Social Domain Director Carol Jack-Roosberg (second right) receives the Ingrid Whitfield Woman of the Year Award from Government Commissioner Marnix Van Rij (right), with Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis (second left) and former commissioner Ingrid Whitfield (left) looking on.
ST. EUSTATIUS--A ceremony to honour women on International Women’s Day was held on the Boardwalk in St. Eustatius on Monday, March 8. Theme for this year’s event was “Choose to Challenge”.
Women in healthcare posing for a photo during the International Women’s Day celebration in St. Eustatius.
With Government Commissioner Marnix van Rij and Deputy Government Commissioner Alida Francis in attendance, six women from the health sector were honoured: Beverly Woodley, Mayara Wijsman, Shanna Mercera-Gibbs, Danneil Abram, Mariska ter Horst and Elizabeth Jones.
Social Domain Director Carol Jack-Roosberg received the Ingrid Whitfield Woman of the Year Award from Van Rij, Francis and Ingrid Whitfield, after whom the award was named. Whitfield was the first female commissioner in the former Netherland Antilles.
Jack-Roosberg said she accepted the plaque also on behalf of her colleagues Gerwin Schobbe and Sharda Baboe, without whom she would not have been able to do her job this past year.
The honoured women all received vouchers for Vitality Beauty and Spa.
Women have achieved important milestones throughout history because they dared to challenge, and because of this, women today have experienced equal opportunity in areas where it matters most, Francis said.
She recognised former civil servant Inez Shaw-Mars. Nearly 30 years ago she challenged the status quo, “and because of that, today women in Statia and in the former islands of the Netherlands Antilles have equal pay for equal work.”
Francis said that women challenging the way things were has caused women to gain access to the ballot box and holding high offices. “Women today have access to education, which allows them to pursue careers as long as these women remain focused on their goal. Boardrooms, which were formerly dominated by men, have now seen women at tables where some of the most important decisions are made.”
Francis said that also in the public entity St. Eustatius several women hold top key positions. “In the last two to three years, I see a lot of young women who have started their own business. That is a sign that they have chosen to challenge themselves,” Francis said.
“Women are now in the pulpit. Years ago, you would not have heard of a woman being a minister in the church of God, and that has changed significantly.” Also, in industry women have access, such as at Global Terminals Investment (GTI).
“While we have broken down many barriers, this success depends on how well we make use of the opportunities that were created for us,” said Francis.
Francis also paid tribute to the Public Health Department and especially to the women who have been working diligently since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, to keep Statia and its residents safe over the past year.
“On International Women’s Day we celebrate the Public Health Department headed by our sole female director Carol Jack-Roosberg. I am very thankful to all of you for the wonderful contribution you have made to Statia.”
