Elube chienda: gender and social assessment manager at escom

Give us a glimpse into your upbringing and school life?

I am a legal practitioner and Commissioner for Oaths. I have an LLB (Hons), Bachelors degree of Arts (Human Resource Management) and MSc (Leadership & Change Management). I am so passionate about social and gender justice and about people actualising their full potential.

What does your job entail in as far as gender issues are concerned at Escom?

I guide and direct all issues of social and gender inclusion in all organisation’s operations, plans, budgets, policies, programmes, projects, systems, functions and structures for the benefit of employees, customers and other stakeholders.

Take us through your daily routine at the office?

It involves planning, designing, implementing various activities under the Social and Gender Inclusion Policy and the Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy. Monitoring and enforcing the policy targets with departments and directories. Designing and implementing various awareness and capacity building programmes. I do various activities and assignments as a member of major projects implementing unit.

How do these gender issues align with Escom policy? 

Social and Gender Inclusion and Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy is one of the policies that Escom developed and approved by the Escom Board of Directors in April 2017. This falls under thematic area number four of the current Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) of Escom which talks about a transformed Escom as key. The mandate is derived from Escom’s Social and Gender Inclusion Policy whose objective is to ensure increased meaningful participation of women and men in decision making, zero tolerance on sexual harassment, creating an enabling environment for customers and employees with special needs. The policy targets at least 30 percent female representation in all divisions and departments, ensures sex disaggregated data in all human related reports, 40/60 representation in all appointments, including in teams and committees, equitable medical policies on maternity cases, travel allowance for nursing female employees working out of station.

Any success stories on gender issues at Escom?

There are a lot of them such as approval of the Social  and  Gender Inclusion Policy and Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy which is a huge milestone making Escom the pioneer in the energy and private sector. Introduction of the Scholarship Award to best performing female engineering students at tertiary level is also another first from Escom. Students on scholarship are also offered internship and mentorship during vacations. We also have an initiative called Bring Your Daughter to Work where we allow parents to bring their daughters and female wards to spend a day with Escom staff to create interest in the girls to aspire for engineering roles. We have mentoring and career talks in secondary schools as well as international recognition and commendation of Escom as a gender and social compliant organisation. There are anti-GBV activities at the workplace leading to reduced negative perception and stigmatisation of women employees; women at all cadres from temporary line workers to director level, including at national control centre; increased awareness of men’s and women’s rights at the workplace; increase in women in management from six percent to 15 percent; inclusion of women in all teams, decision making teams and committees, including in factory acceptance tests change in behaviour, attitude, culture and norms like the singing of obscene songs mainly for field staff; increased awareness and appreciation of women’s role and contribution at the workplace; increased awareness of sexual harassment. Increased visibility and confidence in women employees due to specialised capacity building initiatives on mentoring, coaching and leadership skills for women and enhanced social and gender safeguards in major projects based on international standards.

I increased awareness and inclusion of women and other socially marginalised groups as Escom customers and in special distribution projects like Ndawala.

How do these gender issues align with Escom policy? 

Social and Gender Inclusion and Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy is one of the policies that Escom developed and approved by the Escom Board of Directors in April 2017. This falls under thematic area number four of the current Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) of Escom which talks about a transformed Escom as key. The mandate is derived from Escom’s Social and Gender Inclusion Policy whose objective is to ensure increased meaningful participation of women and men in decision making, zero tolerance on sexual harassment, creating an enabling environment for customers and employees with special needs. The policy targets at least 30 percent female representation in all divisions and departments, ensures sex disaggregated data in all human related reports, 40/60 representation in all appointments, including in teams and committees, equitable medical policies on maternity cases, travel allowance for nursing female employees working out of station.

How important are issues of gender equality for an institution such as Escom?

Legal compliance at international and national levels, Constitution, Gender Equality Act are important in complying with requirements of international donors and lending institutions for grants and or developmental loans. Escom would not pass the due diligence for most of the international financing if found non-compliant in social and gender inclusion. Social and gender inclusion makes lots of business sense. Equality is naturally correct.

In your opinion, how has the role of men changed on the gender rights discourse over the years in Malawi?

Inequality had been entrenched and embedded in our culture and society for ages coupled with patriarchal tendencies overflowing to the workplace. Initially, it was not easy for men to relinquish and share the power base, but with a lot of awareness and more women taking strategic positions – the terrain is more accommodating and opening up.  Social and gender inclusion is about power sharing in all spheres and this was predominantly a male domain.

What is your most successful career moment?

Getting the Social and Gender Inclusion and Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy approved by the board. It was not easy, but critical. Another milestone was presenting a paper on social and gender mainstreaming at an international conference in Cape Town, South Africa. 

What is the most challenging thing about this career?

Social and gender inclusion is an emerging issue which is establishing a ‘new world order’ in the way we used to do business and so it is faced with challenges of perception (resistance to change, lack of understanding and appreciation by many culture and tradition), failure to understand, accept and institutionalise change by many, politics of power (political-will needs to be unwavering and unquenched at all times).

In your opinion, what attributes must a gender expert have?

Well-versed in social and gender areas. I had a lot of this in my legal studies. Also, passion for the underprivileged and marginalized as well as  keeping up with relevant new knowledge and literature, networking, lobbying and advocacy skills, focused, resolute, resilient and strong willed.

What does Malawi need to continue making strides in gender issues?

Meaningfully include men and boys in the agenda for equality.  HeforShe Champions should start at primary and grassroot levels. Achieve attitude and behaviour change in the homes, at community level and religious groupings. 

What is the right age for inculcating gender values in children?

These are socially constructed roles and opportunities.  Before birth for example, parents would buy different colours of clothing depending on the sex of the child they are expecting.  At birth, they would buy different toys depending on the sex and as the child is growing up, the parents and society would expect them to behave in a particular manner and perform particular tasks depending on their sexes. Why don’t boys, in Malawi, put on skirts and dresses for instance? Ever thought of why parents would not buy a gun as a toy for the girl child? So, it’s the parents who should change their attitude when the child is still in the womb.

Your final words?

This is a very exciting area to champion and spearhead, fulfilling and challenging.  Very pivotal position and best times to be at, when the social and gender history of the corporation is being written.

Peter Kanjere is the Public Relations Officer at Escom