It was an ordinary day at the DCT and DEC meeting in Thyolo, the kind where the agenda moves steadily from one item to the next and the room hums with familiar discussions about boreholes, budgets, and workplans. My notebook was open, my attention split between the presentation at the front and the quiet calculation of the field tasks waiting after the meeting. Then my phone, face down beside my papers, vibrated gently against the table. I almost ignored it. When I finally turned it over, a single line lit up the screen.
“Congratulations, you are a winner in Africa.”
I opened it immediately, guilty of checking emails during a meeting, but this was different.
“We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected as a Winner of the Inaugural African Women in Water Awards 2026.”
I was overjoyed. Learning that the category would be announced during the African Women in Water Awards Gala, held as part of the AfWASA Congress the next day, only heightened the anticipation. I refreshed the RWSN and AfWASA pages more times than I can count as I waited for the official announcement.
Being selected as a Youth Rising Star from over six categories and more than 250 nominations across 48 African countries is both humbling and deeply affirming. This recognition reflects not only my individual journey, but also the collective efforts of the teams, communities, mentors, and partners I have had the privilege to work with.
Through groundwater monitoring, community sensitisation, and strengthening water system resilience, our work continues to demonstrate the importance of sustainable water resource management in building climate-resilient communities. This award affirms that our work on the ground truly matters, and it motivates me to continue advancing sustainable water solutions in Africa.
As the DEC meeting continued around me, discussions on boreholes, budgets, and workplans went on as usual, and I slowly slipped my phone back into my bag, trying to compose myself. In that ordinary room in Thyolo, surrounded by the daily realities of service delivery, the message took on a deeper meaning. This is where the work lives. This is where the long days in the field, the difficult conversations with communities, the early mornings at monitoring wells, and the data sheets that never seem to end all find their purpose.
The award gala will come and go, but this, being present where change actually happens, is the real award and the reason I will keep showing up.
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