Elle Fiesta: Supermoms, Superwomen, Super-people

Empower, inspire, celebrate. Three words, eight workshops, tens of participants, and all in one day. “Elle fiesta,” the first full day dedicated to women, took place on Saturday 20th in Sagesse University.

The event organized by Super Mommy in Beirut, and under the patronage of Mrs. May Khalil, started with a motivational workshop by the latter.

“I used to be a supermommy, now I am a superteta” (super grandmother), said Mrs. Khalil, who recounted the story that made her initiate the Beirut Marathon. She also stressed the importance of running, not just for health and for fun, but also as statement. Years ago, women and people in general, had to run from war and conflicts; now they have the chance to “run towards peace, hope, [and] freedom.” Mrs. Khalil encouraged all the women present at the workshop to participate in the 1 km long Parents Run in the Beirut Marathon next month.

Another encouragement for women came from Start Living Right creator, sports nutritionist and certified personal trainer Maya Nassar. She told women to “throw the scale out of the window” and “make the most of what Mother Nature gave [them]”. She also gave tips on how to lose fat and get the body one wishes to have, through a healthy lifestyle and exercise.

Other workshops followed and aimed to empower women to deal better with their financial and health issues. Along with first aid for children, the themes ranged from the health benefits of breastfeeding, safe eating, importance of disinfecting, and to children’s future planning and financial empowerment. The workshops were given respectively by Mrs. Nisrine Abi Khalil, Mrs. Sarah Bou Diab, Mrs.Rasha Hteit, Mrs. Celine Khalil, and Mrs. Cynthia Alpan.

Throughout the day, women and women NGOs were exhibiting their works. Baby showers, baby clothes, breastfeeding clothes, and food and sweets constitute only part of the exhibition. Not only women benefited from Elle Fiesta, but children as well. Entertainment was provided for children who spent their time drawing, painting, playing, and having fun!

Participants’ feedback to this event was positive and encouraging, both before and during the workshops. One woman said she attended the event because she found “the topics very interesting, and there’s animation for the kids!” A twenty-one-year-old social worker and volunteer, Tonina, had additional reasons: she believes in its cause. “We still have women who stay at home […] and are locked there” she said about women in the North, whom she hopes she will be able to help. Another social worker, Farah, was also hoping to implement what she learnt during the workshops in her work.

Even though the event was mostly aimed at women, men found their way there too. When asked why he participated in the event, Joseph said he was interested in the themes. “[It] shouldn’t be women and men, [it] should be humans” he added.

Elle Fiesta will hopefully be taking place again in the years to come, and help bring women together, empower them, inspire them, and celebrate with them the fact they are women.

Such events are a must in Lebanon which ranked 72 out of 186 on the scale of Gender Inequality Index. This gap between the two sexes should be tightened, and there’s only one way to do so.

As Yasmina Audi, the founder of “Supermmomy in Beirut” always says “only together, we can make a difference.”

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