By Sarah Rodgers
Dar es Salaam. In a society that believes that there are jobs for males and people for ladies, Ms Zakia Mustafa is making headway in a career that’s perceived as male.
Ms Mustafa, who holds a certificates in pc research from the Dar es Salaam-based Information Star Coaching School, has defeated all odds to make a reputation for herself within the male-dominated cell phone restore career.
In Tanzania, identical to in different typical African setting, the idea is that males are those created to carry out works reminiscent of carpentry, mechanics, building and different complicated duties.
These assignments embody these to do with pc software program, reminiscent of smartphone repairs.
However along with her workplace at Rufungulia, Mwenge in Dar es Salaam, Ms Mustafa is a go-to identify for these with defective cell phones.
In an interview with The Citizen, Ms Mustafa, 26, mentioned she developed a love for technical initiatives whereas she was nonetheless a little bit woman.
In 2007 when she was nonetheless a major faculty pupil at Mzinga Main College in Mbagala, Dar es Salaam, she was solely 10-years-old, when she began repairing digital gadgets like televisions and irons for her dad and mom and neighbours each time they’d technical faults.
With a eager curiosity in cell phone repairs, Ms Mustafa had no time to waste upon finishing her odd degree schooling in 2015 at ToaNgoma Secondary College in Temeke, Dar es Salaam.
She instantly joined Information Star Coaching School to pursue a two-year course in pc research with a specialty in Info Know-how (IT).
With the flexibility to multitask, it was straightforward for her to kill two birds with one stone, with Ms Mustafa saying she used to go for research whereas additionally repairing cell phones and different digital gadgets.
“Throughout my discipline attachment, I went for sensible coaching at Zantel and targeted on programming and community. Upon completion of my research in 2020, I landed a job as a cell phone and pc restore technician at Inauzwa Firm which offers with repairing Apple gadgets,” she narrates.
With the job, she acquired the chance to grasp the artwork of repairing Apple gadgets, together with cell phones and computer systems.
Ms Mustafa says what she’s incomes from her work is large enough as she has been in a position to transfer out from her mom’s home and now has her personal place.
She additionally began a magnificence salon which is run by her mom although she additionally helps there generally, noting that she additionally pays faculty charges for one in all her siblings.
“This job has modified my life,” she mentioned, detailing the help she will get from her mom, different household mates and colleagues.
Regardless of the achievements, she faces a number of challenges together with distrust by some people who harbour emotions that she is working in a male-dominated discipline,
“Some folks convey their telephones and laptops right here, however they don’t belief {that a} lady will do the perfect job for his or her gadgets. The one factor I do is to restore them to the perfect of my capacity and information,” she explains.
She was of the view that ladies ought to belief in themselves and shun the idea that they can not make headway in male-dominated professions.
To the federal government, she mentioned it was about time to help these girls who strive their luck in actions that had been historically being performed by males.
