Mopané 2019-Executive directors blog

The Retreat re-introduced me to the idea of having conversations with self, which I had neglected for over 5 years. I judged myself harshly without reflecting on its impact on my emotions, body, family, friends and career. I can say I was reborn. I am taking baby steps in fulfilling my dreams while passing on what I learnt to those willing to lend a listening ear. I have a sister with whom I chat daily and do not fear sharing my weaknesses with her. Some things happen for a reason, and I will never doubt why I met ‘the witch’ in 2019!

The Executive Directors' retreat was such an amazing New Year's gift to me. I had the opportunity to connect with amazing ladies doing amazing work. Being able to share my story and speak about my challenges made my heart feel so light and at ease. The retreat made me appreciate the need to exercise regularly and take care of myself first before others, keeping in mind that we can't give what we don't have. We can never empower another person if we are not empowered ourselves. Thank you, Hope Chigudu, the facilitator, for the wonderful person you are; I wish I had met you 10 years earlier! But it’s never too late, I am glad I did at the retreat. My tomorrow must be greater than today.

In many ways, my work involves being on the frontline, being the face, and having to show up. But what that really means is that I have to show up with the full awareness of who I am and where I am with whatever is in front of me. If I am to truly give my best effort to my work, I need self-reflection. These are not necessarily things that we learn at school, and having spent a longer time in the academia than in organization management, I have felt the imbalance quite often and not had the tools to make a proper self-assessment.

Participating in the EDs Retreat was one of the greatest gifts for me for 2019! I discovered that I had a lot of self-pity for myself given my previous vulnerable background. However, during the sharing sessions, I felt the power within me to change all the circumstances around me including to stop blaming my relatives who actually had played a big part in making the person I am today.

The retreat gave me an opportunity to be in a space that was full of so much positive energy, and an atmosphere to be ‘me.’ Listening to the wonderful ladies doing a lot of incredible work made me appreciate, much more, the power of women in making lives of people meaningful and beautiful. The moderator opened us up in a manner I could never have imagined and connected us to each other in a way that was so sweet and sisterly. We were people from diverse backgrounds but we connected so well as individual women, as Ugandans. Everyone was so helpful, I was so challenged.

It is often said that “It’s lonely at the top” and as a leader, I identify with that saying. Executive Directors in the nonprofit sector can sometimes feel isolated and this retreat enabled us to create an effective peer network to share experiences, empower, encourage and learn from each other. Getting to spend a few days away together as leaders and reflect on our leadership journeys and take the opportunity of the new year as a fresh start to challenge ourselves to do, be and lead better in 2019, was a blessing.

The retreat’s timing at the beginning of the year was nothing short of perfect. It was a great time to reflect on the past year and make commitments towards a more fulfilling 2019. The beautiful, serene environment was the cake; the facilitator, Hope, plus the wonderful women present, the cherries on top. I loved hearing everyone’s story and understanding how their experiences wove to make them the people they are today.

The EDs Retreat was a much welcome escape from the buzz of the holiday season. It provided the perfect downtime to reflect and re-orient my goals - both personal and professional goals for 2019. It was a good space to meet like-minded Ugandan women shaping the future of our country, and I know that our future is in good hands. I learnt that I will need to take time to ‘pause,’ to be aware of my energy points and, accordingly, work on dialling them up or down; to focus on self-care and spend more time on self-reflection.