I salut the speech of:-

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle JeanAddress to the Business Women’s Association of South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa, Wednesday, December 6, 2006

I am also extremely impressed by the exceptional work of women who have no academic background, some of whom are illiterate, but whose commitment to the well-being of their communities is remarkable.
They enrich their fellow citizens with their good judgment, their knowledge, and their wisdom.
They are key in creating social consensus around difficult, but unavoidable, issues such as family planning, physical integrity of girls, violence against women, access to education, food security, crime prevention and environmental protection.
I must say that I am particularly touched by the way all these women, from such different horizons, can pool their efforts and work towards the common good.
I have always believed that the real power of women lays in their capacity to put forward at all times the human dimension of any given situation. Women nurture that sense of togetherness and foster a strong community spirit.
Empowering women is empowering a nation.

Let’s say it together …
The idea is to believe that we are making a difference. We must seize every opportunity to speak out and to participate fully in the development of society.
We must believe in our dreams and turn them into reality.
We must always believe that everything is always possible.