The Chronicle
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter
GIRLS from Mzilikazi Primary School in Bulawayo today underwent basic mentorship in digital and entrepreneurial skills as part of celebrations to mark the International Women’s Day.
Girls in STEM Trust, a non-profit organisation that invests in youth organised the event.
The organisation supports coding education to ensure that youth acquire digital literacy and skills as they have become essential in today’s world.
In an interview on the sidelines of the event, the founder and director of Girls in STEM Trust Mrs Victoria Nxumalo said the engagement was a way of mentoring young girls by giving them an opportunity to interact with successful women in the business and digital sphere, who can inspire them as they build their careers.
Victoria Nxumalo“As we celebrate International Women’s Day, as Girls in STEM Trust we believe very strongly in mentorship,” she said.
“It is very important for girls to interact with other women in order for them to draw inspiration. So, there are very useful nuggets the girls get, through listening to the journeys of successful women.”
Participants interacted with Ms Kathy Mwanza, the founder, and owner of Cake Fairy, Mrs Betty Manganda, the founder of Mon and Kids, and Mrs Cleopatra Nkomo who is a seasoned business executive as well as a telecommunications expert.
Keth MwanzaMrs Nxumalo said as the world celebrates women’s month, several activities have been lined up which include programmes on financial literacy in partnership with Old Mutual.
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality and this year celebrations are running under the theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’.
In her presentation, Mrs Mwanza said girls need to identify their dreams at a tender age, which will help them to work towards achieving them.
She said education and entrepreneurship are important as they allow women to be independent.
“I understand that everyone has a dream but sometimes things won’t go the way we want.
“Therefore, we need to have an alternative and as we learn we don’t need to think of being employed but starting our own businesses and providing employment for others,” said Mrs Mwanza.
Article Source: The Chronicle