Winnie Farao

My dad was a cook for a commercial farmer. My mother used to work in his fields. Our house was just within the fence of the farmer. With my brothers and sisters, I used to play with his children – Richard and Adam. I am sure they are now big men. It was really a beautiful time for us because the farmer would ask my dad to cook extra food for us. We used to go fishing. We used to ride horseback.

But the friendship was not equal. We always went behind them. When they said: ‘Winnie, stop that now!’ I would stop immediately. There was no way I could not comply. They could call me when I was doing my homework and I would have to go. My mum could not say no. My dad could not say no. It’s something I think of now, but then it was the order of the day.

The farmer used to shout at my dad. These were my worst moments. To me it was very rude because my dad was old enough to be respected and I could not understand. My dad would rarely share with us those tough moments for him.

I always look at the positive side. The fact that I could have the opportunity of talking to them gave me confidence in speaking English. My mother was illiterate. She used to call me ‘Miss English’.

But as someone told me, ‘Winnie, your educational life has got scars. This is something to be proud of. You have something to say to your children, something to tell them.’

I have a strong zeal to help other girls to go to school. I understand the joy that was brought to my family and this I want to do for other girls and their families. I know that the energy that I and my colleagues give out is so life-giving. I will work flat out to see out intentions through.

Winnie graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a first class degree in Psychology and now works as the Safety Net Fund Officer for Camfed Zimbabwe