Tag / success

by Yumnah Jones

Tabitha Lilungwe

Tabitha Lilungwe, Project Director of Peoples Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia (PAAGZ)

Tabitha Lilungwe, the Project Director of People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia (PAAGZ,) has always been motivated by her drive to make a difference in the lives of others. She served as a Deputy Managing Editor for Lusaka Star, blogs about menstrual education and is a Human Rights Peer Educator. She understands the importance of making an impact, being impacted in her own personal experiences with others, and is always driven by the need to make a difference in everything she touches. Her story shows us that in our journeys, we meet people to inspire them and to be inspired by them and that to never take things for granted.

This is Tabitha’s story …

Born in 1996 in the Southern parts of Africa, in Lusaka, Zambia, I was always driven by my curiosity of the world but was never sure of the career path to take because of my diverse interests in law, medicine and the social sciences. However, being the second eldest of seven children, our financial resources were limited and this consequently narrowed my choices to what was made available, at the time, which was a government scholarship, to study at the University of Zambia. The secured government scholarship, though, did not enable me to study law. Thus, I selected to pursue a degree in Mass Communications but it later became transparent that it was the right choice as it set me on the path I was destined to pursue.

In 2015, I commenced my studies, and three years later, expanded my networks by joining the global Women in News initiative, provided through the university, which is dedicated to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion across the international news industry. Through this network, I became acquainted with female journalists and ventured into the civil society. Networking with civil society leaders, I developed an interest in community outreach and social justice. I collaborated with and volunteered for various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Bloggers of Zambia, Alliance for Community Action, and the Centre for Young Leaders in Africa (CYLA) Zambia.

After graduating with my degree in Mass Communications, in 2020, and officially entering the working world, I was approached by a colleague, a well-known Zambian rapper Pilato, to collaborate with him on his non-profit organization, People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia and was subsequently appointed as the Project Director to facilitate the vision of the organization. 

People’s Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia (PAAGZ) is dedicated to advancing governance and accountability processes in Zambia. It focuses on citizen-driven accountability, inclusive governance, and systemic improvements. The organization strategically positions itself to engage with communities, to encourage civic engagement, voter registration, and participation in general elections. The focus areas of the organization are community-led social accountability and public resource management monitoring, artistic freedom and freedom of expression, grassroots mobilization and community empowerment, promoting political awareness and participation and human rights advocacy.

Driven by its mission, PAAGZ also became involved in many campaign partnerships, including with Magamba of Zimbabwe and Selam of Sweden that have resulted in the defamation of the president law being repealed by the President of Zambia and the launch of the Pan-African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF) Zambia, respectively. Many of PAAGZ’s initiatives include projects such Activate, Meet my Debt and Ticheze Zambia. Activate focuses on mobilizing and empowering young people to register and vote in the general elections, Ticheze Zambia provides platforms for amplification of citizens’ voices and promoting government accountability and Meet My Debt is designed to bridge the information gap across, social classes, and to make the debt management discourse accessible to the general public.

Through these respective projects, 800 women and youths, across 13 rural constituencies in Zambia. were positively impacted. We have also successfully amplified the demand for social and democratic accountability. Notably, PAAGZ’s efforts had a tangible influence on political campaign messages for the August 2021 elections, with a substantial voter turnout of 70%, the highest since Zambia’s first multi-party elections in 1991. More than half of the 70% of voters were below the age of 35 and it shows the effectiveness of our projects but also highlights the growing role of young people in shaping the political landscape.

In addition to creating political awareness through PAAGZ, I am driven by my own personal experience of being a 15-year-old girl and not knowing how to manage my periods. Growing up in a conservative society, menstruation is a taboo topic, leading me to realize the prevalent issue of period poverty affecting many young girls in Zambia. As a result of it being a difficult topic to discuss, this inadvertently leads to teenage pregnancies, with approximately 30% of Zambian girls becoming pregnant at aged 18, resulting in higher high-school to university dropouts.

With this in mind, I created a blog Lilungwe Daily to create awareness among young girls but will extend my services from blogging to formally establishing a youth hub, the Harmony Healthy Club, in the near future. Harmony Healthy Club will focus on issues associated with adolescence, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and menstruation. It will also create a safe space, without stigma and discrimination, where sexual education can be discussed, especially in a society that encourages abstinence over comprehensive sexual education. It aims to focus on the well-being of young women and to provide them with sexual and reproductive health, with the long-term goal of reducing teenage pregnancies. Plans for its launch are underway, with the initial roll-out to be introduced in my community, Kanyama, with the aim of expanding to other areas in Zambia.

Throughout all my pursuits, over the years, I always think back to my university days, particularly my friendship with my former classmate, Matilda Chali, who impacted me deeply. We were two peas in a pod and did everything together, from our chosen modules to tutorial groups and even lived at the same student residence. Being 7 years older than me, Matilda inspired me with her story to reach university levels and we vowed and made a promise, to each other, that one day when we are “successful enough”, we would share our story, with the world, but she never got to share hers. Matilda unexpectedly died, shortly after achieving her life-long dream of a university education. At aged 32, she passed away, alone in another province in Zambia, where she was working, with cerebral malaria.

Her passing came as a complete shock to my system and deeply affected me, reminding me of the fragility of life and to share our stories, and experiences, with others. it made me realize the importance of not waiting on second chances because not everyone gets a second chance in life. Sometimes, as I go through my life, I have those moments where I want to call Matilda, to tell her of the latest developments in my life, then in that fraction of a second, I have to remind myself that she is no longer.

As humans, we tend to fool ourselves by thinking that we have time but the clock is always silently ticking in the background. Seize that opportunity that may never come again because while hardships may be temporary, the rewards of success are reverberating. Be present in everything that you do, for yourself and others, because that moment will eventually become a memory. Share the ebbs and flows of your life, the struggles and successes, with others, so that your story becomes your legacy that inspires others to succeed in their own paths. We meet people for a reason and often that reason is to show us how we are all interconnected and to also show us the importance and impact we, as individuals, can have on others.

If you are interested in learning more about Tabitha or would like to get in contact with her, please reach out via the Facebook page, Peoples Action for Accountability and Good Governance in Zambia (PAAGZ) read her blog Lilungwe Daily, or email her at tabitalilungwe@gmail.com or tabitalilungwe@peoplesactionzambia.org

In loving memory of Matilda Chali (right) standing next to Tabitha Lilungwe (left)
by Yumnah Jones

Joy Chinwe Aguguo

Joy Chinwe Aguguo, founder of the Joy Chinwe Foundation and Joy in Health

Joy Chinwe Aguguo, the founder of Joy Chinwe Foundation and Joy in Health is motivated by her personal experience, of leaving her Nigerian homeland to the shores of Europe. She is driven to create awareness, on migration and health, for the minority groups within her newfound home and dedicates her time to uplifting and empowering others, such as herself. She wears many hats, as an author, a motivational speaker, a woman in tech and a health advocate. Her story shows us that traversing foreign terrains is never an easy feat but with the right mindset, you can achieve anything.

This is Joy’s story …

As the eldest daughter, born into an Igbo family in the Eastern parts of Nigeria, I always felt the need to empower myself with the deep-seated desire of supporting my loved ones and this desire was strengthened by the sudden passing of my father during my secondary school years. The devastation and grief that accompanied me with the loss of my father was searingly painful, but this motivated me even more to pursue my education and subsequently increase my employment potentiality. While I intended to study Medicine, unforeseen circumstances lead me to pursue a degree in Marketing. 

During my studies in Marketing, a fated encounter with a Nigerian man, working in Italy, at that time, changed the trajectory of my path. I was initially hesitant in marrying him because this meant I would forsake my dream of attaining my higher education but with the intervention of my grandmother who approached the family stipulating her condition of first wanting me to finish my degree in Nigeria, I happily married my husband, upon the completion of my degree, and excitedly followed him to the shores of Italy.

In 1999, I arrived in Italy with great hopes and expectations, as the perception within my community and in the broader African context, was that Europe is a land of opportunities, especially prior to the growing European migrant crisis. However, this feeling was short-lived as the harsh realities of migration in Europe started to sink in and within the first six months, I was battling with language barriers, cultural adjustments, stereotypical views of African immigrants and the icy cold European weather and was struggling to find employment, going for months without a job. 

It was a stressful period for me as I was desperately seeking work until an opportunity finally arrived when a friend informed us of a company in a neighbouring village that was seeking employees. Filled with anticipation and optimism, I was accompanied by my brother-in-law to pursue this opportunity, only to be met with a devastating (and heartbreaking) blow. The director callously informed us that “no blacks” were welcomed. Overwhelmed with a sense of injustice, I wept bitterly, grappling with the realization that, in their eyes, I was reduced to nothing more than my race and immigration status, despite knowing my worth as a capable human being. 

Despite my despair, the rejection proved to be a catalyst for my growth. More determined and refusing to let adversity get the better of me, I started researching any available offers and seized an opportunity to enrol in a one-year social care programme, which was a totally different field from Marketing. Nonetheless, the different path chosen led me to meaningful experiences.

After completing the social care programme, I secured a position as a social assistant for the elderly in a hospital in Italy. Through this experience, I encountered like-minded individuals who viewed me neither as black or an immigrant, but as a contributing citizen, based on my essence. Although the early stages of my work were marked by instances of racism, discrimination, and disrespect from some colleagues, the unwavering support from my director, managers, and close colleagues prevented these challenges from significantly affecting me. Additionally, I have diligently mastered the Italian language and forged meaningful relationships during my time in Italy, fostering connections with both Italians and individuals of other nationalities. Therefore, what initially appeared to be a bitter experience in my job search ultimately revealed itself as a blessing in disguise.

While carving out a good and sustainable life for myself in Italy, giving birth to three beautiful children and working in hospital, I was consciously aware of the plight of my fellow Africans, crossing perilous waters, in dinghy boats, in search of a better life who now had to battle with issues such as human trafficking and illegal migration on the shores of Europe. Through my observations, I was inspired to write my story, drawing from my own experiences as an African living on European shores to create awareness for my fellow Africans and to debunk the myths of life in Europe. With this, I penned and published my first book entitled The Morning Sunset.  

In addition to my first book, I established the Joy Chinwe Foundation with the aim of raising awareness among the people of Africa about the perils of illegal migration and undertaking hazardous journeys, to Europe. As an organization, we provide support to victims of human trafficking and illegal migration. The aims and objectives of the Joy Chinwe Foundation is to campaign for the provision of support in the development and delivery of programmes, studies, and technical expertise on combating migrant smuggling and trafficking of women, and children in a manner consistent with law, to sensitize young people on the dangers behind travelling to the West, through the desert and the Mediterranean Sea and we offer expert advice, research, and needed financial assistance to the victims of human trafficking. 

After thirteen years in Italy, we left for the United Kingdom in pursuit of better educational opportunities for our children, especially when my eldest daughter entered secondary school. Comparatively, the United Kingdom was so much easier to relocate to as there were no language barriers. It was while working briefly in residential homes, that I got admitted into a Masters programme, subsequently attaining a Masters in Human Resource Management, and eventually specializing and earning the professional distinction of being a Chartered Member of the United Kingdom’s Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), currently navigating the ever-evolving landscape of Information Technology and finding myself at the intersection of human ingenuity and technological advancement.  

Although I was chasing the corporate world, in my heart, I was still driven by a fervent commitment to effect change and subsequently, established another non-profit organization called Joy in Health. The purpose of Joy in Health is dedicated to the physical and mental well-being of Black, Asian and Minority ethnic groups and strives to dispel the ignorance associated with the importance of their well-being which inadvertently leads them to neglecting their health.

Through awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and digital platforms, Joy in Health strives to empower individuals to prioritize their health and lead fulfilling lives by providing insights on managing diseases like high blood pressure, mental health, kidney diseases, and diabetes. We prioritize education by extending our efforts to social media platforms, particularly YouTube and podcasting, where we collaborate with medical professionals to disseminate crucial health information within our communities, such as healthcare awareness and prevention and cure of ill-health related ailments, to foster a culture of proactive self-care. We intend not only to inform but also to bridge the gap in understanding, speaking in ways and languages, that resonates with the diverse communities within the Black, Asian, Minority ethnic population with the goal of a healthier population who have access to their fundamental human right of high-quality healthcare.

Looking back on my journey, leaving my country at the age of 23, to build a life with someone I barely knew, at the time, I can honestly say this; you never know what is waiting for you on the other side of taking risks and all it takes is courage. Some might say I was young and naïve but like a child, any child, they learn and grow by not knowing and that ignorance is their biggest asset because to know is to fear. If I knew I would be facing all the hurdles I subsequently did, I probably would have said no but I took that leap of faith with great hopes and in spite of all the struggles, it has been a journey worth taking because if I didn’t embark on the journey I did, I would never have made the impact I do, in the way I do, which is powered by my personal experience.

In the mosaic of my life, today, I find myself at the crossroads of various roles; a professional in Information Technology, a devoted mother to three children, a supportive wife, and a fervent advocate for health and well-being. Each aspect of my journey adds depth and complexity to my narrative, weaving together a tapestry of experiences and aspirations. As I navigate through life, I am guided by the threads of curiosity, resilience, and a steadfast belief in the profound impact of both words and actions. Together, these elements shape the ever-evolving story of my life.

If you are interested in learning more about Joy or would like to get in contact with her, please reach out via her website, joyinhealthservices.com, check out her YouTube channel, Joy in Health by Joy Chinwe Aguguo, or email her at chinweduru@me.com.

by Yumnah Jones

Sindiswa Mabindisa

Sindiswa Mabindisa, founder of Wretched Woman’s Diary

Sindiswa was born in the township of Tembisa, Gauteng and had a very tough upbringing that no child chooses. Her story shows us that we do not choose the situation into which we are born; it chooses us but that with the calling that God bestows upon our lives, it can take one from the slums of the Earth to the Heavens before His Eyes. He sees our beauty in the way people may not and He chooses us to do the work we are called to do, to a door no man can close.

This is Sindiswa’s story…

Their marriage was a mess; they were always fighting. Every weekend my dad was drunk, and he would hit my mom. In 1998, they eventually divorced, and mom moved out and left us with our dad. Since then my dad got involved with women that treated us badly. I remember one incident where I innocently called one of his girlfriends’ “mother”. She got so mad at me and said in a condescending tone, “andingi mamakho wena!” (I am not your mother!).

We, my elder sister (aged 7), little brother (aged 4) and I (aged 6), were then sent to Eastern Cape to live with my dad’s family but we were never made to feel like we were part of the family. We had to fend for ourselves and our little brother, from changing his nappies to doing house chores. We were children but were not treated as children, being recipients of harsh words and treatment, and this had a profound effect on me. But, instead of things getting better, things just got worse.

Back home, in Tembisa, my dad remarried eight years after my parents’ divorce. In the time that we were sent to live with our paternal family, he never supported us. My grandmother, his own mother, took him to the Maintenance Court to seek financial support. But instead of owning up to his responsibilities, he resigned from his job, just so he could evade them. Each time my grandmother took him to court, he resigned from his job. Each time. She tried numerous times, but he refused to support us.  

He then summoned us back to Tembisa to live with him and his new wife, our stepmother. We were welcomed into a living hell but this time, it was only me and my brother. Even though my dad always had a drinking problem, this new life was to escalate into me doing things I never thought in my young mind, that I would ever do.   

While we were back at home, we were forced to eat pap and tomatoes while my dad, his wife and her child would dine out at restaurants. I became the domestic worker at home. I had to cook dinner, do everyone’s laundry, include cleaning their sheets filled with semen, and every housework chore one can think of, on an empty stomach. 

As I said, my dad had a drinking problem but this time, they decided to open a shebeen (a private house selling alcohol) and they made me the “shebeen girl”. I had to sell alcohol from Friday nights until Monday mornings. This decision, of theirs, opened our doors to shady characters and soon, we would have men sleeping over at our house. Strange men, lewd men, sick men. My stepmother invited them in and refused them to leave. She said people were going to kill them, with them being so drunk, and she made space for them to sleep on the floors, alongside me. I always slept on the floors but now, I had company.

Some memories of them are vague, other memories are clear. I recall one of them touching my neck. He kissed my neck and moved his hands between my thighs and said to me that he can do anything he wants with me and he will give me money … I used to share my sleeping space with those men.

As a girl, you want the love of your father, but my dad never loved me. He made it very clear that he did not love me and sometimes, he would hit me for no reason. His words towards me were always harsh but the words that I will never forget is him saying, “Mhla nda thenga umpu uzoba ngowo kuqala umntu endizo mdubula” (The day I buy a gun, you would be the first one I’d shoot) and he always reminded me that he would shoot me once he gets himself a gun.

Finally, 2008 arrived and he got the gun but he never followed through on his threat. In a twist of fate, the year he got the gun is the year I moved out and the year he died.

In April 2008, I moved in with my mom and a few months later, when I returned from a family visit to my aunt in Katlehong, my mom fell sick. She was bedridden and in a hopeless state. I greeted her, “molweni mama” but she didn’t respond. My sister replied and said, “uMama uyagula and akakwazi ukuthetha” (Mom is sick, and she cannot talk). I looked at my mom and she was crying. I didn’t know what to say to her, but I could see she was in pain.

In that moment, I recalled the complexity of our relationship, from the sense of abandonment I felt as a child to the woman suffering before my eyes. Mom could not talk nor walk, so my sister and I used to bathe her and take care of her. Her state was saddening because she could not even tell us when she needed to use the toilet. On the 16th September 2008, I received a call in which my mom managed to muster her strength to tell me that she loves me and a day later, the 17th September 2008, she died.

I was 17 years old at the time she died and shortly after her death; I told my sister that we need to go to dad to ask for food because we had nothing to eat. I begged him for food, but he responded, “Akho kutya apha hambani!” (There’s no food here, so leave!). He was so mad at me for asking and refused. Maybe if it was my sister asking for food, he would have given her. I was so worried because my sister had a two-year-old and we were all hungry. That night he came to our house, but I then ran to his aunt’s house. He followed me to his aunt, along with my stepmother, and wanted to hit me but his aunt told him not to. He then told me, “Uba ndingafa ungezi emngcwabeni wam ngoba nawe uba ufile asoze ndize” (If I die don’t come to my funeral because when you die, I won’t go to yours).  Those were his last words to me because on the 10th November 2008, he died.

We had nowhere to go because when my mom was alive, she was renting and when she died, I asked my aunt if she could rent with us but a month later, she left to live with her biological dad and we had to make plans to move because we didn’t have money for rent. I remember so vividly the times I would knock on people’s doors to ask for a place to sleep. There were nights where I questioned the purpose of my existence.

In 2010, unbeknown to me at the time, the answer to my question was being answered. While I was on a visit in Eastern Cape, my grandmother told me about some young lady who was sick. I asked to go see her and when I got there, she was lying in her own faeces. I asked to bathe her and did that for two weeks. My cousin then asked me to come visit them in Cape Town. When I got there, her own cousin had tuberculosis (TB). I took care of her as well. I would bathe her and take her to the clinic for her checkups until she died in 2011.

In 2016, one of the grandmothers in my extended family, who was mentally ill, suffered from an epileptic fit. She was sick, vomiting and bedridden, in her own faeces. Nobody wanted to assist her, and I was told to call an ambulance. I then offered to bathe her, and this is how I started my career looking after the elderly and the disabled.  

In 2019, I established my non-profit organization called Wretched Woman’s Diary and decided to devote my time to bathing elderly people and people with different disabilities including mental limitations. I have made it my mission to identify the elderly, the frail and the chronically ill within my community and started this organization without any financial assistance or resources. I have taken it upon myself to provide home care visits and nursing care, where possible. I have personally experienced the hardships of taking care of an elderly woman on her death bed, to the extent of bathing her corpse.

Currently, I have four volunteers working for me and they are mainly responsible for dealing with the administrative aspect of Wretched Woman’s Diary which makes me solely responsible for nursing and caring for the victims of neglect. To date, the organization is caring for 10 elderly ladies, including 2 disabled children, on a daily basis.  They are vastly located in Gauteng but in some cases, my work has taken me to the Vaal, Pietermaritzburg and Mpumalanga.

As Wretched Woman’s Diary, we aim to alleviate the stigma against our senior citizens and the disabled, we aim to ensure perpetual care and assistance to the elderly, we aim to provide a safe and caring service to the elderly within their own homes and do away with social ills that are affecting our elders. The dire conditions which our elderly are faced with are disheartening; they are faced with feelings of rejection, loss and poverty and I am hoping to work in partnerships with other individuals and organizations that shares the same vision as I do because my dream is to extend my compassion and services to all provinces in South Africa, in the near future.

I am also studying towards becoming a qualified clinical psychologist with the dream of establishing care centres as far and as wide as I can go, to look after the elderly and individuals with different disabilities and limitations.

As much as I am still broken about my upbringing and have issues that I do not want to talk about, I finally found the purpose in my pain. All the years of hardship and suffering were what were needed to mould me into the person I am today. I can relate to the abandoned, to the neglected and to the rejected because I experienced abandonment, neglect and rejection. Today, I willingly go to sleep hungry, just to give someone else my plate of food, because I remember the little girl who was hungry, most days, and I would never want someone else to suffer the way I did.

If you are interested in learning more about Sindiswa or would like to get in contact with her, please reach out via her Facebook page, Wretched Woman’s Diary, or email her at sindiswamabindisa11@gmail.com

by Yumnah Jones

Suraiya Essof

Suraiya Essof, founder of Kites for Peace

Suraiya Essof was named one of the 20 Most Outstanding Zimbabwean Women by The Guardian UK in 2020. She is a tenacious woman who, in spite of her health challenges, has become very influential in bringing together communities, businesses and social networks. Her knack for networking and the ability to create opportunities has seen her social innovative work being recognised and awarded, both locally and internationally. Social entrepreneur, mother, wife and businesswoman are of the many ways in which one can describe her but most importantly, she is proof that to create change, we need to turn inwards before we can power outwards.

This is Suraiya’s story…

I was born in a small mining town, Kwekwe, in the middle of Zimbabwe to a second-generation Zimbabwean father and a South African mother; the youngest of four girls. At the age of 10, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It rocked my family and, in the 90s, with very little access to information, it was indeed a very confusing time. Stories that I would be blind by 30 and an amputee a few years thereafter really got me into a mindset where I felt that time was limited. Likewise, my parents were amazingly proactive; they subscribed to foreign publications of Diabetes magazines and wrote letters and ordered books, just to educate themselves, my siblings and me. Their efforts brought light to my situation and with it the hope that I was not doomed to die a painful, undignified death that had been described by well-meaning yet fearmongering people.

Still, it was difficult. Diabetes is a tight rope of managing your blood sugar levels by finger prick testing several times a day, four insulin injections daily, monitoring what you eat and in what quantities, and making sure you stay active, but also not too active. Managing stress is also a huge part of diabetic care. As a preteen and then a teen at boarding school, I had to contend with stress and anxiety levels that came with trying to negotiate studies, relationships, teen angst, boarding school, autocratic matrons, bullies and a life-threatening condition. Three months before my O level exams, I slipped into a coma due to diabetic ketoacidosis. However, I did well in my exams, but not “well enough” to qualify for a white blazer (a status in Zimbabwean schools associated with being a straight A student) and to fill the big shoes that had been left for me.

I was perceived as an underachiever and with low expectations of myself, academically; I faded into myself, but started to spark socially. Once I reached university level, I shook off the negativity that came with being bullied, was more independent and the world became my oyster.

With internet access and Google, I could get any information I wanted. I started networking, at university and online, to get information I needed for my studies and to help myself and others in various areas. I became a go-to source of information for friends and residence mates. I joined advocacy groups for various causes, co-led fundraisers and through my activism; it expanded my awareness to the plight of others.

The suffering of others can be tremendously sobering, especially when one is self-pitying and is constantly being pitied by one’s own circle. From an oblivious young person, wallowing in my own misfortunes and self-imposed limitations, I awoke to the social injustices that others faced. It seemed futile to feel guilty of my own privilege and of the opportunities and care afforded to me, so I took the initiative and added my name, voice and feet to meaningful causes.

I graduated with distinction, from the University of Johannesburg, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Industrial Psychology. On my return to Zimbabwe, I got my first job at a school, where I volunteered to teach a few substitute classes and fell in love with the teaching profession. A few years later, I got married to my soulmate and moved to Harare. I then pursued distance learning and graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of South Africa while working at a Jewish school for 7 years. As a Muslim who attended Christian schools, being a teacher at the Jewish institution offered yet another perspective to my inherent belief that we are more alike than we are different.

After the completion of my PGCE, my two sons were born, and this again shifted my perspective on the meaning of life and my purpose. As my children grew and my furniture retailing business settled into a rhythm, things came more into focus for me on my path. I decided to follow my dream of uniting communities, teaching peace and spreading the message of kindness, brotherhood and compassion.

In 2014, the year that I embarked on a new journey, I also experienced the sudden loss of my amazing, dynamic mother. There are few words to describe how the death of a loved one impacts your perspective on life. Again, I was more aware of my own mortality and suddenly overwhelmed with the huge responsibility of being a parent myself. Legacy became ever more important to me. What would I leave behind for my children? Had I lived a meaningful life? Have I served others? Did I share? Was I authentic? Would I be a good example? Were the lessons I had left behind be good enough? These questions shaped how I chose to continue my journey.

In the same year, I came across an independent project on Facebook inviting participants to break the world record for the number of kites flown simultaneously. I hosted the event and forty-eight kites were flown in Zimbabwe that year as a part of this initiative. Friends and family picnicked and flew kites. The message was well received; find your joy to find your peace. The world record was broken unofficially the following year, in 2015. That same year, in Zimbabwe, there were calls from the attendees of the previous event to fly kites again; not to break a world record but to celebrate our beautiful environment and to come together in peace on International Day of Peace, 21 September. They scaled the heights of the granite rocks of Ngomokurira and flew bright kites against a stunning backdrop of blue skies and spectacular rock mountains.

With news coverage of the previous year’s festival and increasing interest, 2016 brought a new energy to Kites for Peace. I invited 25 individuals from a WhatsApp group called the Do Gooders to participate in the event. The kite festival had 1000 attendees that year and the following year, in 2017, the number of attendees doubled to 2000! While the initial event was to simply and unofficially break the world record, the subsequent events became a tool of social change.

The Kites for Peace event became a movement that sought to strengthen the ideals that lead to peace. We are committed to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which we believe are building blocks for peace. In this spirit, and under the Kites for Peace movement, we have engaged over 150 local community charitable organisations to create the Zimbabwe Cares Network. Starting with only 25 at our 2016 event, the Zimbabwe Cares Network is a philanthropic collective of an all-encompassing, community-based and goodwill initiative driven by a shared humanity, compassion, shared vision and a passion to help others. We believe that these organizations are integral to driving social change and use various platforms to network, collaborate and support each other. They meet annually at the Kites for Peace event and use the respective platform to fundraise and raise awareness of their causes. There are currently over 7000 members interacting on our platforms and the impact of this network is immeasurable. Membership for organisations is free and only requires proof of registration. It is coordinated by me and an enthusiastic group of volunteers and is the main project of the Kites for Peace movement.

With increasingly difficult conditions in the country and subsequent increased despair, the need for peace is ever more pressing, and thus the movement for peace has grown in impact, with more people engaging and valuing the need for mental strength, hope and resilience. The 2019 event was held in the jewelled lungs of the city at the Harare Botanical Gardens with a record number of participants and attendees, and in partnership with United Nations Development Programme Zimbabwe. Our 7th event was in 2020. It was an online event which saw more than 20 countries participating, with Kites for Peace festivals held in Tunisia, Nigeria, India, Reunion Island and Zimbabwe.

Through the Kites for Peace platforms, I continue to spread the message of peace and hope and to inspire compassion by highlighting the efforts of the organisations of the Zimbabwe Cares Network all year round. Kites for Peace is a registered organization in Zimbabwe and a registered International Day Of Peace event. It is part of Peace One Day Peace Coalition, a network of global organizations all working towards peace. It continues to grow as a movement for global peace, starting with the individual and inspiring communities to create healthy spaces for recreation and social change. Kites for Peace pledges respect for all life, rejects violence, promotes forgiveness for self and others, promotes goodwill, encourages to uplifts others and help them, to listen to understand and to preserve the planet.

I am driven by my commitment to helping others with support and upliftment through networking and education. I seek to solve the systemic challenges of finding peace in an ever-changing world where economics, politics, climate change issues and the media affects our state of mind.  By promoting inner peace and unity/ubuntu, and through community activism, I aim to change perceptions to drive social change and make us, our communities and the world more productive, purposeful and fulfilled.

I use recreation as a non-intimidating way to approach sensitive issues and to especially encourage children, who are our future policy makers, to become involved in issues that affect individuals, the communities that they live in and the world at large.

I hope that my story will encourage others to have faith in their path, trust their instincts and to truly follow their purpose, even if their purpose is ever changing and their situation is currently not ideal. I believe that no experience is ever wasted and that your path will lead you to your purpose, and ultimately to contentment, fulfilment and perhaps even happiness!

If you are interested in learning more about Suraiya or would like to get in contact with her, please reach out via the Kites for Peace website www.flykitesforpeace.com or email her at suraiya@flykitesforpeace.com