Diana Nansumba

Failure to know and exercise your rights as an individual let alone as a collective is rather dangerous and can be equated to moving on troubled waters with a blindfold.  That was especially true to me as a girl first and as a woman before joining the MEMPROW family knowing that my kind of gender lives in precarious times where uncertainty about our rights, safety and dignity is the order of the day.

Allow me to sing praises of MEMPROW! I joined this amazing family in 2017, my life and that of the women around me has since changed for the better. I must say I wasn’t exactly green about women’s rights, feminism and gender equality. I had an idea but it all seemed complicated. I participated in my first ever feminist conversation at MEMPROW and it was like automatically converting me to a logical religion that seemed very appealing to my physical, emotional sexual and economic wellbeing. The setting was all too welcoming and what stood out for me especially was the fact that no one acted like the almighty giver of knowledge. It was a very interactive, informative and a conducive learning space for me. I vowed to continue drinking from the MEMPROW cup that never ran out of empowerment, cheerfulness but most importantly knowledge and information on how to make the world a better place for me and women in all their diversities. MEMPROW led me to a journey of putting name and face to the ever raging fire within me that always pushed me to speak out against injustices women face for instance violence against women and girls, domestic violence and intimate partner violence among others. That name is FEMINISM. I can’t stress enough how much my individual activism has grown ;from advocating for the rights of marginalized women in public transport in Uganda, to calling out men on their abusive behavior in both private and public spheres to having the audacity to exercise both bodily autonomy and choice in my own romantic relationships.

MEMPROW has opened many windows of opportunities for me as a woman and the kind of exposure that goes with that is overwhelmingly fantastic. As an upcoming women rights activist, MEMPROW made it possible for me to meet with women of passion and the same cause as mine around the continent through her mentorship programs. The kind of networking that goes with attending MEMPROW programs is something to look out for in the case of MEMPROW girls in the making. It is always awesome to give credit where it’s due; courtesy of MEMPROW I got an opportunity to be selected by UN WOMEN to represent Uganda at the Youth review of the Beijing Platform for Action in Ivory Coast. It was a great learning and networking space for me and women altogether. Because the personal is political, I take this opportunity to call upon all women, girls, donors, development partners and allies to support MEMPROW in all possible ways such that all women and girls are empowered and live more dignified lives free from violence of any kind. Aluta Continua!

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