We recently hosted the second edition of Connect and Inspire, a special session exclusively for women participating in the Women Creating Wealth (WCW) programme. This platform allows women to connect, share their journeys, and inspire one another. The theme for this edition was “Power Dynamics – Issues of Culture and Stereotypes.”
Four women shared their powerful stories. Janine Horn, a Financial Adviser with Momentum Financial Planning, CEO of The DragonFly Institute, and a Consumer Financial Literacy Speaker and Mentor, discussed the challenges she faced entering the corporate world. She spoke about how her background negatively influenced her self-perception and how she had to undergo a healing process to overcome these obstacles.
Fiona Khuma-Phiri, owner of House of ARIONA from Lilongwe, Malawi, shared her experience with power dynamics. After studying and graduating in engineering, she resigned from the field to pursue her dreams in entrepreneurship. She explained how this decision was not well received by her parents, who came from corporate backgrounds and viewed traditional jobs as the ones that pay the bills. Fiona spoke candidly about the efforts she had to make to prove herself in the world of entrepreneurship.
Noreen Lionel Mawalla, owner of Agri Tuni Halisi in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, shared her transition from a career in law to becoming an agribusiness owner. She also touched on her personal battles surrounding inheritance, where power dynamics played a significant role, despite her father’s original intentions.
Dineo Molokoane of Shedding Light shared her journey from the corporate world to marriage, where power dynamics within her relationship affected her business ventures. Ultimately, this led to her divorce, but it also gave her the courage to pursue her dreams, which she is now fully living.
The session also featured a panel discussion on best practices for entrepreneurs in today’s world. Panellists Dr Louisa Niehaus from Pretoria, South Africa, and Mphatso Magwaya Yobe of Anathu’s Investments from Lilonge, Malawi, emphasised the importance of therapy for entrepreneurs, noting that unresolved personal issues can resurface and impact business performance. Mphatso highlighted the significance of maintaining balance as an entrepreneur and staying true to oneself in areas such as finances, growth, and success, stressing that authenticity is key to thriving in business.
We were deeply inspired by each of our speakers and their resilience in overcoming challenges, silencing the naysayers, and ultimately lifting themselves up to succeed.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.