So, uh I mean, we've seen, we've seen, you know, progress so far as far as, you know, women empowerment is concerned or gender diversity if, which is part of, you know, which is part of it. And uh but, you know, we, we've not really been able yet to uh to achieve the economic equality, uh you know, with men and women and there are still things that uh women still have to battle. Uh they, most of the time have, you know, they, they're lower paid uh jobs, the some unpaid job, a lot of, you know, things that they have to do for free, take care of the family. Uh And uh in, in some culture, they actually have so much, you know, burden on you, you know, that they, they have to integrate into their life that it's, it becomes very difficult for them to even work. And uh sometimes the culture also do, doesn't allow them to work. So they don't really have any power. And uh and it's difficult to talk even about, you know, gender, gender equality and, you know, obviously when they work and, and even in developing countries.

Uh, it's not just in, you know, rural area or under privileged, uh, uh, uh, um, areas, uh, the, they normally in low wages and they have low, lower wages and, you know, some lack of, and we've seen with the pandemic that they've been the one that have been, you know, the most affected in, you know, uh, because they had some of, some of us or some of the women around the world had to stop working, take care of, you know, the, the Children and really manage the household.

And, uh, and some, some, you know, because they don't, they're not at a, at a level where they, they're taking any decision. They are the ones that are sacrificed and they, they really have to, you know, to, to, uh, to take the back seat. And, uh, you know, and, and as you see on this slide, you know, um, when we, we talk about wages, uh, women earn 24% less in, in, in, on average, you know, than, you know, than, than men. And, uh, it's not, it's not getting better, it's not getting better. And we, we've seen that especially in developing region. Uh, there's not a lot of, there's quite a high amount of women that still don't have a decent job. And it's important to look at how we can change, you know, change the dynamic. So we, we'll talk about the unpaid care that, uh, a lot of women are doing, uh, you know, childcare house, you know, uh housework and, uh, and, and really, you know, when you start to stack all of this and, and give a value to it, it's quite a lot of money. It's actually quite a lot of money that they could have earned if this, you know, if this work was paid.

So it's important to, you know, to, to find a way for them to, to get, you know, this economic value, at least part of it so that they can, you know, feel empowered, they can participate as well to, to the, in a, in a way. And that's uh that, that's really what you, we've been trying to do at empty energy through different projects and uh in different, in different region focusing on the region where uh it's more, it's most, most difficult. So one of the thing that you, and, and I think a lot of you probably know is that increasing women, economic equality, you know, it's, it's a way to reduce poverty and that's, that's the focus that we have really trying to reduce poverty, the poverty level for women. And uh and when we, you know, when we look at the statistic uh the, you know, in countries where the high level of gender equality and, and where, you know, the, the woman can have access to uh good jobs uh with high level of income, then we see that, you know, the, the, the poverty level is reduced, not only for women but also for the country itself.

So which mean that it's not just women, you know, profiting from, from uh from this exercise. It's also uh the, the, the country at large, the community at large which, which makes things, you know, more uh um I mean, mo more serious uh in a way because you, you really don't want to as a country, you really don't want to, to lag behind. So empowering your woman is uh is it becomes a key economic uh ee economic um tool to be able to, you know, to thrive and to have a sustainable, a sustainable economy. And we've seen, for example, in Latin, you know, America, for instance, an increase of the number of women in paid work uh between uh 4010, you know, and, and we've seen the, the overall poverty in the, in the country and uh reduce and that's uh that's a sign and uh and, and uh you know, it's really telling us that that's the way to go.

We, we shouldn't back down on uh on, on working to make sure that women uh get access to uh to, to good paying jobs and uh and all so get, you know, to, to, to reduce, you know, to, to reduce poverty as well. Uh You know, in, in what, in, especially in those rural area where it's not very easy for them to uh to get something or to create something. So when we looked at, you know, um because the group, the, the uh empty energy resources is mainly, you know, composed of women. So we've looked at, you know, using STEM, you know, what can we do? Uh Because it's uh II I, it's, it's always the question, you know, we talk about STEM and then when you go in a rural area talking about STEM, I feel like, you know, something that comes from another planet. So it's important to relate uh the STEM to what they, what they do uh locally. And that's uh that's, for example, we've been in region, you know, we, we've been in Kenya in, in the, in, in the rural area where we've empower uh girls. Uh and one of the projects that we've, we've joined is uh FGM uh to stem FGM standings of female genital mutilation. So we still, they still have in this region uh the, the female, the female genital mutilation.

So what we do is really going there and educating not only the, you know, the uh uh you know, educating the people who have, you know, who, who are taking the decisions and help them to understand, you know, that whatever uh cultural aspect that is, you know, attached to this type of practice is not, you know, it, it is not actually something that can be sustained uh sustainable.

And, and we're trying to uh help them to, you know, to understand that the girls, you know, are not just there to get mutilated and get married, there are opportunity for them to um to, to, to get out of uh this uh you know, this, this very close environment and, and start to learn something that will be be to uh to the society and, and especially the community in this case.

So we've, we've had, you know, uh camp for them to create their own path because, you know, uh paths, you know, access to paths. It's, it's something that is sometimes very difficult in those, in those areas. So we basically, uh you know, teach them how to create those paths so that they don't have to miss school because so a lot of them, uh you know, when they have their period, they just can't go to school because they don't, they don't have any parts. So we use whatever uh is available, the leaves, the, you know, and we, we show them how to create something with what they have. And that's really, and, and we emphasize this stem aspect uh uh to, to, to them and they, you know, and then they repeat it and then there are other things that they can do for themselves. Uh And that's, that's really productive uh for not only for them, it solve a problem, but also it actually help as well to, you know, for them to get the confidence to empower themselves and then uh uh challenge whatever status quo they are in, especially with regard to the FGM.

So, uh so it's also a good thing for them, especially, you know, those rural girls when they, they can have access to this knowledge, to move to the big cities where they can learn, you know, uh maybe uh more complicated aspect of, of stem which mean that they, they will be able to, to uh at some point to ask to have more opportune, more job opportunities and uh and, and be able to, to be self sufficient and in a way helping uh their families and helping other girls as well to access the same opportunity.

And which means that, you know, in terms of poverty reduction, it's uh it's a big, you know, it's a big step because when, what we see is that in, in most of those uh the, the country where they, there is, you know, this discrepancy and there, there is, you know, those rural uh limit uh limitation in, in the rural community, the, the stem jobs, you know, are normally very well paid.

I mean, we have, we, we, we have in, in most of the countries, you know, um they are, you know, energy jobs that are coming in the, you know, chemical job uh health and jobs in the health sector. So it's, it's really something that they can, you know, they can have access with when they get the knowledge and the education uh through some of our projects and, and they can, you know, in a way and now help be self sufficient and also help, you know, the community to grow and reduce uh poverty.

Uh you know, because, you know, we, we, we, we could see in some of those community uh generational, you know, poverty uh you know, keep, you know, the poverty was basically passed from generation to generation. And uh because opportunity, there were no opportunities and, you know, the, the girls didn't have access to any education, they didn't understand what, what were the opportunity. But with opening up, you know, this, uh you know, those opportunity to them, then, you know, this generational poverty can be uh cut in a way. So, I mean, uh like I said, you know, the economic participation is really what it's important here. Have women participate, have women, you know, getting access to those high paying job. And we've seen that system is really where, you know, those high paying jobs are, uh you know, in, in South Africa, for example, where we also have, you know, a, a team uh wo women, you know, uh we've seen that poverty is really again, uh a woman thing. And uh so that, that's, that's really where we, we needed to act and understand, you know, what are, you know, what, what, where are they, where are those women, where are they located?

And how can we do with them, using, you know, what they have in their environment to bring the stem aspect and to, to make sure that we empower them and give them opportunity for them to, to be able to, to be self sufficient. And, um, uh, you know, the, and that's one thing that, you know, through the project that we've, we've done, we, we've realized that, you know, ste have been able to open doors to, uh, you know, job opportunity for those rural girls that start, you know, school in, in the rural area.

But when they can, you know, uh have access to the knowledge, to become scientist to, to, uh, to work in the, in the resource sector or even to work in banks where they still have access to, you know, a lot of the technology computer, if they can use a computer, then, you know, they, they are, you know, opportunity for them to access better job.

And uh for the, for the one that didn't, couldn't work, they can now work, they can have access, have access to, to, to the jobs and then they can help, you know, their families and, uh, and have more freedom in a way because, you know, it's not just about them getting married only now, it's about, you know, them having an opportunity to be self sufficient and to, to, to, to have choices now they can decide for themselves because this economic power give them a voice and that's, that's really what we're trying to do, give them this voice and, and help them to, to be self sufficient in a way.

So, uh so we've talked about, you know, uh the stem job that are very well paid, uh The skill gaps is still there. So, you know, we're doing those projects as well as about uh you know, making sure that uh we uh this gap is, you know, is diminishing between uh between uh women and uh you know, and, and men. So, starting at uh at the, at the very, at the roots and then uh you know, growing, growing this uh you know, uh growing that to, to a larger extent. And uh and so there's, you know, the, we have a, we have project in Africa, but we also started a project here in Australia to um to look at, you know, the indigenous community who is still very, a lot of, you know, of the girls and the women are still very live in remote areas and they don't always have access as well to opportunity, good jobs, opportunities.

So, putting uh this effort and uh helping them uh to learn, you know, um uh stem, you know, stem have, stem activities, stem education, uh you know, uh for the young, the young indigenous girls, you know, coding uh how to use a uh you know, how to use a computer and then make sure that they can go to university, uh you know, and, and follow uh you know, uh um uh a ste a technical science uh path and then so that they can have access to a good, you know, a good, a good job in a way.

So really looking at that from, from, from that point of view, because we, they still, we still see, you know, uh uh women, especially indigenous women here in, in Australia lagging behind. So, and, and they have a lot of potential and this potential is wasted. So that's important to bring them back so that they can participate to the economy as well. So, I mean, a, a significant with uh you know, in whatever we do significant relationship between, you know, the education and the working status of women using STEM and sharing our knowledge in stem to, to be able to, you know, to, to leave no one behind as far as, you know, the uh empowerment, women empowerment is concerned and, and really, you know, push for it and we, we working as well.

Uh So we're not working in isolation in every country where we are, we trying to, uh you know, to get, uh you know, local uh organization to get involved by the government so that it becomes something that can have, you know, go to uh have a uh um a, a large impact instead of just, you know, having this spot, uh some spots, you know, uh uh small, you know, small impact in, in a different region, really looking at expanding because as part of this project we're really looking at.

Um So we have, we have the Ugandan project, we have uh also the uh the Stem Queens here in Australia, which is more for women and indigenous women, especially the in the resource sector. And then we've been, we've been really um we, we are really happy with what's happening. We've been able to make a difference and really create, you know, a pathway and uh and uh you know, so something that can uh create opportunities and uh not only for mentoring, for coaching, but also opportunity for the woman to grow and to access to something that can, you know, help them to upscale in term of, you know, in, in terms of their economic empowerment.

So, I mean, we've, we've had uh you know, program in Kenya in South Africa, uh looking at, you know, how women can uh you know, can empower themselves and, and fine, because it's more about creating those opportunity using what they have around them and create those opportunity.

Because sometimes uh like I said, at the beginning, we think that stem is coming from somewhere else. Sometimes we already have everything. It's just, you know, we're not aware. So have this awareness, for example, creating soaps for, you know, the one that are, you know, in, in the region, which is, you know, something that uh that is simple to do. But you know, when you don't know, you, you tend to say, OK, I mean, we don't have soap here and you don't, you do nothing. But yes, you can create it. So when they get all those skills and they can, you know, uh create, use that and, and, and then create a small business that will help them uh you know, to, to live and to, to, to do something and to be independent. And we also have, you know, we've worked in Ghana as well where, you know, a lot of, you know, the, the, the, the unemployment is very high. We've seen uh for Ghana, it's a bit of a different setting is more about uh a skill mismatch where a lot of, you know, the girls have not been really coach and mentor uh at UNI.

So they tend to do the same thing, they want to be lawyers, they want to. And then, you know, there's so many of them now that there's not a lot of opportunities. So in Ghana, we're doing more of, you know, poverty using what whatever skill they have and then orienting them uh to stem and opening, you know, those, those opportunity for them. So it's uh it's, it's really, you know, um it's really a good, you know, a good uh a good project that uh we've, we've, we've uh we, we're continuing because the idea is to uh empower uh 1 million uh women across. So in Africa, here in the indigenous community in uh in Asia Pacific, in Australia and in New Zealand. So really pushing for, you know, for women to get this economic empowerment and, and, and really be, you know, um really be sufficient. And because it's also about um uh you know, believing in themselves as well, it's uh it's, it's just not just the empower, the economic empowerment, but it's also for them to really understand that they, you know, they, they have this power and they have this uh this greatness inside of them and it can, you know, it is necessary for, they have to use, use it, they have to step into their power to be able to create, you know, the, the, the world that they want and also empower their communities because the empowerment of the community will not, you know, happen without them.

So they, if they want to empower the community, they have also to empower themselves. And that's really, you know, what we, we, we're looking for here and uh and then, you know, uh for a lot of countries. So we're talking to, you know, government representative and, and pushing this message for them to understand that, you know, countries, you know, other countries, they have to invest in, in science and technology. And uh because it's an i an important uh an important thing that will, you know, and, and involve women into the process because that's really what's gonna make a difference. And we've seen, especially when we look at the statistic, I mean, those, those countries that have, you know, empower women in stem and in, in, you know, in those um area where they can make an impact. I've seen the, you know, the economy blossom and, and that's, you know, another aspect of the equation. So that's really what I wanted to share today, uh really, you know, uh make uh you know, um send the message that, you know, we need to uh uh uh go out there and uh find those women who are, who need, you know, the knowledge that we have and especially the stem knowledge, which is, you know, who uh the important for the um the revolution that we are in this fourth edition revolution.

So they shouldn't be left behind. And that's uh and doing so by using what they already have, you know, in their environment and then, you know, a building up to scale themselves. So that's, that's all that I had to say.