Thursday 18 / April / 2024
The old saying goes, “Behind every successful man is a woman.” Whoever coined this phrase, though, was surely not just referring to males, but all of mankind in general. This Omani Women’s Day, T weekly brings to you stories of women who have championed noble causes to help Oman’s society and the good work they have done for the betterment of all.
If you are strong you can overcome any burden
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Hon. Dr Badria Ibrahim Al Shihi, Member of the State Council’s Economic Committee
Hailing from Suwaiq in Batinah region, Dr Badria calls herself a “Muscat person” as she was raised here and she lived all her life in Muscat.
“I grew up in different areas of Muscat – Muttrah, Qurum, and finally settled in Seeb. I studied in government schools throughout my life and went to Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) to study chemistry, and then worked as an engineer at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO),” recalled Badria.
“The company then sent me to complete my masters and PhD in the UK for five years, and during that time I was blessed with two daughters. When I finished, I came back and worked as an engineer in Marmul and other fields at PDO. I continued to work for four years and then thought it would be good to pursue my dream and go back to SQU and join the faculty. I established a new degree — applied chemistry — with the team and now it is the 10th year for the degree and it is supposed to be successful.
“I moved forward at SQU and took up administrative positions. I took the directorship of the foundation unit and later when it was merged with the language centre, I became the director of Centre for Preparatory Studies at SQU,” shared Badria.
Moreover, she is also a member of the State Council’s Economic Committee and proudly spoke about the challenges she faced and overcame with the support of her family.
“There were many challenges that I faced during my journey, but the one that I remember the most was pursuing studies while living abroad and just starting my married life. But luckily, I was supported by my husband who was there with me and also my father who came and helped me while I was doing my thesis.”
“Right now, the challenge that I am facing is that I have three jobs — a lecturer and holding an administrative position at SQU, and a member at the State Council in the Economic Committee — which is quite challenging and very demanding but with support from my family it is always easy to overcome.”
“I would also ask every woman who finds it difficult at any stage in her life to overcome challenges and be strong, as I know if you are strong you can overcome any burden,” said Badria.
“In October, as we are celebrating Omani Women’s Day, I would like to congratulate all women for the blessings His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has given us for the empowerment and for the recognition he has given us. We should thank him and show him that we really deserve his trust.”
Look after yourself and your mental health HH Sayyida Basma Al Said, Mental health activist and founder of the Whispers of Serenity Clinic
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An advocate of mental health in Oman, Her Highness Sayyida Basma Al Said is a mental health counsellor and psychotherapist, and has been doing this for 18 years.
“It is very important, especially for women to maintain mental health not because they are weaker than men but because we are the ones who bring up the lovely generation of children. And if we are doing fine with our mental health, these children are going to grow in society very well. So, look after yourself and your mental health, and you will do an amazing job for all the family and the society,” said Sayyida Basma.
She is also the founder of the Whispers of Serenity Clinic, Muscat, and has been working towards reducing social stigma about mental health disorders.
Her most notable work includes a countrywide awareness campaign “Not Alone” that was launched in 2014. The initiative has, till date, carried out various awareness campaigns including a short video clip featuring a host of famous personalities, an awareness walkathon, a mental health convoy for six months in six different governorates of the Sultanate and an artistic talent show which showcased several forms of expression including short stories, poetry, sculpting, music, and fashion.
While speaking on the occasion of Omani Women’s Day, Sayyida Basma said all women can do things that they are really passionate about if they just focus and love what they do, and will succeed.
“It has to be something that is continuous and you find yourself in and not something that you felt someone else doing and wanted to do the same. I am sure all of you will do a wonderful job, and we have so many lovely examples in Oman and I am sure there will be more and more generations of amazing Omani women,” she added
Life is not about giving up HH Sayyida Mayya Al Said, Life coach and social influencer
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For Her Highness Sayyida Mayya Al Said, her journey began at a young age with education and when she joined the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra as a violinist at the age of eight and had the privilege of travelling all over the world to accompany His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and play for his guests as well as in public. She got married at the early age of 21 and with that she had a change of career and went to pursue a diploma in business administration in Australia.
“That was also the time I got pregnant with my first daughter. It was very challenging to handle being a mother, wife and studying but I didn’t give up, as life is not about giving up even when you are faced with the toughest challenges. There is always a reason for everything; every challenge is to push you to be better and not to break you.”
“No matter what challenges you go through in your life, I was previously divorced and was a single mother for five years but that didn’t stop me from chasing my dreams. Yes, it is difficult, but like everything in life, once you overcome it and believe in yourself, miracles can happen,” said Sayyida Mayya. From then on, life continued, but this didn’t stop her from following her passion of inspiring people and helping them by becoming a life coach at the Whispers of Serenity Clinic in Muscat and through social media under “the sewist”, with the sole purpose of inspiring people to love their lives.
Believe in yourself even if no one else does Shaima Al Lawati, Founder and MD, Destination Sustainability
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Yes, companies do practice corporate responsibility, but have you ever heard of a company that was founded solely on that idea? Destination Sustainability is aimed at giving advice to companies with regards to running themselves successfully and sustainably in the long-run.
The first aspect of every company, according to Shaima Al Lawati, should be to give back to the community, while also preserving the immediate environment. Doing good to the world will bring good back to you.
“My father was always talking about work ethics and having principles in life since I was at school,” she said. “He kept on leading by example on daily basis. I understood the importance of being ethical, have principles in life and work to achieve goals. Now I am practicing what I have learnt in my own work and these really have had its impact of my business and who I am today.”
Today Shaima has learned much about what it takes to be successful. She believes in giving 100 per cent and in having set goals.
“Believe in yourself even if no one else does!” she said, adding that one must think carefully before taking any decision and have a purpose in life and act on it.
Love what you do
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Muna Al Riyami, Director of Learning and Development Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Education makes half the person, and that’s a very important lesson to learn. Your education alone does not define who you are. While it does provide you with a foundation, it alone does not shape you. Just ask Muna Al Riyami. After completing high school, Muna moved to Muscat and worked as a receptionist to support her family.
Today, she is one of Al Bustan Palace’s top decision makers and is training young Omanis and expats alike to take the next steps in their careers.
“I was born in Izki which is a town in Dakhiliyah and then later moved to Muscat after graduating from high-school, I didn’t go to college because I had to work and support my family,” she said.
Muna started working as a receptionist and then moved to aviation where she worked at Oman Air as a cabin crew and then within four years became one of the youngest flight managers.
“A big challenge for me was having the opportunity to study, I went to a government school, I skipped college because I had to start working and support my family, I didn’t blame anyone for this outcome but instead I decided to change it,” she added. “I got my degree and now I’m on to my masters.”
Growing up, however, Muna was taught many lessons that simply cannot be taught in a classroom.
“I always remember what my father once told me, he said ‘If you can’t do what you love then love what you do’. Some of us don’t always have the opportunity to do what we want to do in life, but that shouldn’t stop you from being passionate about what you do,” she explained. “You have to give your best and do what you can to reach your highest potential and while doing so, it’s important to remember you are doing it for yourself and not for acceptance.
“The biggest challenge for me as a woman was getting into hospitality because the perception it carries is that if you work in hospitality you are exposing yourself too much, which is something that is not accepted for women in our culture. It was difficult for me to try and change people’s mindset, especially within my family,” added Muna. “I want to tell people that they shouldn’t blame their current circumstances, or use them as a drawback. If you want something you should go ahead and get it, and not give up without a fight. There are three types of people in the world; people who are born with very little and are fine with that and accept it, then there are the people that are born with everything they could ever want and then there are those born with not a lot, but they work hard to change that.
“One of my favourite quotes is ‘everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die’. We all want to be successful but very few of us have the commitment and put in the work to do so.”—[email protected]
Plan things ahead, be determined
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Jannat Moosa, Marketing director, Bin Mirza
It has been far from easy for Jannat and her husband to achieve success, the brains behind bringing global brands such as Wagamama, Nando’s and Second Cup to the Sultanate.
Jannat who always believes in staying strong and not giving up hope feels that when one door closes, another door opens and one must use it to find their successful path.
As is often the case with those who have striven to achieve success, the manner in which Jannat was brought up has played a huge role in shaping her. The lessons taught to her may have been intangible to the outside world, but her reactions due to them are as tangible as they are priceless.
“My father comes from a human rights background, so I grew up living by this and not accepting anything less,” she explained. “It is very important to always treat people equally and fairly, no matter the nationality, gender or age. What goes around comes around is one of my strongest beliefs, so it is very important to treat people like you would like to be treated, and to always be fair and give full rights to every individual, regardless of job level or nationality.
“Rules and regulations are always changing in Oman so we have to keep up with all the changes,” revealed Jannat. “Finding quality ingredients in market is a challenge so we have to end up importing, which costs a lot. But the lessons learned from here are to always plan things ahead, be determined, and you will get there.”
