WALPE in partnership with Deaf Zimbabwe Trust (DZT) and Mutasa Youth Forum were on the 6th to the 8th of October 2020 in Mutasa District for the Intergenerational Coaching and Mentorship support sessions. The exciting platforms which were attended by a total of 140 participants in groups of 20 from different wards created opportunities for young women and women with disabilities to exchange ideas and strategies with current and former women leaders on how to be effective leaders and role models.
The mentorship and coaching exercises are part of the consortium’s long-term capacity building processes for aspiring women leaders in preparation for public office. The same women were initially trained in transformative feminist leadership and social entrepreneurship skills by the consortium. These mentors will work with the aspiring women leaders as we head towards the 2023 national elections where some of the women are running for public office at different levels. The participants got to learn from their mentors’ experience in leadership positions as well as in the business sector.
Those who intend to run for public office got to learn strategies to run effective campaigns from the female councillors who were present, and those who want to make it in the business world got tips from successful businesswomen who have made it in a male dominated industry. These intergenerational coaching and mentorship programmes are a continuous process and the women leaders will continue meeting and sharing ideas and strategies as part of their leadership journey.
Source: Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence