Zimbabwean academic Dr Tererai Trent to be honoured with Statue of Equality

Dr Tererai Trent went from growing up in a cattle-rearing family in rural Zimbabwe to being named among the world’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Women ‘Sculpted for Equal Rights.’ The Zimbabwean academic is author of bestselling book The Awakened Woman: A Guide for Remembering and Igniting your Sacred Dreams.

Her inspirational story to get an education started with her dreams as a young mother without a high school diploma. She met Jo luck, President and CEO of Heifer International who told her “If you believe in your dreams, they are achievable.” Those words would be what would propel Tererai to push for an education with immense determination. She would eventually be a two-time guest at The Oprah Winfrey Show and receive $1.5 million to rebuild her childhood elementary school.

Dr Tererai has gone on to win various awards, including the 2018 National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) for Outstanding Literary Work (Instructional) for her book The Awakened Woman: A Guide for Remembering and Igniting your Sacred Dreams. In 2013, Dr Tererai opened up the plenary session of the United Nations Global Leaders Summit just before former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon took to the stage. Ban Ki-Moon stated, “Change and progress are possible with a vision and ambition. The message of the into video and our guest speaker, Dr. Trent, is that individual actions count. I am deeply moved and inspired by what Dr. Trent said, and her experience.”

Read: The Awakened Woman- Inspired to make a difference

Congratulations @TereraiTrent who has been honoured as one of the 10 most inspiring women in the world, part of the "Sculpted for Equal Rights" initiative. All the people of Zimbabwe are deeply proud of you & your work promoting equality & empowerment for girls & women.

— President of Zimbabwe (@edmnangagwa) May 9, 2019

Read: African Women Revolutionaries: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

Dr Tererai has fiercely advocated for quality education for all children and started Tererai Trent International Foundation, which seeks to improve education quality, gender parity in education, innovation and technology, health and nutrition and Tinogona Global Curriculum. The organisation’s vision “is focused on achieving the goals needed to improve the everyday conditions for the communities that we serve, and create a model that may be replicated in other communities throughout Africa.”

Statues of Equality is set to launch in #NYC this summer. I am incredibly honored to be standing among the World's Top 10 Most Inspiring Women 'Sculpted for Equal Rights'! Come August 26 and celebrate the empowerment of women and big dreams! #StatuesForEquality pic.twitter.com/HJTYAF1Rz1

— Tererai Trent (@TereraiTrent) May 4, 2019

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The Statues for Equality “aim to balance gender representation in public art, and honor women’s contributions to society.” The first 10 women who will be immortalised with bronze statues include Oprah Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Gabby Douglas, Tracy Dyson, Cheryl Strayed, Pink, Janet Mock, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall and Tererai Trent.

Dr Tererai expressed her excitement on Facebook. She wrote “I am incredibly honored to be standing among the World’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Women ‘Sculpted for Equal Rights’! Can you believe this rural Zimbabwean girl and just looking back where I came from to think I will have a life size statue standing in the streets of NYC! My goodness! . . . The Statues for Equality are cast in bronze and installed near New York City’s iconic Rockefeller Centre. Come August 26 and celebrate the empowerment women and big dreams! #StatuesForEquality”

Dr Tererai’s favourite motto is “Tinogona, it is achievable” and she is testimony that with great determination, indeed attaining an education is possible despite the odds stacked against you.