Candy Margaret Vizengwa

What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?

My pursuit for gender equality was ignited by the community in which I was raised. At a very young age, I had to witness a realtive go through domestic violence. Even though I was only 12 at that time, I knew that in the future I would want to advocate for gender equality because the mentality that women hold no voice in a patriarchal society is misguided.

Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.

When my close friend succumbed to suicide due to depression and stigma because of her sexual orientation as a young teenager, I saw the need to begin a movement that creates a safe space for all. I came up with the 'mindyoursisters' campaign during my time as a peer group leader at the library, which was meant to eliminate hate towards the minority and write stories actively as a way of creatively expressing one's voice and show support. Soon afterward in 2018, this became the 'she can' campaign. Alongside my team, we distributed sanitary pads to the less fortunate and gave educational advice and empowerment to girls. I felt it an achievement to reach a number of girls going through psychological struggles through our organized talks in primary schools while advocating for the visibility of queer persons. This was a big step for me because making the difference a soul at a time matters.

Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?

Learning new cultures, writing fiction, poetry, reading novels, and watching good movies.