Kushinga Kimberley Bande, My S2C Ambassador Experience

Growing up in the densely populated Rimuka high density suburb which is the oldest suburb in Kadoma. I have witnessed social ills like illicit drug and substance use, child marriages and family disintegration which have bedeviled my community. YMCA Kadoma Branch became a ray of hope in a desolate dire situation which was decimating my community. Being driven by insatiable passion for social change, empowering young people and addressing social challenges. I became a volunteer within YMCA and have been contributing my three T’s namely time, treasure and talent. Through sheer dedication and striving for community led transformation my capacity has been immensely enhanced through different capacity building initiatives that are done by YMCA. At the moment I was accepted into the Africa Alliance of YMCA (AAYMCA) Subject to Citizen (S2C) leadership program cohort 6 which is a great honor. The transformative program designed to empower young people across Africa to become active citizens and change-makers in their communities emphasizes on leadership development, collaborative networking and empowerment and ownership. The S2C philosophy has brought a paradigm shift which has helped in the interventions we do in the community, one such intervention being a campaign aimed at ending period poverty and maintaining the dignity of the girl child called Shambidza Mwanasikana.

Through a combination of interactive workshops, experiential learning activities, and practical skill-building exercises, the S2C training has equipped me with the knowledge and confidence to identify social issues affecting young people in my community and take proactive step to address them. As a result, I have managed to note that access to sanitary wear is a challenge to most young girls in my community which has affected their academic life and general wellbeing.

The initiative does not only cater for the provision of sanitary wear but also seeks to encourage a collaborative approach with communities and the young people to addressing period poverty, addressing social stigma, myths and misconceptions surrounding menstrual health. The S2C training has empowered me with leadership skills such as effective communication, collaborative networking and decision-making skills which will be of great effect in community engagements.

Sustainability of interventions is at the core of all programming efforts and utilizing crucial tools like the human design thinking approach, the Shambidza Mwanasikana intervention has the affected girl child in the driving force of the solution being implemented. This has resulted in adopting the concept of reusable sanitary pads and efforts are underway to train the first group of beneficiaries. Sekai, not her real name had this to say “Shambidza Mwanasikana intervention has been very important to me as I am being taught how to fish rather than just being given fish which at the end of the day promotes depends syndrome” Through the S2C program it has fueled in me resolute commitment and I am encouraged through the inspirational stories and testimonies of successful initiatives happening in my community.

The AAYMCA Subject to Citizen training has made a huge impact to my work as a young leader as I have been empowered with the necessary knowledge, skills and support to implement initiatives that address young peoples need and contribute to positive change in the community. Furthermore, the S2C philosophy is putting us young people in the driving force of the development discourse thereby making Agenda 2063 a possible reality.