by Chausiku Mkuya, Kisa Mentor
Career Day was established in 2011 for two reasons: it is important for Kisa Scholars to be inspired by other successful women from Tanzania and it is useful for the students to learn from people who are in the fields that they would like to pursue when going to university. It has been the norm since then, and several thousand girls have passed through six Kisa Career Day events.
After five consecutive years of steadily increasing participation in this event and the expansion of AfricAid into the Kilimanjaro region, Career Day has grown to be so large that two separate events were held this fall. Ms. Anande Nnko was hired as an event planner and she organized the two events with cooperation from the Kisa Mentors for Arusha and Kilimanjaro.
The majority of attendees were Kisa Scholars, and the balance included AfricAid staff, Kisa Alumnae, guest speakers and other invited guests. Nearly 1,200 people overall experienced this year’s gathering of inspiring role models and captivated students.
Arusha Region (including Partner Schools in Arusha and Monduli)
Date: October 7, 2016
Location: Olasiti Garden
Participants: 474 (382 Kisa Scholars)
Kilimanjaro Region
Date: October 8, 2016
Location: Mwenge Catholic University
Participants: 707 (630 Kisa Scholars)
There were three inspirational guest speakers who attended both events and shared their life stories with the girls.
- Jackline Mkindi, Executive Director of Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA)
- The Hon. Esther Bulaya, Member of Parliament
- Anna Laroya, Pilot with Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI)
There were also small group discussions where Kisa Scholars had the opportunity to meet with different professionals from different careers they wish to pursue, for example: economists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, pilots, accountants and many others. Kisa Scholars had time to ask a lot of questions for more clarification and understanding, but these break-out sessions are so popular that we plan to dedicate even more time to them in 2017. Also, since Kisa Alumnae are becoming established in their careers, next time there should be at least one guest speaker who is an alumnae.
Career Day is here to stay!
