Learning journey: Tarisai Nyamweda 

2019 was a very eventful year for my personal growth as well as my career growth. I continued to walk this gender and media journey with so much resilience and motivation derived from what is happening around me and the person I wish to become. 

With the funding crunch that my programme has faced for a while I at times found it difficult to stay motivated in the face of these challenges. We continued to innovate and rejuvenate in so many ways we managed to land on dry ground. The programme has indeed morphed itself into a more support role for other programmes. However it has not completely cut off its roots in research and media advocacy and training an area which first drew me to the organisation. 

I learn new things every day from the diverse assignments, engagements, and the talented people in the GL team. The media team is a very small team and constant support is needed to share the load. Happy to have had Thato Phakela on board in 2019

Some of the key highlights in my journey over the year was attending the International Conference on Population and Development. The conversations were enriching and I came out of the ICPD+25 more knowledgeable and ever ready to take on the fight and be part of the drive to finish the unfinished business of realising SRHR for all.  I drew inspiration from the world leaders who addressed the conference and realised the importance of having them as key partners in fighting for women’s SRHR. 

Also conducting research on GBV in the media was also very enlightening confirming that we still have a long way to go but that the media is one of the strongest allies  informing and educating people on GBV and they need to get it right. 

I love that my job still manages to play on the same curiosity that drew me to the field in the first place. But above all, I love seeing the positive impact our work has on the daily lives of the people we work with across board. The many stories we get to hear, document curate and share via our various platforms reminds us of the many women in our countries and regions who will benefit even from the smallest portion of help we may give.  

I’m really excited and motivated for 2020 by the upcoming Gender and Media Progress Study (GMPS). This will be the third GMPS that I have been a major part of having had been part of the GMPS in 2010 as a media police and research intern to 2015 as a media coordinator and now being the media and communications lead in 2020. It is a mammoth task ahead but together with the GMPS country teams we have created this is going to be an ezisting ride once again. 

I still have so much to learn from this movement and at the same time, I have so much more to give back. So Aluta continua.

Tarisai Nyamweda, Communications for Social Change Manager