We grew up hearing from the old Pedi women that “Mmago ngwana o swara thipa ka bogaleng” which is a Sepedi idiom which is loosely translated as ” Mothers are said to hold the knife on its sharp side”.
- Tell us about yourself, what do you do in health?
I am a 27 year old from a large family and the first to graduate. I am currently working as an Environmental Health Practitioner in a local municipality. My duties include municipal health services (health surveillance of premises,surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases (excluding immunisations), environmental pollution control,water quality monitoring, food safety management,vector control, community participation and involvement e.g.health promotion and training, disposal of the dead, chemical safety and law enforcement
- What led you to pursue a career in health?
Being from a village, daily challenges faced triggered my decision – such as using water from the river for household needs, to lack of municipal waste arrangements (having to come up with methods to deal with waste such as washing a disposable baby diaper after usage, then let it dry just before burning it) to school children walking long distances.
- What are you most proud of?
I am proud of finally completing my MPH studies, never thought that one day I would say that I am a master of public health graduate.
- What do you wish you had done differently?
I do not think I could have done anything differently. The journey of my life is a lesson on it’s own and going through each step has made me stronger and ready for the next one.
- What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them? What are some of the lessons learnt?
The challenges I have faced in the professional field is being young – when I started working I was 19 years old – and people had the tendency to undermine me because of my age and physical appearance (being tiny in a way). I had to prove myself all the time. Another challenge, I encountered was getting pregnant whilst being a permanent employer with a job involving extensive fieldwork such as inspections at different premises. I had to make arrangements related to my duties with my manager who happened to be very supportive. The lessons I learnt is that difficulties come in various forms but as a person, you need to find ways to keep on going and to motivate yourself while at it.
NEVER undermining who you are and what you came here to do - Mercy Sepadi @marcispady Click To Tweet
- What are some of the opportunities you see for women in health on the African continent?
As women, we need to continue aiming for leadership positions. Our situation is mostly understood by us, if we do not occupy strategic positions, we will forever struggle to be heard. When it comes to health, women have shown to be in the forefront of the struggle. Let us not pass these struggles to the next generation of young girls, this situation itself is affecting our mental health at work and everywhere else. It should be solved now, even if we take a step daily. Our best bet is through occupying leadership positions. Let’s be heard.
- What advice do you have for other women in health?
We grew up hearing from the old Pedi women that “Mmago ngwana o swara thipa ka bogaleng” which is a Sepedi idiom which is loosely translated as ” Mothers are said to hold the knife on its sharp side”. A woman make decisions that will protect her children to any extend so with this, the next generations of women should not go through the struggles the women of today are going through.