Charleen Muchiuno is a 23-year-old self-driven young woman who is passionate about advocating for women’s rights. I am a highly motivated and focused individual, and currently holding the position of Young Women’s Chairperson at the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe. I studied Local Governance at Midlands State University.
I have the ability to learn with full commitment and, influence others. I am filled with gratitude with the opportunity to be part of the 2024/2025 LEMHs class where l networked with young women from diverse backgrounds. I attended the LEMHs bootcamp fully committed and I had an amazing time. The learning sessions had topics especially designed for girls and young women, which included Leadership, Advocacy, Drug and Substance Abuse, Climate Change, Gender Based Violence and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights.
I learnt that to be a good leader I should know myself well, have a strong sense of self-awareness followed by self-acceptance. What stuck out to me as a women’s rights advocate is that young women can influence constitutionalism through advocacy by knowing their rights. I understood it is important to do advocacy with knowledge of the facts of the problem and with supporting laws or an understanding of the gaps in the law.
I would like to utilize this positive energy and the knowledge l have grasped from the LEMHs bootcamp to start planning and implementing my community project. l want to have a movement where l raise awareness on women’s rights, particularly on abuse and Gender Based Violence. It is also important to teach young women to be financially independent therefore I also want to extend my project to income generating activities. I am confident I can do this because during the bootcamp I got to know myself better as a leader; I am excited to apply my new skills and drive for change in my community!