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My Learning Journey
My journey with Gender Links began on 1 March 2010. Being a former public servant employed at the Department of Social Development and working for the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, joining an NGO was a rather difficult transition. The infrastructure, the organisational culture and relocating to a different province was rather overwhelming.
As a Women's and Gender Studies student, I had always sought opportunities where I would be able to "engross" myself with gender advocacy and human rights issues. As a student I became familiar with the different NGOs and lobbying groups and I had heard a lot about Gender Links. When I joined the Department of Social Development, I had so many hopes and dreams, wanting to "immerse" myself with everything. Being part of the Social Capital Unit, I had the opportunity to work closely with communities at the grassroots level, through the Social Transformation Project, which was championed by the former Premier of the Western Cape Ebrahim Rasool. Unfortunately that was very short lived and with the political situation in the Western Cape, the situation took a turn for the worse.
With the appointment of the all-male cabinet by the new Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille I felt that it was time for a change. The appointment of the cabinet was a regress in terms of the advancement of women's rights and I knew that women's issues were not going to be high on the agenda. I was right, shortly after the appointment of the Premier, many key events that were planned to take place for Women's Day were suspended with immediate effect. It was a rather distressing wake-up call for me and I knew it was time to move on.
Making the transition and working at Gender Links was a rather difficult transition for me. Not only did I have to relocate to a new province but I had never worked at an NGO on a full-time basis before. I had hardly been working at Gender Links for a week and I found myself thrown into the midst of organising, mobilising, and collating best practices for the Gender Justice and Local Government Summit. I even had to travel alone to the Eastern Cape to collect best practices.
The pressure was high, deadlines had to be met and there was a constant adrenaline rush. I knew immediately that this place was going to be challenging and I would be required to work hard. However I had a very supportive manager and with the help of my colleagues, the process of settling in at Gender Links progressed smoothly.
As a country facilitator I have had the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and I have often been very humbled by the people I have met while conducting my Gender Mainstreaming Workshops. One forms a bond with the participants and it also brings such a great sense of positive reception when the participants leave the workshop feeling empowered and acknowledged.
My own knowledge base has been increased and very often I have found myself feeling rather challenged when taking a stance with some of the issues that are dealt with on a daily basis at Gender Links. Working at Gender Links has forced me to think out of the box and to come out of my "shell" which has not been very easy, but it has forced me to develop a "multi-dimensional" view.
I have grown as a person on a personal level as well. I have faced many challenges being homesick and missing my family, but a colleague of mine once remarked to me, "Ntombi you know J'oburg had to happen to you," and I thought that was very true indeed. I needed to come to Johannesburg and make a life for myself.
I have bonded with most of my colleagues and have found a new sense of belonging so my journey at Gender Links has been filled with much drama and stressing, having to meet pressing deadlines.
But it is also the sense of camaraderie that has also sustained me and kept me going, seeing Mum Nancy first thing in the morning and being greeted warmly, Viv laughing loudly and just sharing other light-heartedness with colleagues can also be one of those treasured moments.
I am looking forward to continuing on this journey with Gender Links: learning, growing and continuing to make a difference in people's lives.
Ntombi Mbadlanyana is the Gender Justice and Local Government Field Officer in South Africa.
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