Stories
Tanzania
4 September 2023
Staff Spotlight: Introducing Helena Lawi
Photo credit: Side_ent
Helena joined Farm Africa’s team in Tanzania three years ago as our Gender and Youth Inclusion Officer, creating agricultural opportunities for women and young people. With a longstanding passion for empowering women, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Gender and Development and has six years of experience as a gender specialist before beginning her work with us.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My day starts with checking emails and messages while sipping my hot milk. Then, I go over my work schedule and plans, and I make calls to the people I’ll be working with to update them on our activities. At the same time, I make sure my six-year-old daughter is ready for school and we say our prayers together.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
The best part of my job is creating a supportive environment for women’s social empowerment programs. I love motivating more women to get involved in agriculture and entrepreneurship. It’s incredibly rewarding to see women take up leadership roles and actively participate in agricultural activities. Plus, I’m blessed to work with awesome colleagues who share Farm Africa’s values.
"It's incredibly rewarding to see women take up leadership roles and actively participate in agricultural activities."
Helena Lawi
Gender and Youth Inclusion Officer
What are your hopes for Farm Africa in the coming year?
In 2024, I hope Farm Africa will launch more projects that encourage women’s active participation in agriculture. It would be fantastic to see these projects succeed and lead to even more opportunities. I’m also excited about Farm Africa providing vital agricultural skills and technologies for a brighter future, especially for women and young people.
If you could share a message with Farm Africa supporters, what would it be?
To all Farm Africa supporters, let’s work together to make a real difference! We can do this by investing in modern farming tools and technologies that make farming easier and more sustainable. By using smart and eco-friendly methods, we can protect the environment and ensure a brighter future for everyone. Also, we need to involve young people in our initiatives. They have amazing ideas and energy that can shape a better tomorrow.
