Worldwide Ladies's Day Interview with Chilufya Siansagu

Chilufya Siansangu is Head of Enterprise Growth/ Advertising and marketing and Communications for EFC Zambia. Her function includes 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 just lately attended the International Schooling Finance Convention, hosted by Alternative Worldwide EduFinance and was capable of share a variety of views on constructing schooling finance merchandise and purchasers.

For Worldwide Ladies’s Day 2023 we spoke with Chilufya about her personal expertise of schooling and tips on 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 capabilities and likewise includes consumer relationships, onboarding new purchasers, and sustaining current ones. I get pleasure from that quite a bit as a result of clearly in any enterprise when you do not handle purchasers then clearly you’re 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 good theme. At first, it does seize the challenges that ladies face. It highlights the significance of recognizing and addressing the systemic boundaries that stop ladies from reaching their full potential.

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

However it’s not like we will not. We’re very a lot ready, it is simply these stereotypes that we have to recover from for us to appreciate 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 proper path and we should always not cease.

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

The schooling agenda is de facto massive for me. The purpose we’re lacking these days, I feel most younger individuals, simply wish to be schooled and never educated. Schooling has to transcend, it has to alter habits, it has to alter the entire being, and there have to be some transformation.

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

After we put money into schooling that encompasses the schooling of girls and women it adjustments the narrative as a result of there’s financial progress. And by investing in schooling, people can purchase expertise and information 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’ll be able to create higher entrepreneurs.

WHAT WAS YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE OF EDUCATION?

Once 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 docs stated, ‘no, this woman is just not going to make it, begin arranging for a funeral’. And you do not inform a mother or father that. My father stated, ‘I need you to see her earlier than you begin making these conclusions as a result of I imagine she’s going to be okay.’

My father was very prayerful. I began therapeutic which shocked the docs 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. Ultimately, I began college and he used to inform me ‘In opposition to all odds, you are going to be good.’

Although I began my first grade a yr late, I grew to become so good that I skipped a grade. I used to be capable of meet up with my pals and after I completed my O-Ranges, I received a scholarship to review for the Worldwide Baccalaureate at Hastings School in England. I used to recollect my dad and mom’ help, and I received awards together with the most effective pupil.

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 capable of assist my dad and mom, my household, and the those that observe me. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, you are able to do it when you imagine in it, and schooling has quite a bit 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 financial system than we may 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 facet of financial progress. Educated women usually tend to enter the workforce. Once 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 now we have extra educated women, households usually tend to profit.

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

There are fairly just a few causes which might be holding again women from getting educated and this features a lack of entry to the right schooling infrastructure. Now we have conditions the place women within the village should stroll miles and miles to get to a college. Most often 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 choose to have their boys be educated over their women, as boys are often those they assume should ‘feed the household’.

One other subject is gender-based violence. Some women do expertise sexual harassment, bodily violence, and verbal abuse at college which implies 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 academics, extra feminine CEOS, and extra feminine docs. I feel this can be a essential job for girls 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 amenities similar to a scarcity of unpolluted water. Ladies want amenities to have the ability to handle themselves correctly throughout their intervals.

Implementing basic insurance policies to help women extra, can even assist quite a bit. 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 completed on the governmental degree.

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

Schooling is essential, Nelson Mandela stated, ‘schooling is essentially the most highly effective weapon you need to use to alter the world’.

For me, this can be a reminder that true schooling wants to alter habits. It isn’t nearly having levels. What’s secret’s what has schooling completed for you when it comes to habits and what’s it that you simply’re capable of do higher that you simply could not do with out that schooling.