Worldwide Girls’s Day Interview with Chilufya Siansagu

Chilufya Siansangu is Head of Enterprise Growth/ Advertising and Communications for EFC Zambia. Her function entails driving enterprise progress by figuring out alternatives, monitoring new markets, strategic partnerships, and constructing sustainable consumer relationships. She has a variety of obligations for increasing EFC Zambia’s buyer base. She not too long ago attended the International Training Finance Convention, hosted by Alternative Worldwide EduFinance and was in a position to share a spread of views on constructing schooling finance merchandise and purchasers.

For Worldwide Girls’s Day 2023 we spoke with Chilufya about her personal expertise of schooling and learn how to create higher alternatives for educating ladies and women.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT YOUR ROLE?

What I get pleasure from is that it cuts throughout all enterprise features and in addition entails consumer relationships, onboarding new purchasers, and sustaining present ones. I get pleasure from that loads as a result of clearly in any enterprise should you do not maintain purchasers then clearly you might be headed for closure.

It is gratifying to see small and medium companies develop and to see {that a} enterprise can really make use of different individuals who additionally take care of households and enhance their livelihoods.

THIS YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY HAS THE THEME ‘EMBRACE EQUITY, A WORLD FREE OF BIAS, STEREOTYPES, AND DISCRIMINATION.’ WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?

I feel it is a sensible theme. Firstly, it does seize the challenges that girls face. It highlights the significance of recognizing and addressing the systemic obstacles that stop ladies from reaching their full potential.

It emphasizes the necessity to problem present stereotypes, beliefs and attitudes in the direction of ladies – within the Zambian group, there’s a stereotype {that a} girl is just not speculated to be educated, the girl is meant to are inclined to their youngsters and do the house responsibilities, whereas the person goes on the market to work and excel in his profession.

However it’s not like we won’t. We’re very a lot ready, it is simply these stereotypes that we have to recover from for us to understand our full potential. I feel the wrestle continues, however I feel with all of the consolidated efforts, the celebration of girls. I feel we’re on the suitable path and we should always not cease.

WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO INVEST IN EDUCATION?

The schooling agenda is admittedly large for me. The purpose we’re lacking these days, I feel most younger individuals, simply wish to be schooled and never educated. Training has to transcend, it has to vary habits, it has to vary the entire being, and there should be some transformation.

I might point out that schooling is an equalizer, particularly in our communities. It’s very, crucial that we put money into schooling.

Once we put money into schooling that encompasses the schooling of girls and women it modifications the narrative as a result of there’s financial progress. And by investing in schooling, people can purchase abilities and data wanted to safe a greater future, and better-paying jobs. At EFC that is our core enterprise. We’re an enterprise lending establishment and with schooling, you may create higher entrepreneurs.

WHAT WAS YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF EDUCATION?

After I was 2.5 years, I used to be concerned in an accident, and I used to be badly burnt. When my father took me to the hospital, the medical doctors mentioned, ‘no, this lady is just not going to make it, begin arranging for a funeral’. And you do not inform a guardian that. My father mentioned, ‘I need you to see her earlier than you begin making these conclusions as a result of I consider she’s going to be okay.’

My father was very prayerful. I began therapeutic which shocked the medical doctors as a result of the burns have been deep. After realizing that I used to be therapeutic, they did inform my dad and mom ‘Look, sure, she’s healed, however she’s going to have a studying incapacity. She wants particular schooling. She will be unable to manage like different youngsters at school.’

I spent years within the hospital and my father was very decided that I used to be going to get a standard schooling. Finally, I began faculty and he used to inform me ‘In opposition to all odds, you are going to be sensible.’

Despite the fact that I began my first grade a yr late, I turned so good that I skipped a grade. I used to be in a position to meet up with my mates and once I completed my O-Ranges, I gained a scholarship to check for the Worldwide Baccalaureate at Hastings Faculty in England. I used to recollect my dad and mom’ help, and I gained awards together with the most effective scholar.

Subsequent, I used to be awarded a scholarship to Princeton College in America, however I could not attend because the scholarship was solely 50%, and I could not afford the opposite 50%. So, I made a decision to self-sponsor myself in England, I did accountancy on the London College of Accountancy. I used to do part-time work in Hastings in a care house earlier than I returned house.

I all the time encourage the ladies I work with and inform them that due to schooling, I have been in a position to assist my dad and mom, my household, and the folks that observe me. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, you are able to do it should you consider in it, and schooling has loads to do with that.

WHY DOES IT MATTER TO EDUCATE GIRLS?

As soon as we empower women and assist to advertise gender equality, we’re doing extra for the economic system than we might think about. It goes past regular dwelling, it contains enhancing their well being, and careers. With out correct schooling, it is fairly troublesome to get very far in life.

There’s additionally the side of financial progress. Educated women usually tend to enter the workforce. After I’m collaborating in interviews, I discovered that women are doing significantly better at school than boys, as a result of they’re extra targeted. By way of decreasing poverty in our communities, when we now have extra educated women, households usually tend to profit.

WHAT CHALLENGES ARE HOLDING GIRLS BACK FROM GETTING AN EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA?

There are fairly a couple of causes which might be holding again women from getting educated and this features a lack of entry to the right schooling infrastructure. We’ve conditions the place women within the village should stroll miles and miles to get to a college. Usually dad and mom themselves decide to have their boys educated versus their women, due to the safety considerations that include lengthy distances. Many dad and mom want to have their boys be educated over their women, as boys are normally those they suppose should ‘feed the household’.

One other subject is gender-based violence. Some women do expertise sexual harassment, bodily violence, and verbal abuse in school which suggests it may be safer for them to remain house.

I feel the narrative is altering now, however we’d like extra function fashions, extra feminine lecturers, extra feminine CEOS, and extra feminine medical doctors. I feel it is a crucial job for ladies which might be already in profitable positions, to encourage these younger women to get a correct schooling.

WHAT CHANGES DO YOU THINK COULD HELP GIRLS IN ZAMBIA?

There are nonetheless points with sanitation services comparable to an absence of unpolluted water. Women want services to have the ability to maintain themselves correctly throughout their intervals.

Implementing normal insurance policies to help women extra, may assist loads. There are non-governmental organizations which might be very vocal about supporting women. They’re serving to, however I feel there’s extra to be executed on the governmental stage.

At EFC we now have monetary merchandise that may assist communities, as we now have discovered that many households can not afford to pay exorbitant faculty charges. By these merchandise, we now have discovered that women can enroll in colleges and entry schooling, as we help colleges as a monetary establishment.

Training is essential, Nelson Mandela mentioned, ‘schooling is essentially the most highly effective weapon you should use to vary the world’.

For me, it is a reminder that true schooling wants to vary habits. It isn’t nearly having levels. What’s key’s what has schooling executed for you when it comes to habits and what’s it that you just’re in a position to do higher that you just could not do with out that schooling.