Ulilia Chamisa
Team Leader, Start4Girls, CARE ZImbabwe
Women’s Leadership in Community Leadership, 2021
As the Team Leader for Start4Girls in Zimbabwe, Ulilia Chamisa works with girls and adolescent women, their communities, and religious and traditional leaders to promote the return to school or entrance into vocational skills training for girls who have dropped out, especially married girls and teenage mothers.
Ulilia provides leadership to younger women to help them understand their value, to be nonapologetic and to know that women can do anything men can do!
Early in her career, she was labelled simply as ‘a woman’ and thus, she couldn’t be a leader. Through focus and determination, she was able to remove this barrier and gain the respect of her male counterparts – eventually being a respected member of her team.
Ulilia’s advice to younger women:
“Believe in yourself and aim to acquire 21st century skills and competences which will aid you in achieving your life aspirations.”
“Do not be apologetic for being a woman.”