World YWCA Interviews Nancy Kapembwa – Recipient of the Mary Robinson Award
Nancy Kapembwa is the young YWCA woman recipient of the Mary Robinson Award for Young Women’s Leadership in Human Rights. Ms. Kapembwa, from the YWCA of Zambia, was awarded for her preventative approach in schools and communities to empower women and girls with knowledge on how to protect themselves from human rights violations and report cases of abuse to the relevant authorities. Her work has improved dialogue between parents and children, and between men and women, involving a process which moves community members from problem identification to action by addressing relationship building, problem identification, concern exploration, decision making, action, review and reflection.
During World Council an interview was carried out with Ms. Kapembwa.
You are a young women and psycho-social counselor who uses a preventative approach to empower women and girls with knowledge on how to protect themselves. What has been your motivation and how did you begin with this work?
I began this work by undergoing training in psycho social counseling. I then got a job at A Safer Zambia (ASAZA) Programme which offers counseling to victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV). During my work there I saw that there is a lot that I can offer and I wanted to help the women because I am familiar with the type of violence that they experience in their communities.
In the community conversations what are some of the main topics that are discussed and how do men and boys typically react?
We normally discuss issues which the members of the community themselves come up with and that are affecting their lives. Most often we talk about early marriages, spouse battery and economic violence. You’ll find that in the community where I come from a lot of young women are not economically empowered and hence they do not have a voice within their homes. It is their husbands, the breadwinners, that make all the decision about what to do with the money, even if often they are not really the ones providing for the children.
When I first began this work, there were a lot of challenges and the men were not interested for their wives to have decision-making power in the home. However, with time and through the involvement of men as agents of social change, they came to see the importance of women’s empowerment. As for the boys, we mentor them when they are young so that when they grow up they will know, understand and respect the rights of women and girls.
You have become a role model to many women and girls, can you give some words of advice to other young women who wish to have a voice and to make a change in their communities?
Take up the challenge, all you need is determination! Things may seem to be very difficult, but if you are determined and if you have the passion to work for the community anything is possible. It is also important to consult with people who have experience and have been leaders, and to learn from them how to better help the community. A person who calls themselves a leader should have the motivation and the time for the people that they work for and should strive to be a voice for the voiceless.
What is the importance of such an award for you?
This award is very special to me and I will always treasure it. It is something that will motivate me to work even harder so that in the future I might even be like Mary Robinson. I am very happy because it is one of the biggest things that I have achieved in my life and I feel very proud.
Do you have a particular message that you would like to send to the movement and to our readers all over the world?
I wish to say to the YWCA movement that they need us, young women, and we too need them. For this movement to move forward, and for the 25% that they have prepared for us, we must participate fully in all the activities. I think intergenerational leadership is very important and I look forward to making it even more of a reality so that together we can achieve a safe world for everyone.
