Well, International Women’s Day 2015 has come and gone. I
wanted to write a post to mark the occasion, but obviously it did not
happen. I had eye surgery this past week and the preparation for it,
and a more painful than normal recovery, sidelined my good
intentions. Happily, we at Bijlmer Bridge2Hope were able to attend two
events on the Friday preceding International Women’s Day. The conferences, The
Power of Entrepreneurial Women Worldwide and Women’s Business
Initiative International (WBII) were informative and
motivating. We enjoyed the speakers (including our very own Madeline
van der Steege), connected with other women, and spoke to as many
people as possible about the Bijlmer Bridge2Hope project.
So, I hope you are wondering what International Woman’s
Day has to do with Maslow? Not much at first glance, but they are
connected. Most people are familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs towards
self-actualization. Psychologist Abraham Maslow postulated his theory
of human motivation in 1943. His well-known premise outlines the fundamental
levels of needs that people have. Maslow sees each level as a type of step,
with the needs particular to each level being fulfilled before one can move up
to next. There are five levels in his theory, ending with self-actualization.
It is almost always shown as a pyramid that looks like this:
Here is
the extremely simplified crash course on Maslow's hierarchy of
needs. Maslow believed that four fundamental needs must be met before a person
can begin to focus on the subsequent steps towards self actualization. He
designated the first level of needs, physiological. These needs
consist of very basic items such as air, water, food, clothing and shelter
-- needs that all have just in order to survive. After these are met, one can
move to the next level, which is termed safety. On this level a person is
able to begin thinking about what they need to be personally and financially safe,
and take the actions required for their individualized security. The third
level of human need, as seen by Maslow, is love and belonging. This
acceptance among social, peer and family groups is needed to move towards the
fourth level, esteem. All humans have the need to respect themselves and
others. Esteem includes a personal sense of dignity and value, as well as a
need for respect from others. Once the four fundamental needs (physiological,
safety, love and belonging, esteem) are met, then one is able to work on
self-actualization. Self-actualization is unique for each person and is the
realization of his or her full potential. This potential may be expressed
in diverse ways.
It is safe to say that most of us do not know many people who
are on the bottom levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Most individuals
we encounter in our day-to-day lives have their basic needs met. They have
more food than they need, they have a large, safe shelter to live in, and they
have a closet, full of clothing ,which is often added to when they decide that
they need something new. Most of us are more fortunate than we realize –
some of us might even say that we have reached the level of
self-actualization. Certainly the majority of us are not concerned with
our basic psychological needs and safety being met.
But there are women who are at the bottom level, where their
fundamental needs are not even being fulfilled. Imagine being in a position
where you would sacrifice your safety to have the basics such as food, drink
and shelter. Our participants have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder
after years of being trafficked. They have been exploited, raped,
tortured, stripped of their dignity and had their basic needs withheld from
them for years. Fortunately, now that they are free from their traffickers,
our participants are able to start making their way up to the next
level. At Bijlmer Bridge2Hope we are equipping them with the skills needed
to succeed and reach their own individual potential. Food, drinks and
necessities are provided. We meet several times a week in a safe environment.
There is love, acceptance and belonging for each of them in the group, and the
vocational and language skills they are learning weekly help to build their
self-esteem. It is encouraging to see their increased self-confidence,
witness their personal victories, and see their beautiful smiles as they begin
to make changes.
So yes, International Women’s Day has come and gone, but we
do not need a specific day to remember the needs of women who are at the bottom
of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The theme of International Woman’s Day
2015 was “Make It Happen”. Today, think of what you can do to make it
happen for women who are not as fortunate as you. As women, we have come a
long way towards equality, but some females still have yet to reach the next
basic level. Let’s give a hand to these women who need support, help to
provide them the skills to go to the next level, help them become the best that
they can be. Every woman deserves the opportunities and tools required to transform.
"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs
to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts
of all who care about human rights" Gloria
Steinem
