Riding the graph of greatness – Tamanda Chabvuta in Paris

Gale-force winds, misty mornings, grimy blistering afternoons and sweltering hot or freezing cold nights and always away from home can make any young educated person dreadful and contemptibly mad, but for one Lilongwe based young lady, that is business as usual – and she loves every moment.

Without an iota of doubt, It is a nerve shredding job for a woman to work in a male-dominated field such as an Agricultural Communication Specialist and at the same time doubling as a Video Journalist and mostly working in the outskirts and remote areas yet a 26 year old Malawian lady is pleasurably enjoying her life to the brim working in the ‘fields’ and is fast riding high onto the graph of greatness.

“You can make a difference, no matter who you are, what you do or where you are. I want to be an agent of change. I want to be part of the change and my mission is to help make the change our country and the world needs. I will speak for Malawi in Paris and I will represent the youth in France,” she explains brusquely.

This is a man’s world, but it would be nothing, without women or girls they say and Tamanda Chabvuta is the living proof that women too can make a mark to make a difference on issues of climate change and agricultural landscape.

“In this life we cannot always do great things, but we can do small things with great love,” she adds quoting Mother Theresa. “I always strive to make a difference by doing small things with great love because I know that life is best lived when lived for others,” she says adding; “Climate change is the focal point of agriculture and if we don’t something about it, there is only so much we can get out of our labour.”

Born November 20th 1989, Tamanda is fervently passionate about what she does and has an open mind. She dedicates herself to fighting hunger and poverty through her job telling success and letdown stories on farming, agriculture, climate change, poverty and hunger through the lens.

The 26 year-old Agricultural communications specialist is treading where many of her peers dread. She’s in the frontline in a war-zone, skirmishing and fighting against hunger and poverty by committing herself to issues on climate change and through providing farmer based educative extension information for smallholder farmers with inclusiveness of women and children.

And her efforts are being recognized and bearing fruits and she’s fast riding the graph to greatness. Malawians vehemently voted for her video entry and she earned her trip to the Global leaders’ summit on Climate change in the French capital, Paris.

Tamanda got her dream trip to attend the world youth leaders for the Global Landscape Video award currently underway in Paris, France from and she is ‘wholeheartedly’ thanking Malawians for voting for her and Malawi to become number one in the polls ahead of all other global youth innovators from across the globe.

“I believe we need extensive educative platforms to solve challenges we are facing in the restoration of our natural resources. I thank everyone for voting for my video entry into the Youth Global Landscapes Forum,” she says.

She adds: “The only place where dreams are impossible is in one’s mind. I am happy now that Malawians gave me a chance. I am full of gratitude that I continue to attract incredible opportunities to my life and I appeal to my fellow youth especially the girls to double their efforts to do and be what they want. Nobody must dictate their lives.”

What motivates Tamanda?

She explains:  “My parents always pushed me to work hard in class. My mum always told me to believe in myself. Nonetheless, even as I found myself excelling in my studies, I really never got to realize the potential in me but my sister Chikondi kept encouraging me to give it all.”

“I think it is in the bloodline. Both my father and my sister are all graduates of Bunda College of Agriculture and both work in agriculture related fields,” she says.

‘Turning Point’

But Tamanda explicates that she didn’t go to Bunda as she had wanted to take her sister’s trail and instead went to Chancellor College explaining that she enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts degree programme in Humanities.

“After graduating from Chanco in 2010, my passion for work in the development field came after realizing how unfulfilled I was with the job I was doing. I wanted to something challenging and gratifying. I didn’t just want to earn a living, I wanted to do something that I could be making a difference to the people and to my country and to the world,” she adds.

In 2012, Tamanda went through the leadership for environment and sustainable development (LEAD) Programme, a course that aims at inspiring young professionals with leadership skills through practical hands on sessions that are to equip them for more work in the development field with environment and sustainability focus

After this programme, she became a Lead Fellow and became part of the LEAD network and she is bonafied fellow for the LEAD Malawi Chapter which is coordinated by LEAD-SEA (South and Eastern Africa)

Her turning point came in 2013 when her employers, NASFAM sent her for training in production of videos for farmers which was coordinated by Access Agriculture, an organisation operating in Africa and Asia, which NASFAM is partnership with in video production and filmmaking in the agricultural spheres.

While Tamanda who has just came tops on votes among youth innovators in the world is ready to pounce on the prestigious Global Youth Leadership Video Award in Paris next month, the world is getting ready to be wooed by a galaxy of the world’s youngest bright stars on their endeavours to fight hunger and poverty especially those from the third world.

“I ask the youth to in Malawi to pay special attention to their thoughts, feelings and actions, for this is their attitudes towards life. Though every adventure and obstacle life offers, we’ll find that attitude win over skill each and every time,” she says.

During the Youth Global Landscape Awards, the world leaders are set to agree on new climate and development goals and will also track the progress countries are making in achieving development goals that will set the pace in the years ahead.

Tamanda who’s planning to do her Master’s Degree in Development related media studies says she’s honoured to represent her country in Paris before world leaders to give out her resolutions for change on hunger, poverty and climate change before world leaders.

“I am very excited for coming out tops in the campaign on the thoroughfare to Paris and I would like to register my heartfelt gratitude to all Malawians for believing in me and for voting for my video entry,” she says.

She adds: “I greatly appreciate the overwhelming support that I received from my family and friends and everybody and a special mention must go to Member of Parliament for Dedza East Parliamentarian Juliana Lunguzi and ostentatious Blantyre City Mayor Councillor Noel Chalamanda for their unwavering support,” she asserts.

Tamanda is currently in Paris rubbing shoulders with the world leaders and she is making a case for Malawi on climate change.

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