Women From Zimbabwe

"To the youngsters, Respect plays a major role in anything you want to do. Respect your elders the rest will follow"

"The Secret is keeping fit and staying away from booze and womanizing."

"If for real memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose, then our memories are the things we want to hold onto the most and if we don't make any then how are we going to hold onto them? This is the reason why today I took it upon myself to go down memory lane. The best way to do it was to approach the man who was in the thick of things at that time"

"I want to offer myself as a resource to these (US-bound) young athletes, especially because I had none when I went through this process. What motivated me to do this is essentially two fold, part of my visit is centred around my work with an orphanage called Tariro House of Hope and the Sneaker Drive I had been working on for a while in the United States"

"Being a female international student-athlete is a wonderful platform and I only hope I can make the most of it"

"Seton Hall University has been nothing but supportive of my many endeavours and I am thankful for its continued support"

"The actions that have brought me to this point were not done with the intention of recognition and that makes this achievement all the more special. I hope, if anything, being named as one of the top 30 finalists will help me continue my pursuits in community work, both here and in my native Zimbabwe and I encourage other student-athletes from Seton Hall to aspire to do the same"

"It truly is a tremendous honour, one that I was not expecting at all"

"“The actions that have brought me to this point were not done with the intention of recognition and that makes this achievement all the more special.""

"Honestly, few things can compare to that experience of representing your country and your fellow people back home."

"Mounting evidence of the benefits and impact that sport can have on women, youth, economic development and so much more than the typical "health benefits" we all assume should be the only reason we participate in sport."

"Theresa Nyava, the executive director of Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe Trust welcomed the development saying it will go a long way in bringing equity in education. She said it has been established that 72 percent of school girls in rural areas don’t use commercial sanitary wear, desperately resorting to unhygienic means, with 62 percent of them missing school every month... She added that this development, if implemented well, would ensure that girls attend school, concentrate and also participate in sporting activities, improve their mental health and generally be in control of their periods. She added that this development, if implemented well, would ensure that girls attend school, concentrate and also participate in sporting activities, improve their mental health and generally be in control of their periods. She said from their own calculations, the $12.5 million (USC) earmarked for the project can actually cater not just for rural girls, but also for all schoolgirls who need sanitary pads in Zimbabwe."

"A nation without period poverty and a nation that provides equal opportunities for girls and women to succeed in all aspects"

"Let me highlight that menstrual poverty is not something that only affects girls or women who are poor. It is not just lack of sanitary wear, but it is also a lack of proper menstrual facilities, period education and a period-friendly environment... When a girl is on her period, she needs a supportive environment that helps her to manage her period with dignity. I was born into a family with five girls with an extended family of 15 people in rural Zvimba. Seven of us were girls who needed at least seven packets of sanitary pads every month to manage our periods but due to unavailability, we had to resort to using anything else to manage our periods... Our main challenge in our work is lack of resources to reach out to more vulnerable girls who are suffering from period poverty. The move by Scotland has shown us that it can be done but Zimbabwe still has a long way to go to completely eradicate period poverty."

"A girl who is absent from school due to menstruation for four days every month loses at least 40 learning days, the equivalent of six weeks of learning, per year. It’s like not going to school for half of a school term. Equity in education can therefore not be achieved under such a scenario.” She added that this development, if implemented well, would ensure that girls attend school, concentrate and also participate in sporting activities, improve their mental health and generally be in control of their periods. She added that this development, if implemented well, would ensure that girls attend school, concentrate and also participate in sporting activities, improve their mental health and generally be in control of their periods... It will also address issues to do with period shaming, as girls are often laughed at when they spoil their school uniform or the school chair, or when walking awkwardly due to use of improper and inconvenient menstrual absorbents such as rags, cow dung, you name it... From our estimates, we might be actually looking at a number of 550,000 schoolgirls at most, both in urban and rural schools, that need sanitary wear, which translates to a sanitary wear per capita of ZWL $363 (US$22.6). This means that the allocated money is adequate to cater for all schoolgirls who menstruate, in both urban and rural areas."

"I envision a Zimbabwe where all girls and women can access adequate menstrual products, in an environment that is period-conducive and be treated with dignity in order for them to manage their periods in a manner that fosters human and sustainable development."

"I have a deep love for my country and I am passionate about women claiming their power through self-care. This can only happen if we start to build a today and tomorrow that is full of empowered women and healthy girls as well as responsible boys and men. Girls and women should not regret their gender. Let us support them to manage their periods with dignity."

"Female reproductive organs are hidden parts of the body, located down there. But that should not mean that issues affecting them should be hidden or looked down upon, or swept under garments. Let’s put menstruation on the agenda and openly discuss it to its logical conclusion."

"She is a brave girl. The way she is organised and determined is so amazing. She gives me a reason to empower women. It is at this age that they need to know that nothing can stop them just because they are girls. If she beats boys then nothing can stop her."

"Her commitment to giving back comes from her father who always encouraged her to help others."

"Tanyaradzwa started racing at the age of five and is the first female to have won a motocross championship in Zimbabwe since it was started in 1957. She finished second in the 2012 championship season."

"Motocross is a sport that you barely hear about especially in Africa and few girls are exposed to it. I wanted to inspire girls out there and show them that anything is possible if you put your mind and heart to it. I have experienced gender criticism from a lot of people because of the sport that l play. I know a lot of sports that girls want to try motocross but fear to do it because of what people will say. I want to change that."

"My advice to young girls who want to get into motocross or any sport is to always remember where you came from. The road is not easy, not everyone wishes the best for you or will support you. Always keep your head up and remember to never give up! Everything takes time, sacrifice, and determination. It will all be worth it in the end."

"I can compare myself and relate to Mutesi, the Queen of Katwe when she had international chess tournaments. She was made fun of because of her background, but that didn't stop her from doing what she loved."

"It's a great opportunity to represent Africa amongst globally talented peers, an opportune to share our context and collaborate with others in mutual exchange of knowledge and championing of causes important to humanity, globally"

"[I am] truly humbled and blessed to join the Young Global Leaders community and am excited to collaborate with my fellow YGLs on our shared commitment to shaping the global future"

"Intuition is a woman's most powerful asset. Intuition combined with logic makes for some of the most rewarding and accurate line of judgement."

"Don’t take yourself too seriously, we’ll make mistakes along the way, correct them and keep going."

"Rest, reflect and meditate as often as you can. Taking time out to rest and re-energise provides for great foresight and minimises regrets."

"Sometimes, Go slow to go fast! Entrepreneurs like myself always want to go fast, we love to build. But there always comes a time when you face adversity, pressure and challenges. Every decision and reaction can’t be made just as quickly. Learning to go slow to go fast only gives you great room for perception."

"Winning Miss ZimWinning Miss Zimbabwe 2005 was a life changing moment for me as it opened doors I never thought I could go through. It was fulfilling and rewarding and proved to be a great platform for me to establish my career and brand.babwe 2005 was a life changing moment for me as it opened doors I never thought I could go through. It was fulfilling and rewarding and proved to be a great platform for me to establish my career and brand."

"The fear of poverty and being ordinary inspired me to be an entrepreneur"

"Know your worth. Invest in yourself. Know your WHY, in everything you do be intentional. Do at least one thing with your end in mind everyday."

"I feel so sad that adequate medication isn’t available at this moment and people are dying from curable ailments."

"One has to enjoy what they do and respect for the profession and perseverance are the key elements to make it out there."

"The admissions office at UZ thought there was an error because I was too young to be eligible to apply for university"

"I was doing Maths, Accounting and Business Studies, and I attained 12 points"

"Our family did not have money, so I was in and out of school but sometime later, one teacher noticed me, then he asked me about it and he organized an interview with a journalist working with The Herald for a story"

"It was a humbling experience, but I chinned up, studied hard and wrote again the next year, in 2009. I got the requisite five subjects"

"My first attempt, in 2008, I managed to pass two subjects, I had two Bs and three Ds"

"I asked the guys that could afford to go to school (for) notebooks. I also asked those who had written their O-levels to give me their old books. I studied at home and managed to write five subjects, Maths, English, Commerce, Integrated Science and Religious Studies"

"I was only 10, so I wanted to continue with school. The time coincided with the height of the economic meltdown, no one was going to school because teachers were on strike"

"After Grade 7 there was no school for me to go to, the normal thing in our community was getting married. I did not like my mother`s marriage that is one of the things that motivated me to work hard"

"I threw a tantrum, promised never to return to school. My brother then went to speak to them and they reached common ground. I was allowed to proceed to Grade 6"

"When the third term came, I asked to write an examination meant for Grade 5 learners, although I was still in Grade 3. Again, I passed, performing better than everyone"

"At our school, grades had to share the same classroom. This saw us attend classes combined. When I was in Grade 3 second term, one of our teachers erroneously gave me an examination that was meant for Grade 4, since this was a composite class. Up to date, I do not believe that it was a mistake but rather, the teacher knew what they were doing"

"Be clear about what you want and never be afraid to go after it."

"It really motivated me to work harder because there was no one to take care of me except myself in the future, that was ... a motivator for me to have something to do with my life."

"Orphaned at the age of seven, Chido Govera escaped a life of poverty and abuse in rural Zimbabwe. Now she's an activist, travelling the world to help others change their lives"

"From those experiences there's some kind of lesson that inspires me to do what I do now, but I'm not back in the moment when I was 10. I've dealt with that. I just look at the future with a new hope. I'm 100% sure that I am not going to be one of those women who say, 'Things are the way they are because I grew up as an orphan"