Trusting your instincts...

Am living my dream of being a geologist
- Tamara Faith Kamanga

Fascinated by her secondary school Geography teacher's explanation of an obsidian rock  to be a volcanic glass. Tamara Faith Kamanga was keen to understand the formation and mineral composition of this rock. Knowing the secret of knowledge can be sealed in books, Tamara started familiarizing herself with a number of geology literature. From Mary mount secondary school Tamara went through Mzuzu University as a Bachelor of education student before withdrawing for her dream career to the University of Malawi, Chancellor College where she was enrolled for a Bachelors degree in Geology with a double major in demography.

Geology was not so popular then as it may be today, and there was little that Tamara knew about Geology.She only related it to minerals and rocks.As she kept on with her studies, she discovered that there is more to geology than just studying rocks or minerals. She came to realize that she could map geology to policies.Soon after graduating in 2012, Tamara found herself at Malawi's ministry of Natural Resources,energy and mining working under the geology survey department as a geologist.

Despite being employed at the Geology survey department, her decision to work with the ministry was not supported by many. Everybody thought Tamara would do better as a demographer somewhere or perhaps as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with some NGO. It just never sounded so feminine for her to work in such a department, argued those advising her.

"Being an M & E officer is not all I wanted and It took faith and prayer, sticking  to my instincts and following my dream of becoming a geologist and defiling all odds."

Many are the times, we tell our girls in Malawi that choosing a career goes with one's gender position,and most of the secondary school girls might be dropping their dreams as they do not see their dream careers fitting their gender position and often get less support in terms of encouragement.  Tamara was one of those girls discouraged of her dream career, but she stuck to her interest , worked on it and got it. Every in secondary school have dreams and indeed some of their dreams are at the peak of fading with many voices discouraging and blinding the visionary girls. No matter what voices may be there to fade these dreams,it is necessary for girls in secondary and primary schools to stick to their dreams, work towards it and live it just as Tamara did.

In Malawi, mining was set out as one of the priorities in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS 2011- 2016) signifying the role the sector has and plays in the sustainable development of the country. Currently, Malawi government is undertaking a countrywide airborne geophysical survey under the Mining Governance Growth and Support Project, which upon completion will reveal the true potential of minerals in Malawi. Today Tamara is a proud part of this project as a geologist that has exposed her to many opportunities including earning trust to represent Malawi at different fora in Africa, Asia and beyond on issues relating to mining.

"Yes  as girls we have been told to dream and dream big , but Its vital to make your dream a reality .and it takes courage!" say Tamara who adds on to say " Courage is the vehicle taking you to your dream and faith in God is the fuel.  If you don’t have courage, you will never want it bad enough to plan. If you don’t have courage, you will never plan it well enough to do it, if you don’t have courage you will never fulfill your dreams. If you don’t fulfill your dreams, you may not have the courage to dream again.  And most importantly, if you don’t have faith, you will not dream or go anywhere.  I dreamt, I planned and I have the courage to move ahead. " Who is still dreaming again and again as she keep aiming higher and higher.

Tamara who is intrinsically interested and committed to promoting girls into geology as a career as well as other challenging careers as perceived by society. She grew up seeing family members playing the role model role to her but she does realize that not so many young girls are privileged like herself to have so many role models in their homes or communities and she decided to be one. She therefore started visiting secondary schools across Malawi, with other like minded young Malawian men and women over career talks. her message to the youth and society at large is that quality education requires a multifaceted and multi layered approach at family, community and national levels and that everyone has a part to play believing in the power of unity Tamara says "Together we can, and it begins with you and me."

NB: This profile is shared for motivational purposes, feel free to use it to motivate young women and girls who you know are still not aware of their potential. If you are looking for mentorship or need more details please contact the blog owner (alibewawo@gmail.com). Young women achievers are also welcome to share their profiles and achievement : Are you one or do you know a young woman whose achievements and story will motivate and encourage girls to stay in school? send me an email and the story will be featured here.

#Girlsmustayinschoolsupporttheireducation#

 Photo Credit : AMARU Photography in support of girls education

Visit :  www.amaruphotos.com

A blossomed seed of hope...

I never doubted I would do well...
Estiner Walusungu Katengeza

She might be known as the “zilibwino fame” (It is perfect) or perharps you know her as the “Sindikusiyani icon” ( I will not leave you). Much as all this is true of Estiner Walusungu Katengeza, there is more to her than just the angelic voice we hear and the irresistible music we fall in love with. Estiner is known not just as a musician but also a medical physicist and environmentalist and to some she is known simply as a lecturer.

Estiner is one of the young women in Malawi who is well known to many gospel music lovers. She has embraced her talent and has impacted many lives. For Estiner, talent was not enough to dwell on. She raced on combining education and talent in order to amount to something. The journey to her fame and accomplishments was never smooth as she had to climb some hills and cross some valleys before she could land on the plains and sow high. She grew up with her mother and father apart. As a child of school age, she was enrolled in primary school. By then she was living with her mother in the Northen region and kept rotating from one school to another of which Mzuzu demonstration and Mkombezi primary school in Rumphi are amongst them. In the late years of her primary education she had to move to Blantyre with her mother and she ended up being at Chilomoni Primary school where she sat for her national primary school exam as an external candidate. Even though this was challenging, Estiner made it to Zingwangwa secondary school in 2000.

She continued to live with her mother as a secondary school student until two years later when her mother’s financial challenges paved way for Estiner to join her father. Even though this presented a stable financial support for Estiner, it was of personal discomfort as her thoughts were on her mother’s well-being considering the struggles she was facing and life was just not the same basing on the fact that she was used and loved to live with her mother. However, she found comfort and relief in the letters her mother could send to her. They were letters of hope. “ No matter how bad things could be, mama always made it look okay and she made the future look so bright,” says Estiner as she look back to the seed of hope that has blossomed today. There were times Estiner struggled in school, as well as at her new home but one thing she believed in were the messages in her mother’s letters that pointed to the light towards the end of the tunnel.

“I knew that my future would be bright just because mama told me so, I never doubted a second that I would do well and i kept working hard…” emphasized Estiner.

With such a drive, at the end of four years of secondary school, Estiner made it to University of Malawi the Polytechnic to study Environmental Science and Technology where she opted to major in Physics despite people’s objections, referring it as the hardest subject. Amazingly the zilibwino fame graduated with a credit despite all odds.

Recalling her childhood dream, being a medical doctor is something she could talk about even though she had no idea of what that meant. This may be common with many of the girls in secondary schools today. You may not necessarily want to be a doctor but probably are dreaming of careers that you have no idea what it means simply because everybody is talking about it. Do not worry about it, just keep working hard at the stage you are.  Little Estiner was a champion in sciences,worked hard at every stage and as she grew to be a third year Poly Student, she got convinced science is a part of her and teaching Physics at a university would make her happy. She then worked hard to be a physics lecturer. She ended up being a part time lecturer at the Polytechnic after her graduation and later joined College of medicine as a lecturer as well before getting back to the Polytechnic as a full time lecturer.

Estiner holds a master of science in Medical Physics, A field quiet new and unpopular in Malawi. Looking at her career prospects, one would think Estiner is a risk taker to be bold enough pursuing a career that has no known employment prospects clear at home. To Estiner, the challenge she took on her career choice means a lot and she can foresee professional growth opportunities. She believes this is the risks and choices our secondary school girls need to follow suit. They should view their career choices like a market. Whereby when considering market, rare and exceptional products are always battled for and girls in secondary schools need to be so good and skilled in preparation for careers of their choice. Never allowing other voices telling them the career path they are choosing is not marketable and girlish or difficult. There is neither marketable nor girlish careers and no career is difficult if you have your heart on it. "Markets will always be there and with a perfect skill, buyers will battle to have you in your rare and scarce career." added Estiner.

Estiner do shine today in her career and talent through the music industry owing it all to God and her mother who instilled confidence in her steps up. She therefore encourages parents to give beyond financial resource support to their children’s education. Emphasizing that children need mental, spiritual and guidance to amount to something and they need to be told the future is bright in a way that they will see it.

“My mother planted a seed of hope in me making me believe I CAN! every parent can do the same and every child CAN!.” Says Estiner as she reflects and quotes Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." I am what I am by the grace of God and yet I will not just leave it all to grace but I work and will continue to work hard through that very same grace and I pray all of HIS people will do the same.”

NB: This profile is shared for motivational purposes, feel free to use it to motivate young women and girls who you know are still not aware of their potential. If you are looking for mentorship or need more details please contact the blog owner (alibewawo@gmail.com). Young women achievers are also welcome to share their profiles and achievement : Are you one or do you know a young woman whose achievements and story will motivate and encourage girls to stay in school? send me an email and the story will be featured here.

#Girlsmustayinschoolsupporttheireducation#

 Photo Credit : AMARU Photography in support of girls education

Visit :  www.amaruphotos.com

A road through the "Odd one out syndrome..."

  

I worked Extra hard to make something
of myself- Wezi Thandiwe Sataya

We all have dreams and wishes that we long to fulfil someday. Some wish they would get a name through impact, some desire to just be like any other dreamer, silent yet impacting in their deeds. While not all of us get the platform to be what we wish for, we at least, all have what it takes to make a difference in one way or the other. Born last in a family of three is 26 year old Wezi Thandiwe Sataya who grew up to be different from her siblings in many ways. Wezi happened to be born last in a family of three, one boy and two girls and she was focused from birth.

Born to parents who knew very well the value of education was the greatest gifts to have ever happened to Wezi. She had all the chances to earn education not only because it is a right but because her parents attached meaning to it. At a tender age, she was introduced to primary education at Southend Primary School in Blantyre. She was just a young primary pupil who never noticed nor took much interest to notice anything within her, a thing that is common in almost every primary school pupil in Malawi. From Southend Primary school, Wezi went to continue her studies at Kamuzu Academy Secondary school where all her elder siblings attended their secondary education as well. It was not that easy for Wezi knowing quiet well how clever her siblings were and at the same time getting to discover of some things she never noted about self in primary school and throughout her childhood. It was up until this time that she started understanding herself. She started noticing things within herself that were different from her elder siblings. She got to notice that she was not as sharp and clever as her siblings were and this bothered her to some extent. She convinced herself to be the odd one out of the three. This conviction challenged her, it got embedded to her heart, she wanted to beat “being the odd one” syndrome. She wanted to be as good as her siblings and there was no any other best way to do it except to work extra hard. The going got tough and she decided to get tougher. Like Wezi some students in various primary and secondary schools in Malawi are also at a stake of self-discovery. Some are convinced to be as smart and sharp as the two elder siblings of Wezi but there are some who are convinced to be as Wezi herself. “I am not as good as my classmates, my sisters, brothers or my best friend.” They ruminate.  Whatever it is that makes you to categorise yourself as the odd one out, does it give you a reason enough to challenge yourself? Does it motivate you to get tough with the going?

Well, as for Wezi she faced the challenge, kept working extra hard and made it for tertiary education. From Kamuzu Academy she joined Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa for a bachelor of Law program. Throughout her tertiary education, she never really knew what she exactly wanted after her studies but one thing she was positive about was not to go into practice. Wanting to make something of herself, she worked extra harder and graduated a cum laude as well as the best international student of the year. Remember this was the girl who felt to be not as good as her siblings or perhaps everybody else and it took just an extra hard work to turn the odd one out into the best international student of the year for Nelson Mandera Metropolitan University who later joined the University as a student assistant, helping in marking and tutoring.

In 2011, Wezi joined The Malawi Catholic University as a lecturer in law. She contributed in the faculty set up and is currently serving as the Acting Dean of the Faculty. In 2012, she sat for the BAR examinations and got admitted to the BAR in February 2014.giving her option to practice law. This did not just advance her career but also expanded her job horizon. It gave her the opportunity to work on a part time basis at Knight and Knight Law firm.

 To all girls in secondary and primary schools, “You can be the odd one out and turn your not good enough outlook to the best there can be with just one thing and that’s an extra hard work to your studies,” says the young Wezi who is not only serving in her profession but also her passion for music, under the Music Ministry of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement of Blantyre Archdiocese where she serve as the secretary.

NB : This profile is shared for motivational purposes, feel free to use it to motivate young women and girls who you know are still not aware of their potential. If you are looking for mentorship or need more details please contact the blog owner (alibewawo@gmail.com). young women achievers are also welcome to share their profiles and achievements:Are you one or do you know a young woman whose achievements and story will motivate and encourage girls to stay in school? send me an email and the story will be featured here.

#Girlsmustayinschoolsupporttheireducation#

 Photo Credit : AMARU Photography in support of girls education

Visit :  www.amaruphotos.com