Female Changemakers

The women carving out a career in a male-dominated industry to fight stereotypes and change societal perceptions.

Across East Africa, determined women are overcoming societal expectations and tough challenges in order to carve out careers in a male-dominated industry. These female guides and camp manager are change makers, who are setting an important precedent in gender equality, proving to other young girls that with perseverance and courage, it’s possible to walk a different path in life. We ask two female safari guides about their path into the tourism industry.

Zawadi Dominic.

Zawadi Dominic - Safari Guide at Namiri Plains Camp, Tanzania

Zawadi Dominic grew up on the shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. As one of twelve children family life was busy, but from an early age she knew she wanted to be a safari guide. Zawadi tells her own story…

“Growing up as part of a large family in a small rural village was tough. I went to school but I also had to fetch water, collect firewood and help my mother with my siblings. She didn’t have a job but was keen that I had a good career, however safari guide was definitely not what she had in mind.

I always loved nature and animals, but it was a school visit to Mikumi National Park that sealed it for me. Going on a wildlife safari and meeting the guides; I knew it was what I wanted to do. My parents were less keen, because like many they viewed it as a man’s job and refused to support me in pursuing this path.

Thankfully my cousin in Uganda offered to intervene and give me the support I needed. He told me not to be discouraged and actually eventually helped talk my parents around. I went to the National College of Tourism in Dar Es Salaam where I studied for two years. Out of my 20-strong cohort there were five girls, and I’m the only one who made it into being employed in the industry.

After graduating I was warned it would be hard to find a job as the message was still, “this is not for girls”. I was told to go home, there are no roles for you. I sent off many applications and one was to a small safari company. By coincidence, I had the same first name as the owner’s wife who happened to see my application and told her husband, you should employ this girl. I ended up working there for two years as an assistant guide, gaining great experience.

I remember the excitement felt when I heard there was an all-female camp opening in the Serengeti. For once we weren’t being told that girls can’t do this job, that this isn’t a female industry. I sent in my application for a role there the very same day.

I still had a lot of gaps in my knowledge but was determined to develop my skills. It’s uncommon for women to learn to drive in Tanzania and my previous guiding role had been one as a passenger in a vehicle only. This was just another gender barrier to overcome and I completed my training and started as a guide at Asillia’s Dunia Camp.

It was inspirational to work in an all-female team, although not always easy in the early days as we found our feet. There were some very physical tasks we had to undertake, but we found by working as a team it got easier.

There are still challenges to being a female in this industry, and some men still try to discourage us, sometimes being hesitant to share information, or → telling us we won’t be able to navigate our vehicle through a bit of tough terrain. We just need to keep proving them wrong. Over time, as more females enter the industry, it will become more accepted.

When you ensure equal education for girls, you make sure you are educating the whole world. I’d love to see companies be more open and give females a chance. We need to change the mindset of our society as there is still an expectation that girls will get married, have children and stay at home to look after the family. The world is changing though, and we need to change how people think about female roles.

One of my favourite things as a guide is to take part in Twende Porini, which means “Let’s go to the bush” in Swahili. This initiative gives children from local villages the chance to experience a safari. For me, it is going back to where I started; that moment that inspired me to become a guide. I see the children fall in love with the bush like I did. Maybe some of them will one day enter the industry as a result of this experience too.”

Precious Senewa, Asilia

Precious Senewa - Safari Guide at Encounter Mara, Kenya

Precious Senewa (pictured above) grew up in a small rural village called Mararianta. An only child, her mother was a single parent and day-to-day life was focused on the necessities. Collecting water involved a walk of 15km to their nearest source, and she would help wash their clothes in the Mara River. It was during excursions into the bushy areas around the village to collect wood that Precious first encountered wildlife, although elephants in the area were more a cause for concern rather than wonder. Here is Precious’ story…

I became very interested in wildlife. My uncle was a guide and would sometimes take us on game drives, which is where my own career aspirations came from. However, I was told that this wasn’t a job for females. In fact, societal belief was that girls don’t even get a say in their future, but I wanted to be different.

My uncle didn’t approve, and he warned me I was wasting my time. He didn’t even think I should go to school. Instead, the expectation was that I would get → married, have children, and stay at home as a housewife. Thankfully, my mother saw things differently. She wanted me to be a change maker in society and gave me her full support.

I had to move from my village to the city in order to attend secondary school. My mother struggled to pay the fees and sometimes I was sent home due to lack of money. I’m so grateful she persisted. She taught herself how to use a computer and managed to get a job, although the salary was low. To make up the money she developed a side hustle, selling fruits and porridge to fund my tuition costs.

The head of my school told me there was a scholarship programme; Asilia were looking to sponsor a student and I was determined to take this opportunity. They came to the school to do interviews and offered me an internship at one of their camps. I was then able to attend the Koiyaki Guiding School on a scholarship, sitting the Kenyan National Guide Certificate Exam, learning about guiding, nature management and guest relations. The level of training is exceptional. School trips took us to different parts of Kenya, and we learnt about history, visited pre-historic sites, studied wildlife behaviour and so much more.

After graduating I returned to Asilia to work for them and have remained with them ever since. Their training programme has been amazing and I have learnt so much. It has changed my life and now I am one of the few female guides within the tourism industry.

Young females who want more in life and want a career, should never lose hope. Everything is achievable when you have patience, and nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it. Guiding remains very male dominated and sometimes as females we do face challenges of disrespect. I’ve been told I should know my place, that this isn’t my job and that soon I will get tired and give up. I just ignore this though and don’t let it get to me.

I want to be the best I can be and show what women can do; I kill these comments with kindness and hard work. The industry needs to give more females a chance and offer more scholarship opportunities to address the imbalance. Women are great at this job. →