Pumla Nabachwa: Navigating Kiganda Traditions and Female Empowerment - Part 1.

In this compelling two-part series, we explore the life of Pumla Nabachwa as she answers the question “what happened to you?”. Pumla is a mother, an economist with the Bank of Uganda, a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, and a certified financial literacy educator. 

In this first Part, Pumla opens up about her upbringing in a traditional Kiganda household in Uganda. She shares how growing up in a middle-income family, exposed to wealth but not interacting with the lower class until adulthood, shaped her worldview. Pumla reveals the pivotal role her father, a self-taught feminist, played in instilling confidence and self-worth in her. Despite her father's strict demeanor, Pumla recalls their special bond and how he softened for her, allowing her to manipulate and control him in ways others couldn't.

Pumla discusses how being the first-born girl in her tribe influenced her responsibilities and views on gender roles. She was raised in the kitchen, trained to care for her family, and attended Gayaza Girls School, which traditionally prepared girls to support their husbands. Despite her education and advocacy for women's empowerment, Pumla admits she still adheres to these traditional roles in her relationships, finding comfort and peace in them.

We delve into Pumla's personal journey of egg donation in the UK. Initially not wanting marriage or children, her plans changed in her early twenties, but after her marriage ended, she decided not to have more children. In the UK, Pumla discovered the need for African egg donors and decided to help. She shares the emotional and physical challenges of the egg donation process, including daily injections and the IVF cycle, and how this decision impacted her life and aligned with her mission to empower women.

Join us as Pumla reflects on her cultural influences, her father's impact, and her journey of resilience and empowerment. Her story offers profound insights into the complexities of gender roles, relationships, and the drive to support other women.

Stay tuned for part two next week as Pumla delves deeper into her egg donation journey, her role as an economist, and how she navigates imposter syndrome.

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