Florence Gwatirisa

RSA Representative of Zimbabwe

 

Florence Gwatirisa, the fourth child in a family of 12, is married to Gabriel and is blessed with two children, a daughter- in -law and a grandson. Florence was born, raised and educated in Zimbabwe and relocated to the United Kingdom in 2007, due to the intolerable political environment.

 

Florence began her career as a School Teacher, in 1984, qualifying with a Certificate in Education issued by the University of Zimbabwe. For more than 25 years, she facilitated and guided learning in state, urban, rural and farm schools, giving her an insight into the disparity of communities and cultures that exist in the Zimbabwean society and a desire to improve people’s lives. She held several posts of responsibility as Senior Teacher, Female Representative for the Teachers’ Association and delegate for national and regional travel on School Excursions and Exchange Programmes. She voluntarily contributed to material copy writing for disadvantaged schools, participated in leadership programmes through Zimbabwe Teachers Association and actively raised awareness of HIV/AIDS. Her participation in such causes, engraved in her a high sense of regard for individuals, adaptability and creativity. She is capable of working with diverse people at any levels within organisations.

 

During her teaching career, she volunteered to work with UNESCO, Deseret, Farm Community Trust, The Catholic Church, Charity Organisations, Children’s Orphanages, Education and Curriculum Development Units where she participated in managing short term projects. This valuable experience sharpened her innovativeness, time management, self motivation and planning skills.

 

In 1997, she graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Educational Administration, Planning and Policy Studies from the University of Zimbabwe. This programme equipped her with superior skills in: school management; designing, developing and delivering learning programmes; analysing and developing policies; supervision of personnel; planning and evaluating multiple projects. She has the ability to identify options and create well coordinated tasks in her individual capacity as well as part of a team.

 

Florence obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Zimbabwe Open University, in 2006. She juggled between jobs, family and studies in a climate of political, social and emotional challenges. Today, Florence is well equipped to meaningfully contribute to corporate strategic planning, organisational management and the management of risk, behaviour, performance and change. The resilience and tenacity learnt from her experiences contribute to the success of the numerous projects she has contributed to.

 

Since settling in the UK, Florence has learnt a different approach to life. Separation from family and familiar communities, taught her to embrace diversity and survive in a combination of totally different set of life experiences. The solid family values ingrained in her, a rich educational background and determination to overcome challenges, guide her in setting fresh goals and finding ways to achieve them. She combines the skills acquired over the years, with a strong interest and desire, to improve people’s lives. Participating in the cause to help women in Africa will complete the aspirations she has to plough back to the communities that have shaped her into the person she has become and can be relied upon to advise, teach, inform and educate on life skills. Florence’s passion for women empowerment and strong desire to improve people’s lives, perfectly fits into the description of the country representative for the Mama Pack Project.

 

While working in Recruitment and Professional Staffing, Florence has taken a leading role in empowering women to take their careers to higher levels. She co-founded Lyric Business Women in May 2015, a voluntary women's forum for discussion and networking. She has hosted free monthly events, where she delivers talks and invites renowned speakers to lead discussions on various topics. Some of the successful events she organised include topics such as: How to Empower Women to Make Career Decisions, Work/Life Balance, Conflict Resolution, Modern Female Lifestyles and Leadership.