Catholic head of WYWCA looks forward to empowering African women

Published: 2007-07-26

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- Building leadership among Christian women in Africa is one of the tasks Zimbabwean Catholic Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda said she looks forward to in her new position as general secretary of the World Young Women's Christian Association. "As a Catholic, the values of my faith will influence my contribution as we work together to address the challenges of developing countries, such as poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS and conflict resolution," said Gumbonzvanda, 40, in a July 17 telephone interview from Nairobi, Kenya, where she is the regional program director for the U.N. Development Fund for Women in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Gumbonzvanda has lost two brothers and a sister to AIDS-related illnesses in Zimbabwe, where one in five adults is HIV-positive. "HIV/AIDS and leadership development are my special interests," Gumbonzvanda said, noting that she wants to "bring the voice of women to decision-making tables at an international level, particularly as we work toward the millennium goals."

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