Zimbabwe: Andile Byano Nkomo

I am a former Junior Mayor for the Municipality of Gwanda Junior Council. All along before my encounter with the Municipality of Gwanda Junior Council, I always wanted to advocate and bring about change in children’s lives in my community. I wanted to be the voice of the unheard. All this was impossible because I had no medium to express and channel all my energy to until MoGJC showed up to my rescue. The organization gave me ways to put action to everything I ever thought about representing children in my city at community level and at National level. I cannot express my gratitude enough in thanking Gwanda junior council for building broader networks for me in which I also encountered Gender Links and its philanthropic works. Below is a whole lot I had to say about change in my life as a young leader;

Passion for change led me to breaking a lot of regular norms experienced and practiced in our schools and society. I volunteered with Young Life Zimbabwe at a tender age a Christian organization that seeks to draw all adolescents to Christ. I happened to be the first boy in my school to be nominated deputy head boy of my big school at Ordinary level year 2016. During my spare time on weekends, I would volunteer for chores at Gwanda old people’s home, I would also gather resources via churches and people in my community to donate to the needy children in children’s homes for instance Makwe children’s home in Gwanda. All this I did with the lack of professionalism and sometimes lack of guidance and proper management until Gender Links through Gwanda Junior council came my way. I always put people’s needs before mine. I was always worried about how other children are managing with their school work, what they do during weekends, what they lack and how they can develop themselves both at school and community.L ittle did I know that I had to acquire some knowledge and skills to do that. I had to be taught leadership skills, communication skills. I have to thank Gwanda Junior council for the job well done. I am able to deal with the public, to deal with pressure as well as have patience with red tape. The organization taught me to focus on children’s issues, to prioritize the involvement of children in local governance. I had a lifetime opportunity to know exactly what is service delivery, how services are delivered by local authorities. I also leant on how I can be a hand in reporting disturbances with regard to service delivery in my local authority for instance sewer bursts, destruction of recreational facilities etc. I also gained experience in becoming a representative for my local authority at junior council level thanks to Gwanda Junior council.’’

I also gained knowledge on the importance of recreational facilities for the children in my town in Matebeleland. How it reduces drug abuse and teenage pregnancies.

My experience with Gender Links in 2019 led me to another level of professionalism.I learnt how to reason with fellow mates and how to lobby policies for the NJCA at national level since it is a mother body of Junior Councils in the whole of Zimbabwe. I also managed to come up with constitutions for junior local authorities and to follow up on community projects as well as projects organized by the junior council and senior council together. I also gained experience in coming up with projects developing a project and putting it into action. This is also evidenced by a number of projects that my fellow mates and I initiated as Gwanda junior council. These include donations to orphanages in my local area, volunteering for humanitarian work at Gwanda old people’s home, implementation of Girl child empowerment movements in schools and  town only to mention but a few.

During my term of office, I and my fellow councillors came up with a tree planting initiative that sought to plant a culture amongst youths in Gwanda town of planting trees at home and in their respective schools. The initiative included children from nursery schools to high schools. The initiative also brought us popularity as the story was published in the Ilanga newspaper.’

Gwanda junior council has exposed me to different opportunities and organizations at large. The youth dialogue forums that were organized gave me experiences in coming up with policies and bills that had to be submitted to the National assembly in the parliament of Zimbabwe. Through Gwanda junior council I had live one on one sessions with people from Shamwari yemwanasikana (SYS) and courtesy of SYS I became a world children’s peace prize ambassador. I had also experiences with Gender Links (GL) and I gained knowledge on sexual reproductive health, sex education only to mention but a few.’

The knowledge I got from Gender Links through Gwanda junior council has helped me bring change to my former school and the community at large. The schools in my town now recognise and celebrate the day of the African child. The schools have adopted and implemented tree planting initiatives as well as Girl child empowerment clubs at school level.

I would not leave the impact some people made in my life from the organization, Ms M Mlilo, patron Gwanda junior council for your patience and the faith she had in me. I learnt relentlessness from you, patience was a virtue you instilled in me. Mr. Shingirirai Chikazhe, you have opened my eyes in ways you would not imagine, I learnt responsibility from you. I have learnt that kindness and humbleness are key in leadership. Now I am an able leader from what I have learnt from you. In the future I plan to become a political scientist. I also plan to start my own trust that will keep the youths and children in my community occupied with different talent exhibits. The trust will look more into opening up avenues for the youths to be involved more in entrepreneurship and advocacy. Thank you so much Gender Links for giving me the energy of seeing and handling societal issues in a more professional and matured manner. I really appreciate.