Pathway to parity programme
Dr. Angela Gichaga from Kenya is a 2019 Tutu Fellow and the CEO of Financing Alliance for Health. Her Tutu Fellowship Community Project, Pathway to Parity, is a leadership development programme that aims to address the root causes of young women’s under-representation in decision-making. The programme leverages a three-pronged approach and inculcates a core component of mentorship and coaching. It’s three pillars are (i) building the pipeline (ii) Equipping the high potential women and (iii) Creating the space.
These three broad intervention areas are fully supported by varied activities. Building the Pipeline aims to create awareness and fan the flame of leadership in young girls (adolescent years), to counter the limiting beliefs being co-currently instilled by others. This intervention addresses the quantity of women willing to be leaders through leadership camps and role modelling. Pillar two, Equipping the High Potential Women, focuses on ensuring that mid-career women are adequately prepared to take up leadership roles, by growing the skills and resilience necessary to succeed. This intervention addresses the quality of women in leadership roles through leadership development programmes, coaching, mentorship, networking etc.
And finally, Creating the Spaces focuses on creating a conducive environment for high potential senior level women to access and thrive in leadership roles. The spaces created are both physical spaces such as “a seat at the table” as well as psychological spaces in terms of “shifting mindsets and organizational cultures.” It addresses the opportunities for women in leadership through sponsorship, champions, addressing toxic workplace culture such as patriarchal cultures or sexual harassment.
In advancing the objectives of her project, Angela has collaborated with institutions such as Akili Dada, Amalgam Leadership and Women in Africa. Through the above three-pronged approach of her programme, she has facilitated self-awareness and self-leadership reflections for more than 100 adolescent girls under the pillar, Building the Pipeline. She has also supported 165 mid-career women and female entrepreneurs to understand how to invest in themselves to build a strong case for recognition and growth, under pillar two. She has also trained twelve male CEOs on diversity and inclusion to support creating spaces for women in leadership. Angela has more CEO roundtables planned to discuss diversity and inclusion under pillar three.
