‘When life gives you lemons; you should make lemonade”. That statement probably applies to just about every woman in today’s world. There are so many emotional and physical challenges that women face daily. Triggered by the fury of such struggles, Norah Mc Aslin, birthed a workshop named ‘Hiding behind the Mask’, whose objectives are to uplift and empower affected women through ‘talk’. The other objective is to draw women to God and make them realise that God is the centre of our lives, and when you have a relationship with Him, He will guide you through everything in life.
The first workshop which was conducted on September 19th, 2015, was enlightening as participants realised that women don’t get to talk about their personal issues; most of the time they pretend all is well and hide whatever they might be going through.
“I have a passion for working with women and girls, I strongly believe my purpose in life is to help empower both women and girls,” said Mc Aslin.
The ‘Hiding behind the Mask’ workshop is hosted monthly and every month has a different topic to be discussed.
“We choose a different topic each month, in September we were talking about women of substance, in October we discussed relationships and marriage,” she says.
At every meeting, life coaches, counsellors and mentors are engaged to address the topic at hand. When they finish addressing the audience, women get to ask questions and share stories from their past.
“It becomes extremely emotional most of time, to the point where we can’t hold back our tears when we get to learn what other women are going through. For some, the masks they have been wearing for years eventually fall off,” Norah highlights.
Norah states that ‘Hiding behind the Mask’ is a life changing event, and many women have already testified about the benefits of the programme.
“I would like to encourage women to attend these meetings and get help with whatever life issue they are going through. Sometimes it helps to know that you are not the only one going through such challenges, there is somebody else who has been through the same thing and they can help you,” she encourages. The atmosphere at these meetings is said to be very welcoming and safe, therefore women are encouraged to feel free to talk about anything and everything.
Entrance to these meetings is absolutely free and open to all women, and on December 12th, ‘Hiding Behind the Mask’ will be hosting a High Tea Party at Avani Hotel were the entrance charge will be P200 per person.
