Princess Ndiweni

What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?

Growing up in a patriarchal society, where women and girls have restricted power to shape their own lives or pursue avenues that contribute towards the development of their lives and the society, left a lot of women and girls trapped in cycles of poverty because they couldn’t receive better education, health care services and job opportunities, which they can thrive in. As a young woman myself, I realised that I was not only exposed but also vulnerable to patriarchal oppression.It hit me to the core, and I took it upon myself to stand up and fight for our rights , women and girls rights, rights for social,economic and political equality of all sexes!

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

Being selected as a Women Deliver Young Leader class of 2020 is one of my biggest wins as it opened many doors and platforms for meaningful engagement and participation. I was awarded a Small Grant twice which supported my SRHR and Gender Equality advocacy work that has influenced policies from grassroots to national level. In the process, I founded Women GATE an organisation that has championed over 100 adolescent girls and young women as SRHR and Gender Equality advocates.

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

Apart from being a gender equality advocate, I will be exploring diverse and unlimited possibilities especially in the avenue of entrepreneurship.