Mabuyakhulu Abingo Siphiwe Phumla

Country: Swaziland

Current Organization: Compassionate Swaziland

Organization at the time you received Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Compassionate Swaziland

How did receiving the Katie Fleming award inspire you?

Receiving the Katherine Fleming Award tremendously increased my personal and professional confidence. I was motivated and encouraged by the recognition of my community-based work by the Coady community. It was (and still remains) a great motivation in my life to realize that the Katherine Fleming Award takes note and recognizes the efforts of grassroots women and organizations working towards positively changing the lives of women, girls, children, and the less privileged in the society.

What does your organization do, how does it help develop your community?

Compassionate Swaziland advocates for the rights of women, girls, children, and the less privileged in society. We work for equal rights to access basic services like education, healthcare, and other social welfare services such as birth registration certificates and access to government grants. In the recent past, Compassionate Swaziland has been instrumental in pushing for the adoption of the Sexual and Domestic Violence Offences act (SEDOV) which is now a part of legal code and articulates stiffer penalties including long jail terms for those who perpetrate gender based violence against women and girls. As Director, my role is to steer the organization in the direction of its vision, mission, and objectives. This I do through application of Compassionate Swaziland policies, providing sound leadership, and helping new and upcoming future young women leaders.

How did your studies at Coady improve your ability to be a change leader?

My study at Coady greatly improved my leadership and advocacy skills. Since graduating from Coady International Institute, I have successfully applied an all-inclusive approach to decision-making that embraces collective responsibility, leveraging on individual staff strengths. Drawing from Katherine’s sacrifice to the less fortunate in society and in particular Africa, my studies at Coady inspired me to take lead in advocacy against social injustice as well as cultural and traditional norms that stand as barriers against women, girls, and the poor.