adminNo pun intended for our men, whom I have got so much respect for because of the multi-dimensional roles they play in our lives.
Thatcher was merely pointing out that when a woman makes up her mind on doing something, she walks the talk and ensures that she leaves a mark on the assignment at hand.
One such woman who continues to walk the talk and has made great strides in successfully lobbying for children and women’s rights in Zimbabwe and across the globe is Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, a Zimbabwean who is in the running for the post of the executive director of United Nations Women, which fell vacant when the first head, Michelle Bachelet, resigned to campaign in the Chilean presidential elections.
Though I have never had an occasion to meet her, apart from tit bits that I got from friends and colleagues among them Beatrice Tonhodzayi-Ngondo and my long time mentor Aulora Stally, Nyaradzayi has been consistent in advocating for children’s and women’s rights for more than two decades now.
Her active involvement and undying passion to see both children and women’s rights being observed has seen her presenting papers and taking part in different conferences and plenary sessions that focus on violence against women, peace with justice, sexual reproductive health and rights as well as issues on HIV and Aids.
For a woman who grew up in a poverty-stricken family in Murehwa, hers is a story of a woman who chose to rise above challenges to become one of the country’s well respected human rights activists in her own backyard and beyond.
She has never made it a secret that she indeed came from very humbling beginnings where like any other rural girls, she had to toil in the fields so that her family would be able to put something on the table.
Nyaradzayi says her personal experience of growing up in the rural areas where resources were scarce, her struggle for dignity and opportunity drives her passion for an alternative narrative for women, girls and their families.
Probably one of her trump cards is the fact that she has not alienated herself from those that are greatly disadvantaged but has been able to identify with them, something that most activists have not been able to do.
Only a fortnight ago, she posted a picture of herself taken during her first trip to Kariba, way back in the 1980s when she was still studying at the University of Zimbabwe.
She conceded that the trip did not come on a silver platter, but she had to work hard to put it together, even settling for a tailor in Mbare who could sew for her a modest outfit (a plain purple skirt) for the trip together with her peers.
Now that story alone is telling of the humbling lifestyle that Nyaradzayi had while growing up, something that could have inspired her to lobby and advocate for the betterment of children and women’s right.
There is no doubt that Nyaradzayi toiled for the curriculum vitae she currently possesses, never mind the road she trudged to get all the accolades she enjoys today, including her recent short-listing among other six women of integrity — and the only African — for the coveted UN position.
But many want to know who Nyaradzayi is.
Nyaradzayi is a Zimbabwean human rights activist, and the current general secretary of the World YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) a position she has been held since 2007.
Her leadership of the World YWCA movement extends across 106 countries with a reach of 25 million women and girls.
She provides leadership for the YWCA movement’s priorities of women’s leadership on the topics of sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and Aids, violence against women, peace with justice and economic empowerment.
She came to lead the World YWCA after over 10 years of experience with the United Nations, where she served as regional director for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) in Eastern and the Horn of Africa covering 13 countries.
To her credit, Gumbonzvanda boasts of extensive experience in conflict resolution and mediation, including 20 years experience on issues of women and children’s human rights, with a special focus on crisis countries.
She served for 10 years with the United Nations, through Unicef and Unifem (now part of UN Women) in Africa and founded Rozaria Memorial Trust in honour of her late mother and in recognition of all unsung heroines in communities.
Gumbonzvanda served as commissioner for the UN Commission on Information and Accountability on Women and Children’s Health.
She is the 2011 recipient of the Human Rights Defenders Award, conferred by the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association, an organisation she served as first co-ordinator during its formative stages.
Other contenders for the post include former Costa Rican Vice-President Rebeca Grynspan; UN Women acting executive director Lakshmi Puri, former special advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy from Sri Lanka; former president of Finland Tarja Halonen; and Canada’s former and first female prime minister Kim Campbell.
As the nation waits for the UN to decide on the new director of UN Women, let us rally behind her and what she represents.
She deserves the support of not only women across the political and social divide, but our brothers who now understand the need for gender equity and empowerment for women across the political and social strata.
Nyaradzayi is a beacon of hope to the girl child, coming from a poor background, an inspiration to different women scattered across the globe yet bound by the same values and she is the face of the future in opening doors and opportunities for women who do not regard feminity as a barrier, but an opportunity for great things.
She is also a Zimbabwean flying the country’s flag in foreign lands, for a worthy cause
l It is for that reason and many others that we should rally behind Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.
Online Reporter