Mentor Moment: How Mentorship Shaped Sunga’s Life and Her Community
- GSGC
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 8
Mentorship is often spoken about in terms of the impact it has on young people. In this Mentor Moment, Mentor Sunga Mwila from SungoMukoshi Girls Club, Livingstone, Zambia reflects on how the journey has shaped her just as deeply.
From her early days focused on skills training and reporting, to a deeper understanding of what it means to show up as a mentor every day, Sunga speaks honestly about growth, responsibility, and transformation. In her own words, she shares how mentorship has influenced the way she lives, leads, and sees her role within the lives of the girls and boys she works with—and within her wider community.
What follows is Sunga’s story, shared in her own voice.
“When I started in 2020, I didn’t fully grasp what mentorship was. At first, it felt like lessons and more lessons. I was mainly doing skills training, helping with management of books, and writing reports. That was my focus until 2021, when I started full time. That’s when I began to understand what mentorship truly meant. In the process, I realised it was not just about the girls. Mentorship has shaped me just as much as it has shaped the young people I work with. When I began, I thought my role was simply to train girls in skills, help with financial records, take images, and write reports. I believed I was there to guide and support them. But over time, I realised I was also being transformed.
I learned practical skills such as patience, resilience, critical thinking, empathy, and the importance of listening deeply—things I overlooked before. These lessons made a real difference in my life. They made me more intentional about how I live and how I show up, because I realised the young people learn not only from what I say but from what I do. This became clear when the girls would repeat something I had said or remind me of something they saw me do. They would say, “I want to do that too,” or “I can’t wait until I get there.” Parents and teachers would also approach me, saying how grateful they were or asking for advice because their children had spoken about our club. I realised mentorship wasn’t something I do only on Saturdays. It is connected to how I live every day. I have to practice what I teach. Even when I go through challenges, I ask myself: if one of the girls came to me with this problem, what would I tell her? That question helps me build myself up.
Mentor Sunga listening to girls talk about health and unhealthy relationships
I’ve learned how to speak publicly, stand tall, be confident, and stand up for myself. The list is endless. Mentorship has helped me grow as an individual. I’ve learned to be reflective and compassionate. I used to think being a mentor meant having all the answers, but I’ve learned that I don’t. I tell the girls openly: “I don’t have all the answers, but I am here as a support system. I will create a safe space where you feel seen, heard, and valued. We will find solutions together.”
Mentorship has shown me that growth is shared and learning goes both ways. Adults learn from young people just as much as they learn from us.
I have gained so many skills—public speaking, presentations, report writing, proposal writing, organising spaces, bookkeeping, and financial management. These have helped me both personally and professionally. Because of this program, I have a new job, I received a promotion, and I am progressing in my studies. I am so grateful.
When I look at the youth in our foundation—both the girls and boys—I hope they carry a strong sense of self-worth and belonging. I want them to know their voices matter, that their backgrounds do not limit their potential, and that they are capable of shaping their futures. I see this happening. Some are the first in their families to finish high school. Many have gone to college. Over the past three years, we haven’t recorded a single pregnancy among the girls. They are starting businesses, studying, and pushing themselves forward. We are changing not only individual lives but families and communities.
I am proud to see the resilience of these young people, their willingness to take responsibility for their actions, and their desire to give back. Parents tell me they see the difference at home—older children helping younger ones, students showing kindness at school, and club members supporting each other with homework and projects. The peer-to-peer support is growing, and it’s beautiful to see.
If the young people leave the club believing in themselves and in the power of community, then I will know my work as a mentor has been fulfilled. I will leave with a more satisfied life.”
