This session was held on Friday, March 8, 2024 from 2-5 pm Central Indonesia Time (CIT) at the Science Technology Park Building, UNHAS and was attended by representatives of gender study centers from universities in Makassar and surrounding areas, master's students who study gender issues, Australian alumni who are involved in gender issues, gender activists, as well as interested students and the public with gender issues and particularly the students with disability.
At this session, Mrs. Philippa Armstrong, preferably called Bu Pip, as Acting Consul-General of Australia was one of the speakers at the panel session together with the President of OWSD, Mrs. Sri Fatmawati, S.Sc., M.Sc , PhD, well known as Fatma and owner of Tuli Donut Usaha Mikro Kecil dan Menengah (UMKM) or Small Medium Enterprises (SME), Hj Ramlah Wahyuddin. The session was moderated by the Secretary of UNHAS International Office, Muhammad Ridwan, M.A.
Before the panelists started speaking, the moderator proposed one question about the panelists' thoughts on a woman in one word.
Bu Pip said that women related to “strength,” while Mrs. Fatma said “humanity” and Hj Ramlah said “tough.” Then the moderator invited three panelists to deliver their thoughts on three different issues.
Bu Pip described the Australian government and community regarding the role of women in the society. She also explained the project done at Tompobulu, the Regency of Maros which interfered with the development and empowerment of women in the area.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Fatma explained her role in educating women in East Java Province particularly in Surabaya and its surrounding.
The last speaker was Hj. Ramlah shared her best practices when starting her business. She said with the minimum amount of money, she started her business and no one wished to buy. As the time went on, she made her business developed and employed other people with disabilities.
The session continued with questions and answers. One of the participants asked a question in regard to his opportunities to continue his study in Australia considering that he is a man with a disability.
Bu Pip convinced this young man to look for more info in the Australia Awards as well as the university websites as there might be a different policy regarding the student with a disability from one university to another.
Bu Hj Ramlah in particular, she got a question from the audience regarding her strategies to develop her business. She encouraged the audience to be motivated and do their best in doing the business. The session ended up with a token presentation to all panelists and a photo session.
