Caroline Munjoma – Zimbabwe

My name is Carolyn Munjoma; I live and work in Chimanimani. I am 60 years of age and I attended school up to Secondary level. My job as a Councillor is to represent the people of Chimanimani district in council so that the council can take the needs of the people into consideration when making decisions as well as create an enabling environment. However, this job has also given me the means to share the information that I have on Gender issues.

I also conscientize the Chimanimani people on gender issues so that they can apply them in their lives, be it social, economic, or political.

I encourage women to be economically independent, through various means like loaning group funds to stranded individuals and then using the interest earned to start women’s businesses or boost existing businesses. I also encourage young married women to go back to school and further their education so that they can become economically independent.

I also represent women to the Chimanimani Rural District Council so that they are able to acquire residential and commercial stands. I first encountered Gender Links (GL) when they came to introduce their organisation in Chimanimani in 2009 when GL was doing its research on gender in local government. After that my friend, Constance Bangani, and I were invited to attend a Training workshop in Kadoma. The Regional Summit in South Africa followed this in 2010. The trip alone to Johannesburg was very memorable as this was the first time to ride an aeroplane. I was elated and really enjoyed it. I have not had any negative experiences with Gender Links. I have enjoyed every workshop they have conducted and learnt a lot from them.

In all my encounters with GL I have gained the confidence to speak publicly because GL trained me to disseminate information to the people in my ward. I did not have much training on public speaking but Gender Links has equipped me with the necessary skills.

In addition I have also learned to organise and prepare myself for public meetings and presentations. I now appreciate and understand the concept of gender equality. Previously I did not have much information on Gender Equality but GL has given me a lot of information, hence the change in my life. The greater part of the skills that I have attained, have been attained because of GL initiated programs which have given me a lot of exposure.

Priscilla Maposa has been mainly responsible for this change. The Women in Politics Support Unit (WIPSU) has also played a big role in my transformation to being who I am today. Of course I cannot solely ignore my educational background because that was one of the foundations of moulding me into the person that I am and also brought about transformation in my life.

With the knowledge that I have gained, I have become a better person. Furthermore I can now impart the knowledge that I have gained to others and encourage them to apply this knowledge in their own lives. My intention is to continue to disseminate my knowledge to the youth and to see them getting to a point where they are able to transform themselves and have   youth groups in which they share this information so that we have a brighter future and a generation that is gender sensitive and aware.

I am grateful to GL for the skills and knowledge they have imparted into my life. I would also request them to visit our area more often.