Life-Changing Mentorship for Tanzanian Girls

AfricAid’s Career Day women’s leadership conference is one of the premier events on the Kisa calendar, and a key component of the Project. Held annually, it is aimed at current Kisa Scholars as well as Kisa Alumni. Scholars from Kisa Partner Schools attend, along with their School Liaisons. The event is also attended by AfricAid staff, Board Members, and invited guests. Every second year Career Day takes the form of an overnight event, allowing for a more comprehensive program.

AfricAid organizes and provides transport, accommodation (for overnight events), meals, guest speakers, small group leaders, and venue hire. Participants also receive a t-shirt, notebook and pen, all of which are highly valued by Scholars!

In 2015 Career Day took place from the 28^th to 29^th of August at Tumaini University (Makumira), just outside of Arusha. There were a massive 800 participants in total!

Scholars arrived by bus from their respective schools on the afternoon of the 28^th and settled in to their dormitories. That evening, they heard from adolescent relationship expert Dr. Chris Mauki, before having the opportunity to showcase their singing, dancing and other abilities to each other in a talent contest.

The next morning, participants heard the personal stories of three inspirational Tanzanian women, who spoke to the packed auditorium of girls about their own journeys to success, including the many challenges they faced, and how they were able to overcome them to achieve their goals. Our guests this year were well-known print media entrepreneur Emelda Mwamanga, banking executive Edna Kallape, and former domestic worker, women’s advocate and Queen’s Award recipient Angela Benedicto. The girls were completely in awe of these amazing women!

After lunch, Scholars broke into small groups, each of which was led by someone who had successfully pursued a career in an area of interest to Kisa Scholars. These included engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, teachers, NGO sector professionals, journalists and a pilot. In addition to the guest speakers and small group sessions, awards were presented to outstanding Scholars and School Liaisons.

Feedback collected from Kisa Scholars shows they found the event inspiring and motivating and that it will help them to be more focused and better informed in choosing a career path. They also loved the opportunity to network and share ideas with their peers. For AfricAid staff, it was an exhausting couple of days, but well worth it! We’re delighted with the success of the event and really want to extend a massive thank you to our Global Giving supporters for your ongoing support of the Kisa Project! Your contribution to the Kisa Project is making a significant difference in the lives of young women in Tanzania.