It is a good day to show gratitude to God, the Almighty, who allows us ordinary people to do the extraordinary.
On 25 October 2024, N
ANGO Zimbabwe awarded me the NGO Director of the Year Award at an awards night held in Nyanga as part of a three-day NGO Directors Annual Summer Retreat. I wish to thank NANGO for this special accolade that I value greatly as an acknowledgement by the community that I serve. I have great appreciation for the many community activists who nominated and voted for me.
Human rights work is very tough. It can be lonely and thankless, especially in the Zimbabwean context where human rights defenders are treated like criminals. Every day we are attacked for defending human rights. Getting the community to say, ‘We see you. We acknowledge you. We thank you.’ That is very encouraging. I know that the work I do is important. But there is value in the community standing up to say, “We are with you.”
An accolade for defending rights in a context like ours is not an ego booster. It is an act of solidarity. I respectfully accept and embrace it with humility and gratitude.
Earlier this year, I wrote that the work that civic leaders do in the age of authoritarianism, must never be underestimated. The work of civic leaders is important. Without it, humanity would not have stood up to the injustice of slavery and colonialism. Without it, we would not be able to confront the rising tide of war, violence, and authoritarianism. It is evident in my writings, speeches and in my practice that I take civic leadership seriously. I am deliberate with the strategies I use, and I am connected to the team that I am privileged to serve with. We rise and fall together. We celebrate together these milestones. A strong team is every leader’s superpower.
The very title of the award, ‘NGO Director of the Year’ prompts me to further interrogate what this means for me, for the team and for the sector.
How have I led in my journey? What areas do I need to improve? How do I inspire and empower the next generation of emerging leaders to lead the sector better into the future? If I do not ask these questions and invest time and resources in answering them, then this award will serve no more than feed my ego, instead of motivating me to become better. In accepting, and celebrating this award, I invite my fellow comrades. Those who celebrated with me in the evening of the 25th, and many others that interact with my work in different spaces. My invitation is that we take this moment to reflect on what we can do to lead better this sector that is so desperate for survival and renewal. I know that mere activism does not translate to civic leadership. We cannot raise the level of our sector without raising the level of our leadership. And leadership is not common sense. We must take deliberate steps to develop transformational leadership for a vibrant civil society of today and tomorrow.
Thank you Zimbabwe.
