It used to take baby steps—small, gingerly movements toward, not even equality, but simply opportunity for women. Thanks to the concerted efforts of gritty and resolute trailblazers, however, those steps have become wider and the boundaries that held women back have gotten more blurred. 

Connected Women’s official collaboration with top healthcare company Sanofi is one of those huge leaps in realizing the effect of giving women proper opportunities to thrive.

Just weeks after signing a memorandum of understanding with Filipina Homebased Moms, another community advocating women empowerment and welfare, Connected Women has partnered with Sanofi to provide accessible awareness programs so women can lead their families in healthcare better.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by CW co-founders Gina Romero and Ruth Yu Owen as well as Sanofi Country Lead and General Manager for General Medicines Amal Makhloufi on June 30, at the first live stream of the three-part FamHealthy forum on family health and wellness. 

According to Makhloufi, the discussion on women empowerment, inclusion, and diversity is close to her heart. “I know firsthand what it’s like to not have a lot of opportunities and what it’s like to fight for my place in society.” she begins. 

Sanofi, according to Yu-Owen, is the number one healthcare company for gender equality. In Sanofi Philippines, females outnumber males in senior management and director positions while globally, it aims to achieve a 50-50 gender balance by 2025.

“The Sanofi journey is one that fosters an environment of empowerment, inclusion, and diversity and the proof is I am here—an Arabic Muslim woman from Africa as a country lead,” shares Makhloufi, adding that she is grateful to be part of a company that pushes toward these issues.

Sanofi pushes for initiatives to ensure that every employee, regardless of gender, is comfortable and confident in doing their jobs and pursuing their goals. “We help them reach their full potential and support them,” says Makhloufi.

She shares that she herself has witnessed the disparity between male and female workers in the Philippines and how poor women especially lack the means to improve their lives.  Highlighting the significance of their agreement, she says that they will be able to reach out to women all over the country and better equip them to have a more reasonable chance for success. “Women in poverty often do not have the choice but to work in unsafe conditions, but we are changing that.”

This mindset goes hand in hand with Connected Women’s aims of giving women access to training, particularly in artificial intelligence and data labeling, that can further open up more and better employment opportunities especially in today’s digital economy. 

The partnership between Sanofi and Connected Women will allow women not only improved economic prospects but also health possibilities as well. As per Sanofi’s promise, it will “support Connected Women in their endeavor to uplift women by providing accessible awareness programs about family health, especially lifestyle diseases.” 

Recognizing a woman’s role and responsibility in her family health, Makhloufi emphasizes the importance of rousing women in their careers as well as of educating them on how they can better protect their families. It’s an especially relevant point amid the pandemic, which puts the spotlight on health and medical preparedness. 

Connected Women and Sanofi have been collaborating since 2020 and in fact, Makhloufi was even one of the panelists at the former’s International Women’s Day forum last March. Catch the next FamHealthy forum on August 25. 

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