What talent do you naturally have that makes you successful?
I am incredibly persuasive. I am able to paint a picture for people that enables them to understand and care about the issues I talk and write about.
When did you first realise that talent was going to help you and how do you use it?
I really started to understand how useful this skill was when I met an amazing lady from Swaziland ( who had the same talent) and I wanted to raise awareness and get support for the amazing women of Swaziland. Swaziland is a very small country and is of no political or economic importance, but it has a population of 1 million people and the highest rates of HIV. When I first started trying to campaign about the terrible injustices that women and children face in Swaziland I was struck by how many people really did seem to understand and empathize with the people there. I feel very strongly that every human has the right to live a life free from hunger, violence and poverty. I believe that every human being has a right to a life of choice and I am really lucky that my talent allows me to help make this possible.
What emotional attachment do you have to your work?
I work with the most vulnerable people in the world. I fight alongside women and children who just want their basic human rights. I am completely emotionally attached to my work. I have however learnt that in order to design and implement effective campaign and programme strategies, sometime, I have to think about the issue at hand and not the people behind the issue. I have become so emotionally involved in the past that I was unable to make the best choices and so I now park my emotions, temporarily, to make the right decisions when I need to.
What tips do you have for other women who'd like to do your job?
Don’t let anyone tell you that your cause or issue is not important. If it is important to you, then it is important. I get told no about 80% of the time, but I refuse to let that get to me. I refuse to give up. That is my advice to you. Keep going, keep asking and stay focused. Someone will eventually say yes.
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