Learning Journey: Seeing Rosaria Memorial Trust reignited my dream

“It’s never too late to have a life you love. Don’t ever feel like you’ve missed the boat, don’t have what it takes or can’t achieve your dreams. Instead of removing your dreams, remove the doubts and fears keeping you from them. It’s never, ever too late”.

My first study visit to Zimbabwe turned to be a learning journey. This journey started at the Airport, the warm welcome by Gender Links Zimbabwe Monitoring and Evaluation (M and E ) officer Tapiwa.  Let alone the treatment I received from my sister, colleague (Priscilla) and her family it was so impressive.  It was my first trip to Zimbabwe and I was the first one to arrive what a coincidence.  I am really grateful and thankful to the Almighty who connected me with Priscilla. Our relationship is not just work related but it has grown in such a way that I find her more than my sister she is an inspiration to me. This trip has made me to learn the truth of love and care from a sister and I will never forget this in my whole life. It was like a dream and yet it was real. I was treated like a queen.

The programme was packed and well organised, but it was worth it. I learnt a lot from the different presentations made by stakeholders during the study visit. There were different presentations all on Local Government but what really caught my eye were the Junior Councilor’s presentations.  These young politicians were so confident and well versed on their UBUNTU presentation the humanity and the environmental sustainability and their confidentiality.

Women in Local Government Forum (WLGF) strategy meeting has also helped me a lot especially because Eswatini is implementing  a similar project.  This meeting assisted and made me understand better on what is happening on the ground. I learnt the importance of establishing own committees as a smooth and easy way to run networks.  As an implementing partner I discovered that it is important and useful so I took this with me to introduce it to Eswatini’s WLGF meetings.

“It’s never too late to have a life you love. Don’t ever feel like you’ve missed the boat, don’t have what it takes or can’t achieve your dreams, Instead of removing your dreams, remove the doubts and fears keeping you from them. It’s never too late”.

I love this quote, it gives me strength and confidence that if I want to achieve my dreams I should remove my doubts and fears as it is never too late.  That is what I learnt and achieved during our field trip to Murehwa Rural District Council and Rosaria Memorial Trust (RMT). These two trips were commendable and I learnt a lot.  But the most important dream that I will never forget is the dream of the RMT.  It touches lives of vulnerable groups of people especially survivors of GBV.  This a self-development project that I thought I won’t be able to do or achieve as my retirement period is closer. This quote has given me strength and confidence. I found RMT Trust as a good self-development project that one can initiate in her country.  As a woman and single parent I managed to get a piece of land at community level (chiefdom area) 70×60 acres. I went through all cultural processes required like men.  What I liked most about RMT is the design of the project is that all the facilities needed by survivors and public are available such as the education block, library room, computer room, training room where they are trained on entrepreneurship skills. There is also a room where they come together and share their experiences of GBV.

There is also a four bedroomed shelter for survivors of GBV. They receive comprehensive counselling and also referral. What I learnt from this project is that for one to have a sustainable shelter is to involve partners like Government Social Welfare Department and other relevant stakeholders.

So instead of removing my dreams, I should remove the doubts and fears keeping from them. It is never, ever too late I can still fulfill my dreams from what I learnt from Rosaria Memorial Trust.  This project touches and saves the lives of survivors of GBV, poverty and also brought closer services for the community so that they don’t travel long distances especially women and girls as they are the vulnerable group when it comes to issues of GBV and other social needs. That is my self-development project I will be focusing on from now on.

I have seen and learnt on the importance of Hub and Spoke councils. Though Eswatini’s focus is on urban councils, it is high time that the country establish such than working individually. This will assist the town boards especially Lavumisa because the population is large and the rate of GBV and sex work is very high.

Thank you Mme Colleen, Priscilla and Zimbabwe Gender Links team for this learning journey you took us through really I will never forget. I really loved the unity, love and respect from all the places we visited during our field trip.  I achieved tremendously and I really appreciate your assistance in taking good care of us.

Ncane Maziya, Eswatini Country Coordinator