Five Zimbabwean women to work for Michelle Obama

leadership by young African women vision”.
According to reports from South Africa, the five met Mrs Obama at the Young African Women’s Leaders Forum in South Africa on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The five young Zimbabwean women who participated in the forum are Grace Chirenje, co-ordinator of the Zimbabwe Young Wome-n’s Network for Peace Building; Sipho Moyo, director of the non-governmental organisation ONE; Brendah Nyakudya, columnist with the online news website Daily Maverick; Precious Simba, Group Operations Manager for Spar Supermarket’s southern region in Zimbabwe; and Robyn Kriel, journalist with the South African television channel eTV.

Observers yesterday said time would tell what the programme seeks to achieve but noted that the US normally uses such programmes to train Africans and other people from developing countries to push its agenda in those countries. In Zimbabwe Washington is pushing a regime change agenda and has imposed illegal sanctions on Harare.

The Americans have charged the Zimbabweans with taking Obama’s vision for robust leadership by young African women forward and promised long term relationships with them as it broadens its engagement with African countries, a senior US State Department official said on Thursday.

“There were five young women participants from Zimbabwe . . . I know that they are bringing back the determination to help women gain a foothold in business, and to start mentoring programmes that will give women some additional skills and a head start on fully realising their dreams,” said Bruce Wharton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during a tele-press conference with African journalists hosted by the

Embassy’s Public Affairs Section in Harare.
“We want to give this group of young women leaders a way to push their ideas forward to carry this into the future,” said Wharton.
The five were part of 75 young women leaders who attended the Young African Women Leaders Forum June 21-22 in Johannesburg organised by the US State Department, the US Embassy in South Africa, the US

Agency for International Develop-ment, and the White House. The forum explored themes of leadership and community service to promote the role of women in all spheres of life. Participants were African women ranging in age from 17 to 30 and drawn from diverse professions including education, health, civil society, business and the media.
In her key note address, the First Lady urged young African leaders to combat hunger, fight to end HIV/Aids, and take a stand for women’s rights. – Agencies-Herald Reporter.