KUWAIT
April 2023
On the occasion and celebration of the ‘Mother’s Day’ in Kuwait, another very beautiful and historic event about 'Women's Journey Through Life' was held at the Royale Hayat Hospital, Gardenia Hall, on 21st March 2023.
This is Royale Hayat's first sponsorship regarding the aforementioned event celebration.
Among those who attended were seasoned and well-known influencers, vloggers, diplomats of few countries and valued patients who gave birth to their little angels at Royale Hayat Hospital.
The event was led by Ms. Marta Garcia, Director of Hospitality and Marketing of Royale Hayat who opened the floor for all guests and speakers to present their life-changing experiences as women and their journey in pursuing ‘Empowerment’.
Her Excellency, Lena Maryana, Ambassador of Indonesia to Kuwait, was the main speaker of the event. Herein, HE Lena presented and spoke about her humbling life experiences, as a woman and a mother, to reach the state she is in today. She stated that in the country of her birth and belonging to an organization she is in IS NOT EASY, but IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE for women like her to reach the top. The battle for gender equality and women empowerment is for everyone and nothing should be an obstacle, especially being a woman in society, to fulfill good ambitions and plans in life. That no matter what you carry on your shoulder as a woman, a daughter, or a mother you will fight by standing up and speaking with perseverance and continue to fight for women's rights.
Second to the main speakers is Ms. Christy Watkins, Public Affairs Counselor of the Embassy of the United States of America in Kuwait. One of the very important topics discussed by Ms. Watkins is the experiences of women in their chosen profession, “Women in the Workforce”. Ms. Watkins is a living proof that gender is not a barrier to achieving what you want in life and achieving success. Among the words of wisdom that she quoted were "pressure is a privilege" … "build a little time for yourself... you're the only one who can do that". She shared as well that she had always stood by the words of advice given by her parents which is to always 'Show up, get there early, and make sure you get a seat at the table!'… "don't be a victim!... you're gonna have a lot of disadvantages... you have to work twice as hard as a woman". Ms. Watkins stated as well that nothing should be an obstacle to stop you from achieving success.
The third person who spoke and gave inspiration was one of the seasoned and experienced physicians in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Abeer Al Zaydai, from Al Adan Hospital, also the Chair of the Kuwaiti Representative Committee of the Royale College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. During her presentation, there were also many golden words of advice that she imparted to the audience and a few of them were quoted "Strong men are the ones supporting the strong women" wherein she enlightened further that the two genders - male and female – work best together and each should always work together to go up the ladder. In what she went through in life, with her family, one of the things she instilled in her mind and remember the most were the thoughts 'Follow your passion'... ‘express yourself'. Dr. Abeer said that these inspirational words truly guided her to fulfill her desires despite the objections from the people around at first. One of her golden rules in life is 'don't ever try to change others, but change ourselves to the better version of ourselves'.
Another of the invited speakers is an Industry Advisor, GM, ESK Holding and Chai of Banking Finance at ABCK-Amcham Kuwait, Ms. Mercedes Vazquez, who quoted "if you can't see it, you can't be it"… "my title doesn't define me". And one of her favorite sayings is 'A mind is like a parachute, it works best when it's open'. Ms. Mercedes also moderated the panel discussion later in the event.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Kuwait, Mrs. Olga Melynk, and also the Market Representative of the prestigious AC (Accreditation Canada) – Healthcare Accreditation Body, presented her touching story that inspired the audience. She revealed her life experiences as a single woman and how her life changed when she got married and gave birth to a beautiful twin girls at Royale Hayat Hospital almost a year ago.
Mrs. Olga emphasized how at first she was content and believed she was happy being ‘single’ until she became a wife and a mother. Her experience has proven that it is up to a person to design her path in life, to make decisions that no matter the storms, trials, and weaknesses you experience, you must stand up, continue to follow your dreams, make joint decisions with your loved ones. She highlighted, most importantly, that you and your partner in life (spouse) should always work together to continue the fight and lift each other towards success.
The last presentation of the event was the panel discussion attended by the following successful mothers and career women:
- Budget & Cost Manager & Owner's Family at Royale Hayat, Mrs. Kareena Handa
- Consultant Internal & Respiratory Medicine at Royale Hayat, Dr. Alia Ali Ibrahim
- Royale Hayat patient, Breastfeeding Counselor and Motherhood Influencer, a mother of 3, Mrs. Sarah Knaimesh
One of the highlights of the discussion was about ‘Balancing being a Mother and Work Career’ and each of the panelist shared their '2 cents’ on the topic:
"Nobody can take away your education from you"... "A happy MOM can be felt by the children"... "Being a MOM is one of the hardest jobs in the world"... "When I became a mom is when I realized how powerful I can be"... "All the women here, you have to realize you need to know your worth, you need to know that you're very valuable, and, as MOMs, we're raising the next generation of human beings "... quoted by Mrs. Kareena Handa.
"I believe that whenever you inspire your kids with what you're doing, it will make them feel that you are just always beside them even though you're at work"... "whenever your children feel that you're doing a great job, they're proud of you, they will never feel that you're behind and that you don't give them time..." quoted by Dr. Alia Ali Ibrahim.
"Support system, particularly from the husband, is essential" ... quoted by Mrs. Sarah Knaimesh
The whole discussion was truly inspirational and full of thoughtful takeaways!
The prestigious event ended with the awarding of the Plaque of Appreciation to each speaker, by the Director of Hospitality & Marketing, Ms. Marta Garcia. The awarding ceremony was followed by the delicious and incomparable 'Tea Brunch' from Royale Hayat's very own world-class Executive Chef and kitchen team.
Royale Hayat Hospital will always be part of advocacy on well-balanced and healthy life, women empowerment, and motherhood.
Celebrating Women Empowerment… Celebrating Mothers…
Happy Mother's Day to all the Super MOMs! Hats off! Celebrating Life with you always!!!