Top photo – Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman (third from the right) hosts a roundtable with the women who work at Gorongosa National Park. Text and photos by Samo Jossefa
Netherlands ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman visited Gorongosa National Park in honor of Women’s Month on April 11. The purpose of her trip was to introduce Anita Luis Américo, the Netherlands Ambassador of the Day and take part in a round table discussion that closed the activities of Women’s Month. The Ambassador for a Day is chosen by the diplomat of the Dutch Embassy.
Ackerman and Américo also had the opportunity to interact with incredible women who work in various departments of the Park, sharing inspiring stories and discussing important issues related to conservation and Sustainable Development, as well as the problem of early unions that afflicts many girls in the Park’s Sustainable Development Zones.
Américo is a former member of the Gorongosa Youth Club. On this trip, Ambassador Akkerman visited the Girls’ Clubs program in the community of Madzimachena, in the Gorongosa district, where she discussed solutions and strategies to combat early marriage and promote the empowerment of young women in that region.
Together, the Embassy and the Park reinforced their ongoing commitment to support the cause of combating early unions, allowing girls the opportunity to grow and flourish without obstacles.
Left photo: Aurora Melene, president, Gorongosa Restoration Project; Anita Américo, Ambassador for the Day (center); and Netherlands Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman. Right photo: Ambassador Akkerman with members of the Madzimachena Girls Club.