I no longer need to chase aeroplanes - with CAMA, we’re in the pilot’s seat.

 By Veronica Agyiri.



           

When I was a little girl, I used to chase aeroplanes,  flying high above the roofs of my house and that of my friends in my small village, to a destination  far from home. Then, realizing that I could not keep up with them, I headed home. I was not only fascinated by the aircraft, but what it represented to me: I had the passion to travel far, to join others, to become a global change maker,  transforming society. And I knew that my dream would put me on an aeroplane one day. I knew the day would come for me, a widow’s daughter, to also fly above the rooftops on a mission.

On November 25, 2018, that dream became a reality.  It was my second opportunity to fly to another country to learn something new and connect with other young women like me; something I love to do. I still had that small but pressing feeling of nervousness about my experience in the air, but I also felt proud as I looked back at that little girl chasing planes, and at the young woman I've become.

Briefly about me : I am the forth amongst seven kids raised by a single parent: my mother, who is a petty trader. I lost my dad when I was eleven (11) years, in the basic school grade six (6), with my younger siblings in lower classes. My older siblings were in high school to be looked after by our poor mum. Struggling through the basic school, I completed with an average aggregate, with no help from nowhere I sold with mummy in the market for some months, nearly losing sight of furthering my education. Camfed came to my aid just in time before the close of admissions for senior high school that year through the help of one of my basic level teachers. I was supported by Camfed throughout high school and I studied like other kids from rich homes. I was elected as the president of the Camfed Girls’ club in the senior high, where I developed some leadership qualities like public speaking, teamwork/ collaboration, adaptability, among others.  Transitioning into CAMA which I was ever eager to be part of, I was ready to support other vulnerable kids together with my fellow CAMA members. I gave my senior high final exams my best shot, and I met the required grades to gain the Mastercard scholarship again through Camfed. Currently, I am on the Mastercard scholarship at Camfed Ghana, in my third year. In collaboration with some my fellow CAMA members in my district to establish a girls’ club in my basic school. The Girls’ club is one that seeks to help the girls in the school to open up to tell us some of the issues they face in school and even at home; issues like sexual harassments, abuses from home and school, adolescent reproductive health, among others. With the help of the patroness of the club, and with the nod of the headmistress, we offer advice and counseling to the girls and where there is the need to speak with elders/adults with the help of the teachers, we address them. And I am currently working with a few other young people to establish a foundation to help vulnerable pupils in the basic schools in rural areas to learn how to read, write and be creative.

Now I take every opportunity to teach what I know and to learn from others.

The realization of this dream happened recently; I first flew to Malawi for  the Mastercard Foundation Partners’ Workshop, and again recently to Zambia. I must be quick to say that these experiences are  relevant to my subject; they have everything to do with my journey of growth as a young leader. For me, traveling the second time out of Ghana to meet other young empowered women creating change was an affirmation that we have an important path ahead.  

Together we can!

On the morning of the 26th of November, 2018 was the first day we met as one big team with representations from Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana and of course the host country’s representation- Zambia.  Moving straight to the introduction of ourselves began my learning course; right there when we mentioned our names, positions/roles in CAMA and what was unique about each one of us.Faith was a one of the CAMA members I admired. She was part of the very few young women who began the CAMA network in Zimbabwe; ‘I’m a proud CAMA ancestor’, she calls herself. Distinct about her was that she was ever ready to work with anybody young or old in and out of CAMA. After a while, I realized it was time for me to learn from a number of great, young and empowered women who individually had something unique in themselves that we need as a network to reach our set goal. As we individually introduced ourselves, one thing was clear; that we all had close to same traits,like our common disadvantaged background- the loss of either one or both parents, coming from rural communities where the place of the girl child is in the kitchen and is unlikely to fight for their dreams, from communities where kids like myself is most unlikely to get closer to an aeroplane,among others that blew away the thought of our differences in boundaries and countries.

Angeline Murimirwa -Executive Director for Africa for the Campaign for Female Education, who was a founding member of CAMA, having been one of the first girls CAMFED supported to go to school in Zimbabwe, brought to mind what CAMA members are already doing, and the greater works we are going to do as a network of 120,000. In her welcome she reminded us of something that never left our thoughts during  every activity we did during the meeting; that we were each individually representing 2400 CAMA members. This for me positively affected my contributions and presentation – to speak with the situations of all of the CAMA members I represented in mind, and think of the best ways possible for us to actively collaborate to develop our communities through girls’ education.

The presentations made by the various countries on the progresses made, challenges that they face in their various contexts and the innovations in the upcoming year including that of my country. We showed that CAMA has come a long way in changing attitudes such as that towards girl child education and women in general, influenced decision making in our communities and transformed numerous lives. I realized that CAMA is an unstoppable force of young women with a common background of vulnerability but with a strong drive to transform the lives of the invisible and marginalized in our communities.

      On the 27th November 2018, we had the privilege to meet the Duke of Sussex; Prince Harry at Circus Zambia - another moment I will forever remember. Having the platform again as a network of young rural women to present a few of the transformational stories we have made with the resources available to us in our various communities and reporting some of the tremendous works we have collected through the support of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Fund. "My fellow CAMA sisters Fatima from Malawi and Tisyenji from Zambia told their stories of activism - how they advocated against child marriage, even addressing the local chief, and supported girls to return to school. They told the stories of CAMA entrepreneurs who are changing the perception of women and helping more women in their communities."
The moment had sentiments of joy and resilience to do more that blew over the minds of all that were gathered there and witnessing the Duke appreciate and affirm the amazing works we are doing as young people in changing lives in our societies and countries. From the speech of the Duke of Sussex, we are indeed the right set of young people who better understand our contexts as they exist in our various countries and can transform the lives of most vulnerable and invisible people in our countries. To reach out to the poor and less privilege with our resources, knowledge and skills to see these lives make it through their predicaments. To me, the fact that the Duke took time to listen to us was a clear indication that our work together to see a better world and a better African continent is now recognized and valued.

When we continued our leadership summit the next day, our discussions on CAMA in entrepreneurship was very beneficial. We share a common bane of unemployment in our various countries and this is our reality, therefore discussing issues around how best to get CAMA members to be economically stable and independent, which is a very strong factor when we mention empowerment. From the countries’ presentations, it was clear that most CAMA members are currently venturing into businesses on a small scale and there are amazing initiatives by CAMA to establish sustainable growth businesses in districts and provinces to generate income for CAMA members. We discussed issues around how best we can use technology to aid our agricultural businesses and adding value to our products as entrepreneurs, leading to the fact that we don’t only want to start businesses but we want make successful businesses.

These businesses help us with what we do best: ploughing back the benefits of our education into our communities. We discussed how to use our structures and programs to reach out to many more children; girls and boys who need our supports - the support from young people who know what exclusion feels like.

          On the final day, I was proud to stand up to report on the tertiary support system in Ghana, where CAMFED’s partnership with the Mastercard Foundation provides scholarships to aid young women attain a higher level of education, to better express themselves, to make informed choices, and to be part decision making in their communities. We are becoming the leaders we wish to see.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

We were very excited to meet one such leader of long standing: Mama Barbara  Chilengwe; a pioneer for girl child education and the Ambassador for Zambia in Angola, interviewed by Angeline Murimirwa.

Being the first female teacher in the ministry of education in Zambia,; she suffered a lot of backlash and setbacks as she fought to promote equal access to quality education for girl child. She faced diverse threats to quit what she sought to do; ensuring gender equality even in the education sector. Not only did she push this course in her nation, she further drove this course in so many African countries where she worked as a teacher.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoIIjbnjQMU]

Her perseverance and strong will saw her through and the fight for the visibility of the girl child was finally accepted and pushed by other women and men in different sectors. . I was so motivated by this session and I am convinced that the story of Mama Babara will go a long way to guide us all.

To all my CAMA sisters, note that we are already a powerful, unstoppable force. As Lydia Wilbard, CAMA founder from Tanzania said, “We are one big family”.

In CAMA, I see a network whose members know who they are, understand their sense of purpose and goals, and are aware of their individual worth and contributions.

I see a network whose members are optimistic about their own future and that of their communities and countries, and sit with national leaders to discuss, national goals.

I see a network whose members are individually economically sound and independent and can also support others.

I see CAMA move global, to add our voice to decision making because we are the very ones who understand problems of our continent and know the existing contexts.. We know exactly what we need as a people and we know how best to reach the most vulnerable in society.

I see the activities of CAMA reaching millions through job creation, skills training, advocacies to solve societal problems. And the success stories will be told by the many we will reach.

This I know is possible and the work has already begun. We understand so we will do it.

As I sat on my flight back to Ghana, I thought about everything I learned and shared during those 4 days in Lusaka.

Fiona Mavhinga, Director for CAMA Development, said to us, “We are those we have been waiting for, no one else is coming”But the beauty is that we are not alone. I have a battalion of young and vibrant women behind me. We have each others’ backs. The little girl once chasing airplanes is now flying high.

So as we look to 2019, we can be fierce and fearless in our work to get vulnerable children into school, to empower girls and young women, and to keep changing the face of Africa.

A Powerful New Force for Development.

Team work- when we sit to work together.