Posted by WAM NY Marketing Committee Could you tell us a little about yourself? I am a tenth child in a family of eleven children, born in Masvingo province in Zimbabwe. Through hard work I had good grades for primary and secondary school despite that I went to ordinary schools. After failing to get a place at state funded universities, I tried private universities which were not affordable. This did not deter me; I then enrolled for a six months secretarial course which helped me secure a job at Kingdom Financial Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. Through correspondence I did a Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) Degree with the University of South African and Association of Certified Chartered Accountancy (ACCA) diploma and I am currently studying for MSC in Financial Management Edinburgh Business School, Scotland. I rose through the ranks from a position of receptionist to a risk analyst over the seven years of employment with Kingdom Financial Holdings. I opted for retrenchment from Kingdom Financial Holdings at the end of 2009 to pursue interests in entrepreneurial work for a year and a half. In July 2011 I joined First Capital Plus, a microfinance organization which had just started as a Credit Risk Manager. I have a keen interest in developmental work with microfinance being the one I am well versed with. You were one of our Scholarship recipients for 2013; please share how you benefited from the scholarship both personally and professionally.
Upon receiving the scholarship from WAM NY, I opted for the Boulder MTF training in Turin for 2013, but I could not make it due to the short time that I had to preparations for the trip. I however requested that the scholarship be moved to Boulder MTF training in Turin for 2014, which was done successfully. The three weeks training from the 5th of July to the 25th of July 2014 was an exciting experience, characterized by intense training and networking with microfinance players, donors, funders, policy makers, and regulators from all over the world. I noted that my three years’ experience in microfinance was a tiny drop in the ocean. There is much more to it that I have seen or heard. My eyes were opened to see that a lot more can be done than what is already being done in my home country. What are your future plans? In the short-term I intent to learn more about the developmental work field by attending trainings, exchange programs, seminars and conferences both local and international. I have also applied for an MPhil in Development Finance starting in 2015 to enhance my knowledge. In the medium-term I am planning to establish a microfinance firm reaching the poorest in my home country. I intend to establish a wholesale fund to finance microfinance organizations in Zimbabwe and the region in the long-term. What advice would you give to women who are thinking about joining the microfinance profession? Women who intend to join the Microfinance profession should look forward to encountering an exciting and fulfilling field. They should be driven by a heart for developmental work since they have to engage with clients at a much closer range than the mainstream financial services. It is a requirement that they understand the livelihood of their client base to the extent of going an extra mile in assisting them to achieve financial empowerment. Is there a message you would like to send to all supporters of WAM NY’s fundraisers who helped make the scholarship initiative such a big success? I am forever grateful to all supporters of WAM NY fundraisers for awarding me this rare opportunity to learn more about the microfinance field in such an interactive way by attending Boulder MTF 2014. May you continue with this great work which is making a difference in the lives of many women microfinance practitioners, solving their greatest challenges in achieving leadership roles. Comments are closed.
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November 2017
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