She
has come a long way. Her experience around gender sent her on a
journalistic and diplomatic journey to South Africa where she settled
until today. A life coach and author, Ms Scholastic Kimaryo, told her
story to The Citizen on Sunday in Pretoria recently
Tell me about yourself
I
was born in Kibosho, Moshi Rural, in 1949 in a family of three girls
and three boys. In my community, I was the first girl to go beyond
primary school.
My
father did not want to waste his money from coffee by sending a girl
child to school, it was only after the local parish priest intervened
that I was allowed to continue with standard five.
I
was lucky in secondary school in that the government shouldered the
burden. Fortunately, I was very good in class and excelled at a
missionary school.
I
later joined Tabora Girls High School which was under Barbro Johansson.
Madam Johansson helped us so much, she wanted the girl child to do
well, and we did not disappoint.
Afterwards,
I joined the then University of East Africa in Nairobi in 1969, where I
did a degree in home economics. During my studies, I wrote articles for
various publications and it was not surprising that I would soon land
atUhuru, Mzalendo and Nationalist newspapers. I was later told to go and work for Daily News and Sunday News where
I also ran a column on home economics issues. As a journalist, I rose
to become secretary general of the Tanzania Journalists Association
(Taja). In October 1977, the United Nations General Assembly declared
that 1979 would be an international year of the child.
The
aim was to remind and ask all governments to put structures that would
improve the wellbeing of every child. Working for newspapers and also
under the public service, I was sent to write about the year and, among
other things, I interviewed the Unicef head, Mr Alex Tosh. That changed
everything and the rest, as they say, is history.
So, that set off your next phase as a UN worker. How was the experience?
In 1977, I was appointed the first executive secretary of the Tanzanian Commission for children funded by Unicef.
Although
I had written many articles prior to that appointment, this was the
first organisation where my writing would make a difference. We proposed
and implemented a number of child-related projects, found foreign
donors; we translated a book-‘Mahali Pasipo na Daktari’-which was
distributed all over the country. We were so successful that Mwalimu
Nyerere declared that 1980 would be the national year of the child. I
stayed on and progressed to be head of Unicef in the country and
thereafter I was seconded to UN where I worked for various UN agencies,
mainly in Southern Africa. After 23 years, I was promoted to be the UNDP
Representative to SA, effectively responsible for the UN agencies in
the country. I had wanted to join politics in the 1980’s but then UN
policies did not allow us to participate.
So,
I worked for Unicef for 23 years and UNDP for eight years in Botswana,
Lesotho, South Africa, where I was the first Unicef representative after
the country attained its independence, Liberia during Charles Taylor’s
reign, Kenya and New York.
But
after all those years of service delivery, I realised that somehow
there was a disconnection. All what we were doing was not sustainable
because of policy issues. That is how I found my way back to school to
study social policy, planning and participation in developing countries
at the London School of Economics & Political Science. When I
returned, I decided to work with UNDP for its core mandate is
governance.
What were the highlights of your career?
There
are several in every country that I worked. In Tanzania, Unicef helped
to significantly reduce child mortality so much so that it was common to
find children named ‘Unicef’. In Botswana, we highlighted the plight of
the pastoral communities. In SA, our work focused on supporting the
emerging democracy in incorporating the rights of children into the new
Constitution. Also during my time as the Unicef representative here, our
office managed to bring the Duchess of Kent for a tour which resulted
in her raising five million dollars for the local cause. Similarly, in
Liberia which happened to have been during its civil war, we facilitated
a tour by ‘the Oprah of Japan’ Tetsuko Kuroyanagi who raised a million
dollars to help our programmes.
What was the secret behind your success?
First
of all, up-bringing is very important. Parents should nurture their
children to work hard, to be independent while also ensure they grow
with good manners. But secondly, we should know that hard work pays… I
worked hard that is why I succeeded.
I
also knew that I was educated using tax payers’ money so, I had to work
hard for my country as a way of saying thank you. Thirdly, discipline;
we have to be disciplined at home, at school, everywhere. If you are
disciplined you will do well at work as well.
And what were the challenges that you faced?
I
must admit that UN is a very difficult place to work. It is a club of
different governments. What is accepted at the UN is moral minimum but
the problem was with implementation; you work under a certain host
government. Everywhere you go has its working environment and does and
don’ts. You have to make sure that you convince the host government to
help you reach the people you are supposed to serve. Because the target
is the people, governments can sometimes send you to serve the areas
which are not necessarily the UN’s priority. Another challenge is that
of family.
I
was always traveling and I could be moved from one country to the
other. I had problems keeping tabs on my children. At the end we decided
to send them to boarding schools. Yes, I got a very good income but it
was sometimes painful living away from my family.
How did you finally end up staying in South Africa?
I
retired from the UN after I reached the mandatory age of 60 years, but I
was still energetic. So, I took my pension and went back to school,
this time at the Chopra Centre University in California where I got an
International Certification as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Coach and
Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor.
South
Africa is the only country where I served for two different periods. I
really believe that God brought me here for a reason.
After
independence, Mwalimu Nyerere said that the continent would not be free
unless the other countries including SA were freed. Similarly, I think
that in the success or failure of SA lies the hopes and aspirations of
the African people. Here, I find vibrancy, a democratic space and a
hunger for success. It is the last hope that we have to get our act
together and provide a platform for a dynamic Africa.
I
currently serve on the boards of many international organisations and
about a decade ago I founded the Tanzanian Women in Gauteng (Twiga),
which is essentially aimed at bringing together Tanzanian women living
here. We support each other on different fronts
After
witnessing the toll that stress in the workplace takes on individuals, I
made a promise to God that when I retire I would learn to be a
principle-centred leader who promotes balanced living for people to be
healthy in mind, body and spirit.
I
retired in 2009 and went to the Chopra Centre University in California
to learn about spiritual health. I subsequently founded the Maadili
Conscious Leadership & Healthy Lifestyles Coaching Institute. Using
Ayurvedic techniques, I help individuals in the work place and elsewhere
identify their natural mind body constitution and to understand their
behaviour patterns when they are in and out of balance. On this basis, I
share with them knowledge that enables them to access their potential
towards the attainment of mind body balance through mindful awareness
and conscious choice making. This helps tap into the healer within all
of us and supports the fulfilment of our purpose in life.
For me, it is important to unlock the potential that is in most African people, individually and collectively.
What do you see as Tanzania’s development challenges?
Well,
first, we have to work on our education system. I think the current
curricula don’t prepare our people to get out of school and be
competitive.
In
the past we were taught to work hard, not only for ourselves but the
country at large, may be because of the policy of socialism, but I now
see everyone rushing to enrich themselves by any means. Selfishness
won’t make us develop as a nation.
During
our days you could hardly hear of corruption scandals, today it is
normal. Moreover, our leaders need to be selfless and patriotic.
They
need to put plans that will see the nation benefit from its natural
resources. Our country has almost every natural resource but we are
still poor. We have to put in place plans so that we prosper using our
God-given heritage.