Mentor Moment: Thembie on the Power of Listening

Learning that listening matters

For Thembie, mentorship begins with a simple but powerful realization: mentors do not always need to have the answers.

“Simply being there for young girls and listening to them is the best way to make a difference.” Says Thembie.

Early in her journey as a mentor, Thembie often felt responsible for solving every challenge the girls in her club were facing. Over time, however, she began to understand that many young people need something different — not immediate solutions, but someone willing to listen without judgment and allow them the space to speak openly.

“My challenge was trying to fix every challenge that was being faced by my club members, but I realized that young girls sometimes just need someone to listen to them without judging them.”

She also recognizes that this kind of listening is not always easy for young people to find in their daily lives.

“This is often a challenge at home, as many teenagers face neglect from their parents. Sometimes parents are too busy to truly listen to them.”

Creating a space where girls feel heard, supported and respected has therefore become one of the most important parts of her role as a mentor.

Choosing to become a mentor

Thembie’s journey into mentorship began during a women’s empowerment training in Harare organized by an organization called YETT. During the training, participants discussed the challenges faced by girls and young women and explored ways communities could support them.

As she listened, she realized many of those same challenges were present in her own community.

The experience stayed with her and prompted her to reflect on the role she could play.

“I then told myself that I needed to make a change in my community.”

Not long afterward, she saw an opportunity when Tikobane was looking for a mentor for girls. “I decided to grab that opportunity.” says Thembie.

A moment that reminded her why mentorship matters

Since becoming a mentor, Thembie has spent her time supporting the girls in her club — listening to their concerns and helping them navigate challenges both at school and in their lives.

One moment in particular reminded her why mentorship matters.

“One of the girls came to me one day and said, ‘I don’t like the way the other girls treat me. Today they were laughing at me because I failed my end-of-year test, and they also started body-shaming me.’”

Thembie recalls that the girl was deeply upset when she came forward.

“I listened to her, and you could tell she was very angry. I comforted her until she calmed down.”

At the next club session, Thembie brought the girls together to talk about what had happened. She also met with them individually to discuss behavior and the impact their actions can have on others.

“During our next club session, I called the girls so we could discuss the misunderstanding. They apologised. I also held one-on-one sessions with them where we discussed behaviour and how bad behaviour can affect others. I gave them advice on how to behave at school.”

By the following club meeting, the atmosphere had changed.

“In our following session, everything was back to normal. You could tell they had apologised and resolved their problem.”

Moments like this continue to remind Thembie why the work of mentorship matters.

A future she hopes for

When Thembie imagines one of the girls returning to visit her years from now, she hopes to hear that the confidence they built during their time in the club stayed with them.

“I hope the youth in my club will always remember that there was someone who believed in them. I hope they will be confident enough to seize every opportunity that comes their way.”

And when life becomes difficult, she hopes they will remember the encouragement they received.

“Whenever they feel like giving up, I hope they will remember that our mentor was not the type to give up and that I always encouraged them to keep going.”

If that happens, Thembie believes the work of mentorship will have lasting meaning — not only for the girls themselves, but for the communities they will help shape in the future.

Names and identifying details of young people have been changed to protect their privacy.