Chitungwiza-born Makoni, already honoured by the United Nations, Women World Summit, Ashoka, Afrikan Goddess Award, and Amnesty International, was named by Newsweek amongst 150 women who shake the world. Her book is the first official account of her life, and she hopes her story will inspire others to take up gender activism.
“Many things have been said and written about me,” Makoni told The Zimbabwean, “so I wanted to set the record straight with a true account of my life. It is my story, told by me.”
A victim of rape as a child vendor at age six, Makoni has strived to turn her physical and emotional pain into a force for good, establishing an organisation to fight for gender rights across the world.
Girl Child Network Worldwide now supports thousands of young activists across the world, and allows them to share their experience and learn from one another.
Through her writing, Makoni calls for activism to start in the home and at a personal level – “It is only in that way that silent genocides of women and girls will stop,” she said.
Makoni hopes the book will ignite the spirit of activism in readers, exploring empowerment, inspiration, forgiveness and hope. The press release claims “it is a book that breaks all taboos in families, work, community, and just about everywhere.”
Violence against women, and domestic violence in particular, remains a global problem, and Makoni plans to use her book to kick start a new period of campaigning for her, and so she will be speaking at events throughout July to raise awareness and funds for Girl Child Network Worldwide.
Post published in: News