A radiographer (or medical imaging technologist) is a trained health professional who works with cutting edge technology to produce X-rays, CT (computed tomography) scans, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans and other medical images to assist clinical radiologists and other doctors diagnose, monitor or treat a patient’s injury or illness.
From humble beginnings at Murehwa High School, Mutize says she never knew about radiography until she chose Physics, Biology and Chemistry as her combination at ‘A’ Level.
“If you don’t have women in the specialty, then you don’t have role models for medical students to look to and that creates a limitation,” says Mutize who is currently the only female radiographer in Masvingo province.
Radiographers have a very thorough understanding of the body’s structure, how it is affected by injury, and the causes and effects of disease.
The radiographer performs the medical imaging on the instructions of the radiologist. The radiologist then interprets the images the radiographer has taken and communicates the results to the referring doctor.
“If you don’t have women in radiology, then you’re losing the perspective of women in terms of both research and teaching, as well as the perspective of the patient as a woman,” Mutize says.local

Mukayi orks in Harare and is a product of Chinhoyi University of Technology (Cut) who values her job because graphic designs help to make an organisation recognisable by using a variety of media to communicate identity for advertising and promotional purposes. Examples are fonts, shapes, colors, images, photography, animation, logos, and billboards.
“Being a graphic designer is more than just a profession, it’s a way of life. People who are drawn to design as a career are usually intensely visual. This carries forward into what they are inspired by, how they do their research, and where they get their ideas once they become graphic designers. Whether you can draw or not, you need to learn how to use certain design software, and use it well. Corel Draw and Adobe Creative Suite are the most widely used software,” says Mukayi.
Mukayi is proud to be one of the very few graphic designers available in the country but she wants to see more young female talent getting into the field..
The Nike “Swoosh”, one of the world’s most recognizable logos was created by a woman, Carolyn Davidson in 1971, then a graphic design student at Portland State University in USA .The Nike logo was derived from the Greek mythological goddess (Nike) as one of her wings.The ideology was that the Goddess Nike was actually a symbol of victory.
“That’s a hint on the power of graphic designers,” says Mukayi, who carries credit for many works being used by the corporate world in Zimbabwe and South Africa.local

Carole Nyevedzo Chingandu is a plumber doing the job she enjoys. She says it is fulfilling doing what one likes and she encourages other young ladies to take up the profession as there are surely very few women in her trade.
“Think of toilets; people can’t do without them. It’s true that there are icky moments in this trade, but it’s all worthy the effort. These days most women actually work in new construction projects and they don’t endure conditions any more difficult than other trades,” says Chingandu.
A 25-year-old single mother, Chingandu fell pregnant at 18 and the father to her son refused to take responsibility. Since then, she has been doing a refocus and has defied the odds to become productive and inspirational to other women.
A second year plumbing and drain laying student at Harare Polytechnic, Chingandu is one of the key people who had a hand in the construction of Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) School of Hospitality and Tourism as well as the Robert Mugabe School of Education campus in Masvingo.
She says she would like her story to inspire other women in similar circumstances not to give up.
“I am aware that in most cases, society is ready to write you off in terms of what your potential is,” she says.
Chingandu, therefore, urges young girls to behave responsibly such that they do not encounter then same pitfalls she once found herself in.local

Photography is largely a male dominated profession and Annie Mpalume is one of Zimbabwe’s first finest female photojournalists; she is Chief Photographer for the Daily News.
Women have made significant contributions to photography since its inception and Mpalume is one such strong woman who has stood her ground in the profession.
With so many picture-taking gadgets on the market today, it is a big challenge for professional photographers and, according to Mpalume, only real photographers can protect their profession.
Mpalume is also a member of Zimbabwe Association of Female Photographers (ZAFP) who has participated in many joint photo exhibitions with various themes together with other women from the same organisation.
She says she has seen a lot in her profession and her advice to upcoming female photographers is that they should stay focused and know their worth as well as what they want to achieve in the field of photography lest they get carried by the wind and fail to make any impact.local

Sharon Matinhira is a third-year food science student at Masvingo Poly Technical College. She says working with food has always been her childhood passion.
Africa faces many critical challenges, chief among them raising the quality of its human resources, accelerating economic development and improving its people’s well-being.
Urbanisation and growing per capita incomes will translate into greatly increased demand for processed foods, high value foods (dairy, meat and fresh fruits and vegetables).
Matinhira, who did her second year industrial attachment at Montana Carswell Meats in Masvingo, says she wants to use her skills to contribute to food security.
“The agribusinesses emerging to meet this growing demand will require food scientists with expertise in modern food production and food safety technologies. At the same time, evidence shows that dietary changes and accompanying lifestyle changes are driving a rapid nutrition transition.
“I gained a lot of exposure in terms of meat production, inspection and processing at Montana Carswell Meats. I would like to have my forth year industrial attachment at a dairy institution so that by the time I finish my five year programme, I will have a better understanding of both sectors,” says Matinhira.
Africa is changing rapidly and so are the challenges. Across the continent, the population continues to grow at roughly 3 percent per annum and is expected to double to 2 billion people by 2050.
According to UN Habitat by 2030 more than 50 percent of Africans will live in cities. As a result, Africa’s food consumption patterns will change dramatically over the coming decades.local