On the 23rd of February 2021, women aspiring leaders from Chiredzi were taken through intergenerational grooming, coaching and mentorship sessions by WALPE and Self Help Development Foundation (SHDF) with support from the American Embassy.
The mentorship and coaching sessions came after the aspiring women leaders had gone through transformative feminist leadership and social entrepreneurship capacity building trainings where they were equipped with knowledge like how to run a political campaign as well as running a profitable business.
With the movement restrictions imposed by the government because of the coronavirus pandemic, the coaching and mentorship sessions were conducted virtually using the WhatsApp platform and a combined 100 women leaders participated.
The exciting platforms created opportunities for women to get ideas and strategies on how to be effective leaders and role models. Young women were grateful for the opportunity to learn from those who walked the journey before them. They gained communally created wisdom, organised knowledge and learnt from each other to further their abilities in leadership and business development.
Discussions on how the women leaders can be ambassadors for climate justice were also shared as challenges of climate change affect women and girls more. The women received information and strategies on how they can be at the forefront of ensuring that the environment is preserved with particular focus on how the burning of sugar canes in Chiredzi is affecting the environment and how the women can engage the companies and individuals involved to use eco-friendly methods. The women leaders took it upon themselves to engage the community in addressing the challenge of climate change head on and push for solutions such as renewable energy, preserving ecosystems and rehabilitating wetlands.
All the participants who attended the virtual platforms were reimbursed their data costs.
Source: Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE)
