Rising Woman: The power of passion and purpose

Mwananchi Communication Ltd

What you need to know:

She says even with a better employer, domestic workers will still be considered second class people because of the tasks they perform

When I completed my studies, I thought of how I could help girls and women improve the quality of lives - and, to start with, I did some voluntary work for two years. One of the things I chose to do was to go to community schools which was recruiting goals from marginalised communities, and I thought of giving them the opportunity to learn English to improve their speaking and written skills. I then joined the development world where I started working with communities to improve incomes and the quality of women and girls’ lives. My intention was to help the women to advance their education because when you educate a woman, she is then able to educate and improve the entire nation. It’s been tough going up the ladder because you have to demonstrate results - and to engage with others. I have enjoyed the work challenges and working in a team and that has helped me to grow to the current position I am right now. I have learnt if you don’t have the passion that drives you it will be difficult to grow up to the ladder. I would encourage people to have passion and that will be their fuel towards career growth.

I had informal mentors, although sometimes I never knew if they were my mentors or role models. I have learned that children and youth they learn by seeing and by doing. As we talk to people, teaching in schools is one form of mentorship. There are this say which says, actions speak louder than words this is very true. So you can speak how you want but what you do speaks louder. Looking at people and women in my life, especially my mother whom I am proud to say was someone who the community drew learning from her. She never went to higher levels of education but still in her community she was a counsellor and our home was always filled with these women who would come for advice and sharing experiences. As I grew up I came to realize my mother was a mentor despite her education background. In my places of work both men and women I have seen how they do their work. To help people grow their talents and retain the talents at work places is very important. It is therefore important to have a formal mechanism towards growing talents coaching and mentoring. Give an opportunity to face challenges and allow them to look for solutions helps them grow in the process. This is a way to help women and youth to grow.

Organizational and NGOs would need a strategic decision through leadership position - and it has to be driven by the leadership. It requires time and resources and mostly financial resources. For a company to achieve these it needs time and financial implications and when the company’s PR organization is not willing to cover that cost, it is then difficult for companies to achieve this. The ‘landscape’ issue is another challenge in the companies. A lot of parameters identification recruitment talent management and promotion are very male-oriented. A woman has to be very aggressive and market herself - something which comes naturally with men. They will talk about their achievements, and what they know. They will volunteer and rise up to challenges - and this starts from upbringing. Women are the opposite of men. And when the employer recruits, he always looks for people who talk about themselves - like what men do. Even if they did it as a team, they would say they did it on their own! Very few women speak about themselves - and this tends to give more chances to men than women. Parents should use the same skills to raise boys and girls. This would sharpen their skills as they grow - and be able to face challenges in the future.

Rising Woman: The power of passion and purpose

What you need to know:

Latest

Tanzania’s Court of Appeal acquits teacher, quashes 30-year sentence over sodomy conviction

Washing windows for survival: The grim reality of Dar es Salaam's street children

Zanzibar Police arrest 441 suspects and smash notorious crime syndicates

Why the informal economy is essential to East Africa’s economy

Finland’s women-in-tech model offers lessons for Tanzania

Government was not threatened: Tundu Lissu argues in treason trial

In the headlines

National exams brought forward over El Niño threat

Tanzania moves closer to cable transport services

Government was not threatened: Tundu Lissu argues in treason trial

What to do and what not to do when El Niño strikes

What you need to know:

The overlooked factors fuelling human-wildlife conflict

Could we have this conversation with them in the room?

Tanzania’s Court of Appeal acquits teacher, quashes 30-year sentence over sodomy conviction

Washing windows for survival: The grim reality of Dar es Salaam's street children

Zanzibar Police arrest 441 suspects and smash notorious crime syndicates

Why the informal economy is essential to East Africa’s economy

Finland’s women-in-tech model offers lessons for Tanzania

Government was not threatened: Tundu Lissu argues in treason trial

National exams brought forward over El Niño threat

Tanzania moves closer to cable transport services

Government was not threatened: Tundu Lissu argues in treason trial

What to do and what not to do when El Niño strikes