Josephine Omunyidde Zhane is the founder of Engender Girls’ Mentorship Programme – an all girl-youth-mentorship initiative based in Uganda that develops THOUGHT LEADERSHIP for the girl-child through a series of activities that prepare her to take up her place at the decision making table in the future. She also serves on various Boards in Uganda and has previously served on the Board of Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) as Director Public Relations. She has over 15 years of experience in International Development & Corporate Communication. She tells Stellar Woman Magazine why women need to creative new solutions needed to enable us to move forward.
In one sentence, tell us who Josephine is:
Josephine is a 39-year-old mother and believer – Remnant of Christ, founder of Engender Girls Mentorship, a Knowledge Management & Communication Expert working with the United Nations. I also serve as a Board Member on some organizations’ Boards in Uganda.
Has journalism and communications always been your dream career? Or is there any other?
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a Broadcast Journalist – I used to try out TV presenter stunts in my mother’s dressing mirror secretly mimicking the TV hosts of that time. But, when I got to joining university my parents insisted on me studying Education at Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda which I hesitantly enrolled for and completed. Immediately after, I switched to study Film & Television even before my graduation and later upgraded to Journalism & Communication while working with WBS TV and later NTV Uganda as a broadcast journalist. I later mastered in it which paved way for me into the broad communication world.
You’ve recorded a lot of success throughout your career; working and heading projects in Television and communication, media, NGOs and more. What are you most proud of and why?
I am most proud of founding Engender Girls’ Mentorship, which I realise is my true calling; to impact todays’ girl-child through preparing her through a series of activities that will propel her to discover her self-worth and take up the seat at decision-making tables in the future. I’m motivated by the fact that Engender Girls’ Mentorship efforts will contribute to increasing the global statistics of women in positions of power such as boardrooms in years to come. The sooner we appreciate that the lack of women in leadership roles holds back not only women, but all people, the sooner we will be able to advance society as a whole.
What key skill have you been able to transfer across all the sectors you have worked in?
I believe it’s the communication leadership skill of transforming brands from average to excellent & visible brands among stakeholders.
What has helped you to grow as a professional woman? Is there anything in particular that our readers should learn and master?
I never cease to learn. I thrive with keeping positive attitude at all times, crisp planning, scheduling all my activities while taking into consideration prioritizing and delegation whilst on the journey of balancing.
A major contributor to my professional growth has been my spiritual life that drives me and puts everything about my life in perspective through the daily meditative envisioning or quiet time to connect with God from which I derive strength to keep going.
I also make time for me; to work out (sports), read supportive literature and spend time with loved ones and friends.
What is the most challenging aspect of your career? How do you navigate such challenges?
Generally, lack of women in positions of power is one challenge I have faced because I have not had as many supervisors in my career who in reality offer empathetic leadership that brings on board innovative solutions to unprecedented challenges in the work environment like women. This has however presented me opportunities to work twice as hard, and move to the next level.
In my early years of work, I faced a personal challenge of inadequate self-worth; I was lowering my own expectations of what I could achieve. I had to psych myself and start building resilience because it was deterring me from going places.
High-performing career women will identify with me that work-life-family balance is a challenge and I was hit very hard with this which gave me key learning points.
Making time for personal development (studies) to learn new skills that would help me remain relevant and seize the next level opportunity was a challenge.
Adjusting to and thriving in a fast-paced work environment which requires beating tight deadlines was another challenge but I had to figure it out.
When it comes to Engender Girls’ Mentorship, the challenge of mentoring girls amidst an evolutional world that harbors increased ‘millennial’ traits such as negative exposure to digital age notions and ‘slay queens’ concepts is a huddle whilst tackling perceptions.
Are there women that have enhanced your career journey? Can you name them and state how they have done so?
Yes, a couple of women – I met along this journey have been instrumental:
- Josephine Mukumbya – the current Group CEO of aBi Development and outgoing Board Chairperson of the Female Future Programme played a major role in motivating me and offering me an opportunity to build my capacity in women leadership training, she saw the potential in me. Two other women while at aBi Development were encouraging amidst a tough time of my life; Mona Mugumya Ssebuliba (COO, aBi Finance) and Hope Twinomugisha (HR Consultant)
- Astrid Mastenbroek currently working with the Netherlands Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs – while she served as Chief of Party for the Dutch Organisations I worked for as Communication Advisor she insisted on me venturing into empowering my younger colleagues in and out of office.
You were successful in raising the profile of CLUSA (Cooperative League of United States of America) International, which enabled it to qualify for new funding from MasterCard foundation. Could you share with the Stellar Woman readers the key to success for such initiatives?
Key to success for this kind of initiative is innovation and creativity – daring to do things the unusual way. That is what caught the attention of my work for Cooperative league of United States of America International. Same tactic of creativity did propel my performance while working with the European Union Emergency Trust Fund.
Tell us about Engender Youth Mentorship
Engender Youth Mentorship is the legal entity that runs Engender Girls’ Mentorship Programme – an all-GIRLS-oriented initiative deliberately working towards developing a generation of the world’s next ‘Thought Leaders’ through augmenting positive behavioural capabilities, leadership potential and self-worthiness of a girl from an early age.
It was established in 2019 to engage the girl-child in interactive learning and skilling experiences designed to discover their self-worth and develop strong leadership traits to support them thrive amidst an evolutionary world that harbours the challenges of increased ‘millennial’ traits such as negative exposure to digital age notions whilst preserving our cultural values.
Engender Girls’ Mentorship executes a series of age-appropriate actions that prepare girls aged 7 to 18 and 18+ to shape them towards positively experiencing the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood respectively through coordinated, progressive series of high quality activities and learning experiences that support them to achieve social, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.
What inspired you to start the initiative?
Based on the challenges I have faced through my career and personal life and how I adapted to thriving through the tests that life, over the years I have attracted peers and young people both boys and girls in the circles of my work, church and family whom I have mentored informally in the quest of them tapping into my drive.
Having enrolled for the Female Future Leadership Development Programme (FFP) by the Federation of Uganda Employers and University of Oslo, Norway, I was challenged to get out of my comfort zone to fulfill my potential and support young females.
The statistics from a study by the African Development Bank (AfDB) that was carried out in 307 Africa’s Top-Listed Companies, it was found that women accounted for only 14% of total board membership. That translates to one woman out of every seven board members. And one-third of the boards have no women at all. FFP was an eye opener.
Amidst all this; I was in a spiritual time of hearing from God what my calling in life was and it came out clearly through astounding encounters that it is Girls Hence Engender Girls’ Mentorship.
What are some of the initiative’s accomplishments you’re most proud of?
In barely 5 years of existence, Engender Girls Mentorship being recognised for its mentorship activity on Basic Mechanics training for girls by the African Union SheEducates Impact awards is humbling.
Am proud of the tangible transformational impact among the mentees’ behavioural traits such as the numbers of who contest and win leadership positions in their schools as a result of confidence gained from our mentorship activities.
What are the future plans for the initiative?
Our future plans are more into urban parenting of the girls, partnerships to support the rural girl who often misses out and to push the young girl into STEM.
Share your own personal story of how you were nurtured into the decision-maker (sitting on boards) that you are.
Am still being nurtured to scale further. The first Board I was enacted on was 99% men and I was the only woman and it was quite intimidating but I had to find my grip along the way through prior review of the board papers and financials to be able to contribute from a knowledgeable point of view.
Later on, when I enrolled for the Female Future Programme, I went through the Board Competence and Governance module which was insightful and the rest is history.
Books on Board Competence and articles on corporate governance have been helpful.
How are you able to stay focused and achieve balance with a career like yours?
This is a tough one and there is no script to it but it goes back to determination, smartly spotting growth opportunities, prioritizing and having a supportive family system. I have learned to compartmentalize; when am at work, I commit mentally to be at work and while at home I surrender myself to the marvels of parenthood, and the same while at the farm or on a film production set. I schedule and prioritise depending on their deadlines.
In your view, what does the future look like for career women?
While a small percentage of women is currently inspiring other women to shatter ‘glass ceilings’, the new automation age is presenting stiffer challenges overlaid on long-established ones. Technology adoption could displace millions of women from their jobs; and this calls for us to change the way we work in order to stay relevant thus a futuristic woman should become more skilled, tech-savvy, create valuable networks and social capital in the automation age despite the pervasive barriers. Concerted and creative new solutions are needed to enable women to move forward.
If you had to turn back time, what would you tell the 14-year-old Josephine Omunyidde Zhane?
Take on new challenges. Take criticism positively. Don’t be complacent with achievements, don’t settle for less – you are worth so much! Don’t give up even if people doubt you and say it’s impossible – take the risk, drive yourself.
Find the right mentor early enough, because a good mentor will support you up that ladder and into your corner office. Go out there and do it, mess it up spectacularly and learn from it so that you can turn it into a success.
How does a stellar woman like you unwind?
Of late, listening to spiritual podcasts by Prophet Elvis Mbonye and Rabbi Daniel Malinga has become a firm favourite.
Playing tennis or taking a jog helps me unwind.
Reading books – currently reading Mindset by Dr. Carol S. Dwek, A Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss
What in your opinion, are the attributes of a stellar woman?
One attribute: God first and everything else follows.
What would you like to add to your life to achieve the next level of being and feeling like a Stellar Woman?
Launching into deeper spiritual explorations. Not letting complacency reign and always get uncomfortable with comfortable.