Stories
Kenya Intervision weekend: a rare eye-opener
In November 2021, the second WaterWorX batch met each other in person during their training in Kenya. The training was about personal development, leadership, intercultural communication, project management and skills development. Read the impression from Eustakia Milimo Hamuchenje from Zambia below.
The one-week training at the Masai Lodge was an exceptional experience. The activities were so constructive, an influencer for personal change and trainers were wonderfully engaging presenters. It made me have a different perception towards certain things, especially in Cultural Awareness, Conflict Resolution and Manage, and Project Management. Intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication has always been my challenge. Going through these lessons was astonishing how important it is to regard others despite cultural differences, especially for development purposes. I learnt how to create harmony in a multicultural work environment. Furthermore, I gained a lot of insights on how to acquire the good qualities of a leader. Not forgetting the King of the jungle's roaring every night, it was like the ‘National Geographic channel’ right at the doorstep.
During the training, we did some meditation. I grew up without understanding meditation and had no experience with it. The interaction and lessons learnt made me realise the importance of reflection to come to your inner soul. It excited me to realise that meditation can give me a sense of calm, peace and balance in life that benefits my emotional well-being and overall health. Diana Beach was so lovely to experience and appreciate nature. I have seen the beauty of the oceans with fishes on TV but now seeing right before me was breathtaking.
Developing your skills while responding to SDG6
The WaterWorX project has been my playground for learning and improvement. The project aims to reinforce financial, technical and social sustainability, focusing on people and organisation, water, finance and enabling the environment. The project addressed the following themes in our company Asset Management, Finance control and Management, Human resources, skills development and leadership, improved Commercial processes and revenue collection, Pro-poor and Wash activities, Water Quality and plant Operations, and Information Technology Systems. As a Young Expert, I did not just work on activities that directly concerned me; I equally coordinated all the theme leaders and pieces of training in Management and leadership as a training coordinator. As a result, the project allowed me to earn leadership skills, project management skills, and organisation and coordination skills while responding to SDG 6 through implementing water projects in low-income areas. In addition, YEP and WaterWorX allowed me to have a global understanding of water and sanitation challenges, especially in Zambia.
Networking made my work life easier
Coaching and mentoring have been the most exciting area of my YEP experience. The sessions enabled me to set appropriate goals, assess my development progress, commit to action, and develop lasting personal change and growth. In times of challenges, I was able to identify solutions and take action. For example, I had difficulties with data collection and analysis, since my work requires me to collect data before, during and after project implementation. I learned how to use the Mwater Application for data collection through YEP networking. The use of Mwater made my work life easy, fast and flexible. Networking became my source of gaining more knowledge, building confidence, improving my communication skills, developing a passion for learning, and never ceases to grow.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever
Since 2020, when I started YEP Programmes, I have been learning and the programme added value to my personal development and prepared me for my future career while living in the changing world. Discovering my authentic self through constant coaching and YEP training has been a tremendous experience. It made me independent of the opinions of others. I learnt what works well for me, what is good for me and what is not, and learnt how to be self-introspected while appreciating the uniqueness of others. As such, I enjoyed discovering my strengths and pitfalls towards positive success. This experience made me have a clear vision of where I want to be and what I want to achieve. In other words, I can say the programme made me realise that I need to focus on the half glass full as my potential and ability, not the half glass empty because what I do not have, I cannot use. Additionally, I strive to work on workable things and not waste time on things I can’t change.