Most girls in Joyce’s community are
married out before they turn 18. Joyce is not comfortable with this narrative
and has committed her life to changing this narrative. In this interview with
Project Inspire Africa, Joyce shares her journey and her successes.
Can we meet you?
My name is Joyce Augustino, a
42-years old Tanzanian who enjoys travelling, music and singing.
Tell us briefly about your childhood experience
I am the 6th of nine
children. I grew up in an environment where girls were discriminated and
married off before they turn 18. I knew that this was not right and that
dissatisfaction led me to do what I am doing right now.
What is your education Background?
I hold a Diploma in Business
Administration from College of Business Education, Bachelor of science in
Social Protection from Institute of Finance Management and Master of Arts in
Development Studies from the University of Dar Es Salaam. I had my primary
education at Katubuka Primary School in Kigoma Region before moving to St
Francis De Sales Seminary Morogoro Region. I concluded my secondary school
education at St.Don Bosco Seminary. Dodoma Region.
What is your contribution towards making your Country a better place?
To change the narratives around
the issues I am passionate about, I founded a nonprofit organization known as Women
and Youth Initiatives. Our nonprofit organization promotes gender equality and
human rights through advocacy; promoting protection measures against early
child marriage and gender-based violence. We also facilitate government
policies to remote areas where it cannot reach and also perform a variety of
social services for the wellbeing of the people.
What are the steps you did take to bring your vision to fruition?
My first step was going to
school, after my studies I registered an organization as a platform for me to
raise my voice for the voiceless to demand their rights. I am still committed
to doing just that.
What have been your achievements?
Our biggest achievement is the
setting up of a tailoring center for adolescent mothers who were impregnated
and left alone under the age of 18. We want them to be able to carter for
themselves and their unborn children. Our organization has also been able to
establish 75 groups of VICOBA(Village Community Banks) for women where we provide
knowledge on all forms of gender based violence. So far the Organization has
reached 26,000 women and youth in its advocacy against gender based violence.
What motivated you to do what you’re doing?
My desire to boys and girls reach
their fullest potentials in spite of their background drives me. I want to see
a violence free environment. This is why I am taking the steps I am taking.
What has been your major challenge since you have begun your
non-profit?
Funding has been a major
challenge. There are a lot of ideas in the pipeline that we are yet to start
because of funding. However, I am committed to thinking out creative ways to
raise funds.
How have you been able to raise money to implement your ideas?
I write project proposals to
donors and mobilize my immediate community to support our projects in ways they
can.
Could you share with us one or two experiences you have hard in the
course of your campaigns that have impacted on you?
In one of our campaigns against
Gender Based Violence, I came across young persons who have severely abused but
grow above their pains and are today heroes and heroines in their own right.
Their lives challenged me and I use their story to inspire other young people
to believe in their individual ability to do great things. I have also learnt
in the course of my journey that hard work pay. I started my volunteering journey
at different organizations, working without pay but today I sit in my own
office making my dreams come true.
What are your prospects in the next 5 to 10 years?
We would work to expanding our tailoring
center to accommodate more girls and adolescent mothers and set up a music
academy. We also want to establish GBV club’s in all public secondary and
primary school in my district. There are 31 public secondary schools and 66
public primary schools.
What you think is the major cause of employment in Africa
Our education system is greatly
flawed in that it prepares us to be employees and not employers of labour. We
have to rethink our education system.
Our government should consider making it easier for startups to have
access to funding and other incentives to help them thrive.
If you had an
opportunity to speak to presidents in Africa, what would be your message.
Prioritize access to basic social
amenities across Africa. We are long overdue.
Thank you for sharing your
story with us
It is my pleasure
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