So much going on in our lives lately especially in Zimbabwe, however we must soldier on. We share with you the inspirational story of Commissioner Sheila Hilary Matindike (CSHM). Be inspired.
IM (identities Media)
IM: Tell us about yourself.
CSHM: My name is Sheila Hilary Matindike, a senior citizen aged 65 years of age. I am currently a Zimbabwe Human Rights Commissioner and Chairperson of the Special Interest Groups Thematic Working Group, a position I have held for the past nine years.
Previously, I was the National General Secretary of the YWCA of Zimbabwe for 21 years, a position that propelled me to become a board member of the World YWCA, Zimbabwe Council of Churches as well as National Association of Non-governmental Organizations (Northern Region).
My work in the YWCA involved working with women and girls in a number of empowerment programmes that comprised skills development through vocational training, sexual reproductive health rights of women, leadership development, project management of hostels and conference facilities as well as community -based projects by women’s clubs.
As a younger woman, I taught at both primary and secondary schools, an experience that proved valuable in my public speaking role as a National General Secretary and board member.
Before joining the YWCA, I worked as a Probation Officer and Refugee Services Officer for eight years, during which time Zimbabwe was hosting thousands of refugees from Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, DRC, among others.
As a Probation Officer, I dealt with family problems when I worked in two economically diverse communities of Mabvuku and Mount Pleasant in Harare as well as Goromonzi, a peri-urban set up. The major issues that came out were the negative effects of dysfunctional families on children’s welfare, education and moral values.
Most children in such situations had dropped out of school, were involved in substance abuse and stayed on the streets.In this regard, I had to write sociological reports to the magistrate and recommend placing them in places of safety for their rehabilitation as appropriate.
My work as a teacher started when I was a young professional who taught in primary school where I experienced the joy of moulding young minds and providing them with guidance required to create a lasting and positive in print in their lives.
At this stage, I shared my love for music a lot with the children by teaching them beautiful songs I had learnt in the past.
At a later stage, I taught English language and Religious Education to high school students and realised that I had to be a role model to the young and restive teenagers by motivating them to work hard and achieve good results and lay the ground for good work ethics.
My key achievements and key career highlights are varied. Through teaching, I was literally able to use my voice. I was trained to stand in front of people with confidence and express myself, a skill that I used in my future work in the women’s rights movement.
As a teacher, I was able to witness my students grow and achieve greater things in life than I had done and for me that was both gratifying and rewarding.
In my work as a Probation Officer, I was able to rescue some children from the streets and place them in places of safety through the required legal processes and witness them reform and get an education.
For me that was huge as it meant that someone’s life had been saved and they would be a good citizen of tomorrow. This work also provided me the opportunity to process adoptions that made me appreciate to this day, the families that provided the love and care for children who were in difficult circumstances.
My work and training in Social Work made me appreciate the plight of children with disabilities.
Issues of rejection, abandonment and isolation as well as blaming of mothers who gave birth to children with disabilities were the main themes that came up.
In the same vein, working with refugees and providing counselling services to persons in such circumstances was rewarding for me and made me feel that I was in the right space to provide hope for many clients who felt insecure about life.
Through the women’s movement, I was able to inspire a number of women, particularly young women, to be assertive, confident and take up leadership roles in various spheres of life. A number of young women pursued further education and acquired new skills to enable them to provide for their own livelihoods and become independent.
I was able to oversee rural women’s development projects including the construction of a multi-purpose skills centre that provides education and a safe space for women and children.
I was also able to traverse most of the country ‘s provinces to have first-hand appreciation of the development needs of the communities I worked with.
One achievement I am proud of was re-uniting members and building trust of Western Region members who had lost trust in the National Office and had started breaking away from joint activities.
I was able to self-publish two books on leadership, inspired by my work in the women ‘s movement, and a second one on navigating widowhood.
My highlights comprise of organising national, regional and international conferences and council meetings for the YWCA.
Through these events, my organizational and networking skills were challenged and sharpened.
For me, board membership into the prestigious World YWCA women’s movement, leading 25million women in over 120 countries was priceless at it gave me an insight into women’s rights issues on a global level.
In this role I was a member of the Nominations Committee that ran the elections for leadership for incoming boards and that was special for me.
Locally, I was trained to be an observer for national elections that I have been involved in for the past 18 years, since 2002.
The international exposure I got to experience in various cultural settings in over 20 countries and embracing diversity gave me a deeper understanding about who I am.
Representing the YWCA at various international fora like the World YWCA Council meetings, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 56, regional and national conferences and contributing to the women’s empowerment was huge for me. It made me grow.
One of my proud moments was making it into the newly established Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission as one of the pioneer Commissioners, a body that is constitutionally mandated for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
I would like to be remembered for being a woman of firsts, a fearless person who ventures into new territories and inspires others to follow.
IM: What drives the work that you do?
IM: What drives the work that you do?
CSHM: My passion is to see positive change in my community and country at large.
I love serving people and to see circumstances change for the better.
I love to acquire information including current affairs and share information that can help someone to prosper.
I would like to see young women groomed to occupy leadership positions and share their knowledge and skills for prosperity.
What makes me wake up each morning is to strive for a world in which my granddaughters will thrive and look back to the foundation I have laid for them to prosper and build their lives instead of dealing with most of the hurdles I have encountered from colonisation (discrimination), harmful cultural practices and corruption.
My passion is creating positivity in every situation by sending good vibes, encouraging those who are going difficult situations and sharing my personal experiences to lift others up.
I also delight in fighting or standing up for the rights of vulnerable persons like children and persons with disabilities.
IM: What do you see in the near future?
CAHM: I see myself continuing with my work of community involvement as a volunteer for a children’s institution to encourage them to value education as a gateway to create a better future for themselves.
I see myself continuing to write my experiences to inspire women and girls to aspire to do more and never be discouraged by failure, hurdles and problems, but learn from them.
I see communities relying more on individuals and networks that are conscious of what is happening around them, people who educate them about their rights to safe environment, health services, food, potable water, education and other socio-economic and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights.
This knowledge will assist them to participate in national processes as these impact on their lives. I also see business thriving (I live on hope), and pray for a conducive business environment and access to resources, particularly by women.
I see a country that can benefit immensely from the meaningful participation of women at all levels of leadership in various sectors of the economy. It is a fact that women bring special skills and perspectives, dedication, management, discipline and the ability to multi-task in different scenarios of life.
IM: What are your parting words or advice?
CSHM: My parting words are that the sky is the limit for anyone, and women for that matter, to do anything if you set up your mind to do it.
First believe in yourself then act. Do not compartmentalize your education or skills and limit yourself to a particular setting.
Skills are transferable.
I was able to merge my training and experience in teaching with social work and sociology to contribute to development work, rights issues, counseling, writing and addressing conferences, among others.
It is important to cultivate interest on issues around you and make your contribution through available conduits including social media. When an issue nags you, do something about it because not all issues will bother you with the same intensity.
Finally, you were created for a purpose, not just for yourself but to make a difference by making the World a better place, so occupy your space.
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