The personal is political! Profiling Monica Ncube, Secretary General MDC N: UN Women-ACTIL training, Kenyatta University, Kenya

My name is Monica Ncube. I was born in 1972, in Bulawayo. I am married and have 3 sons. I am a student with Bindura University, studying for a Diploma in Science Education. I am currently on study attatchment at Masocha High School in Bulawayo. I went into politics in 1999 when MDC was formed. This was due to the situation I had experienced as I grew up. I grew up in a big family and my father had to feed us from a pocket of a cook bat a white man’s house. When we attained independence, it came with its own dynamics for me. The white people could not hang on so it was difficult for me to do further studies. My government could not ironically replace what it had taken away. Although it was good to benefit the whole nation at the expense of individual small gains like getting school fees as a cook’s daughter, I still feel that my government let us down in terms of providing social services. I struggled to get even a practical course and I finally became a secretary but getting employment was a hassle. Then I got married, but my problems were not over. There was always such a gap because of the economic situation. I always felt something needed to be done for me and the whole country as all I knew and saw were struggles for basic survival. Men would try to seduce me in transaction for a job but I found this so degrading and unfair to my dignity. I then joined politics when I heard about this new party that was being formed. I am now the Secretary General in the MDC Ncube Women’s League and I am working with all the women through-out the country to try and reduce poverty through income generating projects. We are doing soap making and syrup making. Most of the time I am encouraging girl children who have failed to proceed with education to engage in these income generating projects and go for night lessons so that they can write their exams and get better jobs. I encourage elderly women to do adult education as well, and I teach them to design their own clothes and make them in groups, and women are making school uniforms for their children. I have had the opportunity to be trained by UN Women in Conflict Analysis and Management and have now gone higher to Transformational and Inclusive leadership here at UN Women – ACTIL. I am a different person even before I finish this training, I see things differently. I am going to be a better leader and I promise a lot of women are going to benefit from this training that I have undergone.