Inside Betty Makoni’s new book
Betty Makoni, the founder of the Girl Child Network, launched her new book, “The Inspiring and Empowering World of Muzvare Betty Makoni” last weekend in Essex (UK). Below we give you an inside look into what the book is all about from the author herself.
By Betty Makoni
The life journey with poetic verse stories and inspirational quotes has twenty chapters, each giving full dosage of empowerment and inspiration.
With this Real People and Real Stories approach, Muzvare Betty Makoni captures the most inspirational and empowering aspects of life and its beauty and positive energy through 21st century poetic short story real life verses. Her greatest achievements and those of others must be celebrated and appreciated always.
Imagine living in a world where there is a permanent rhythm, song and inner peace. Imagine a world where your inner soul, body and mind dance to a continuous, harmonious and melodious poetic song daily. Imagine living in a world where your passion is permanently your purpose.
Imagine a world where positive energy flows in your body with a massaging effect for where it is tense. Just imagine a world with no hatred, jealousy, Pull Her Down Syndrome, racism, sexism, discrimination, injustice, abuse or fear.
If your imagination can be stretched more, just again imagine a world where you do not give up despite challenges and stumbling blocks. Imagine a world that is empowering and inspiring where you keep moving forward. That world is real and it is possible.
In her latest poetry book, Muzvare-Her Royal Highness Princess Betty Makoni creates that world. It is not an imagined world but it is real and the one she lives now. In this poetry book, The Inspiring and Empowering World Of Muzvare Betty Makoni; Poetic Rhythm, Positive Energy, Passion With Purpose, she invites everyone to live in this world as long as they are here on earth.
When Muzvare Betty Makoni got defamed, persecuted and verbally abused through the internet and social media by those who wanted to stop her work, she reflected upon what her best response would be. One natural reaction would have been to get discouraged and give up on her mission and vision or seek to revenge.
As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. She feels strongly that for one to thrive in the 21st century, the only way to go is to create an inspiring and empowering world and transmit the positive energy to everyone around you. Daily someone and somewhere is about to give up their dreams because of negative energy from others.
Being a great poet that she is, this poetic book ignites energy in everyone who will read it. This poetry book transforms victim into leader so that they walk in fullness of their potential. If Christians have spiritual hymn books and bible verses to turn to ignite the spiritual world they live in , then likewise this poetry book is the rhythm and positive energy one needs to turn passion into purpose, sustain it forever so that whether you live longer or shorter on earth, your life finds a meaning.
After her raw and provocative Autobiography, Never Again, not to any woman or girl again which won her the love and support of fellow survivors who are now leaders like herself as well as many round the world, Muzvare Betty Makoni got invited to many speaking events to share her story and that of her charity, Girl Child Network Worldwide.
As she went around UK and many countries to speak and inspire everyone, she discovers that women and girls especially from Africa do so much great work on the ground and their leadership and inspiring work at grassroots level though lacking financial support and recognition it is what is changing the world.
Somehow due to lack of poetic rhythm in what women and girls are doing, the positive energy and confidence to climb higher dwindles and many times they express anger, less interest and there is lack of support for each other.
She starts writing and reciting poems for each and every leader and their inspiring work until everyone stands in ovation for the greatness in each and every woman and girl. If celebrities are up there because of money, then we should all know that there are also celebrities down here because of passion.
Poetry has never been taken into story telling like this. Finally, she is in the global village and walking in the fullness of her potential. She celebrates what she calls life at forty plus and finds her youthful days she lost as a child all coming back as a great celebration of her hard work.
The poetry book includes stories of women unsung heroes whose work may not as globally be awarded as hers but she finds herself poetically telling their stories through simple everyday language but in rhythmic verse. If many in the world came with their top lists of who is up there then hers is contained in this book.
This poetry book brings back the appreciative inquiry in the African culture. When someone does something good we clap our hands and recite their totem bringing out their greatness. In a world full of negativity and many women pulling each other down, this poetry book lifts up Princesses, professionals, musicians, event managers, charity workers and ordinary people who have never known they are so high up.
Muzvare Betty Makoni recreates an inspiring and empowering world using the many positive stories of grassroots women she interacts with daily. She expresses gratitude and love of what is good. In this book it is all about celebrating victory especially for those brought up in a culture where celebrating one`s achievements is often mistaken to be ‘pride’.
This book has wisdom of the 21st century in it. There are those who are and will be silenced by poverty, disease, abuse, war, oppression, domestic violence, political unrest, threats, unemployment or who may be or are in situations where speaking out is now a taboo; Those of us who can speak, do something or even help out should never tire. Be they men, women, girls or boys, just anyone whose life you can touch, rescue and breathe life into then this book is your moral campus to keep doing whatever you are doing despite challenges.
You do not need approval from anyone to do good to any boy, girl, man or woman. Do whatever good you can do to whoever you want and wherever and whenever you see them. For Muzvare Betty Makoni, focus is permanently on empowering and educating girls. What is good is automatically done for anyone, anywhere and anytime as long as they need it. Doing something is better than doing nothing.
The biggest question we must answer in our lives is whether we need people who harm us, say negative things about us, rub off our achievements and want even to stop the work we do to be in our circles? The simple answer is, we don’t need them because they add no value to who we are or want to be or even to the work we do and so we should remove them from our circles.
Many women who cry to me for help have been harmed with people they call friends and those they trust the most. Today, I ask you to look around you and see who is in your circle. It does not matter the big smile they give you, but if they cause pain on you emotionally it is time they move out. I experienced the worst in my life but since I know where positive energy is I now have the best around me. Some people are harmful and we do not need them at all.
Writing books is going to be a new culture amongst African women. Organising events to share the stories and celebrating unsung heroes and installing them as Princesses is going to be norm. That was never done at all because we always attacked each other for being weak rather than appreciating each other for being strong.
We were quick to point out at negatives instead of pointing at positives. We always thought we had problems we could not solve and yet all answers to those problems are within us. For many years we gathered to cry over being victimised. It is always society that silences us as women to think less about ourselves.
We scripted ourselves as being weak. We only pursued anything that did not work because we had no confidence in that which works. We lost many of our inventions and innovations because we never set up our standards to record our history.
From Never again stories founded by Muzvare Betty Makoni, we gather to make it clear that we are not victims but victorious. It is us with the power to say so. For how else can people know about us if our knowledge about ourselves is not shared? What you say to yourself is what you become.
What you say to yourself is what generations after you will be. Our life ahead is about our empowering stories. Wherever you see our books please pass on each of them to generations to come for they contain wisdom, knowledge and a good dosage of transforming anyone from victim to leader.
We can’t let people think and write about us as failures. We are empowered to do our best and achieve. Here is your 21st century book celebrating one woman at a time and inspiring thousands of girls.
The message in this book to all women and girls is clear: Let’s keep writing our stories and according them the dignity they deserve. Any piece of writing is like a song. The more you sing it the more people dance to it. Musicians have a big following because they keep singing. Let’s keep writing.
To buy the book follow this link
Dedication for the Book
I dedicate this book to great women of courage who started some girl child networks in Africa and replicated the model and then reached out to me so that we work together. I am greatly inspired by their hard work and perseverance. They have invested personal financial resources and donated their time to ensure the lives of girls are saved.
I dedicate the book to you Anita Koroma, Founder of Girl Child Network Sierra Leone (www.gcnsierraleone.org) and Memory Bandera, Founder of Girl Child Network Uganda (www.gcnuganda.org). To Sister Itayi Marembo and her girls in Zimbabwe, this book is dedicated to your hard work and commitment to education and empowerment of girls.
I also dedicate this book to the great work to empower girls by two sisters, Haseena and Shameema Patel of Leave No Girl Behind in South Africa who I have the pleasure to work and collaborate with. To you Lara Williams, may your work to inspire girls in UK continue and may this special dedication show how much I personally appreciate the work you do. Sandra Lewis, a woman I personally admire and whose work has given life to orphaned children in Kenya.
May this book speak to women I personally admire for their courage to inspire others with their stories. Iman Kadie Kamara of Disabled International Organisation who has advocated for the rights of disabled people of Sierra Leone and world over greatly inspired me to write about invisible women.
And also this book is dedicated to you Ruth Mutanda, a woman of courage who has survived domestic violence for over thirty two years and whose story psychologically rescues and inspires many women around the world. And to you Gertrude Granger, may this book be yours as a special gift for your love and kind heart to others. You inspire me so much.
To my great friends in UK who keep love and support; Mitty Tohma of Women`s Federation for World Peace, Dudu Ncube and Bongie Mohimi Mliswa Williams thank you so much for the support and hoping my gratitude comes in every poem I appreciate the many friends who assisted me like you.
I dedicate this book to present and past trustees of Girl Child Network Worldwide; Leanne Grossman, Princess Deun Adedoyin Solarin, Nneka Macgregor, Joan Holland and Vicky Banda. I am ever grateful for their hard work and dedication to the Girl Child Network Worldwide. I also dedicate this book to Dr Deborah Neff who has been a support to me from Arizona. To you my sister Tantra Zawadi, the woman whose poetry has kept me inspired to write even more, thank you for being my anchor.
This book is dedicated to you Theresa Tholanah, one of my biggest fans in the world. A lot of times we think support comes from up there whereas a lot of us thrive with support from grassroots women like Theresa. I also thrive to know my Royal sister, Antonia Makoni who shares a warm smile and encouragement every time she meets me. This book celebrates all her achievements.
Lynn Chikosha, this book is dedicated to you for being our volunteer who committed so much time to researching and analysing the cases of girls who are at risk and whose reports come via media and social media. You helped us to plan support to them strategically. And Finance Tsikwa, may your great works in charity be rewarded for making a trip to Zimbabwe to train women and girls on sustainable fundraising. There is no donation bigger than imparting skills and knowledge to others.
And to our women who work and worked at frontline of providing services like shelters and helping out women affected by domestic violence, this book is for you. I especially dedicate this book to you Sylvia Lorraine Parsons for all the work you did for women in Zimbabwe and beyond. It takes courage to stand for survivors of abuse.
May this book also inspire you Sharon Ngomani, a young Zimbabwean woman with dreams and aspirations to write her own book. Same with you Michelle Blessing who has dreams to share an inspiring story, this book is dedicated to you. Magdalene Adenaike of Music Relief, I am hoping as you write your story some poetic verses in here will speak to you and why after all it is worth writing your story.
To you Jean Gasho whose story has changed lives through the blog, may I dedicate this poetry book to your strength and courage to challenge abuse in churches and create a platform for many to be heard. May this book be a reminder that sharing your stories is caring for others.
To the late Monalisa Chinomona, a young girl stabbed to death in Zimbabwe just months before starting her University degree in 2012, I dedicate this book to your courage and more so to the courage of your sister Sharon and family to stand for justice.
I dedicate this book to staff and students of Our Lady`s Convent in Hackney, London, UK who gave me an opportunity to share my story and lay foundation of the work in UK.
There are many donors who have given support to Girl Child Network Worldwide so that we advance our mission and vision. I dedicate this poetry book to you.
This book is wholly dedicated to all women and men whose lives have inspired me. You will read about them in this book. These are our grassroots role models who I met in this global village.
Women like Fauntee Bon who are doing everything they can to uplift other African women by awarding and celebrating their achievements, I dedicate book to you. May Divas of Colour be yet another big project the world supports for betterment of African and black women.
For my friends in the global village like Be van der Weide who choose to walk the journey with me and read my autobiography from start to end and listening to my voice and trusting the story and valuing it, I dedicate this book to you. May this book encourage you to keep the great and amazing work you do with Patricia Chitsiga and everyone in Africa. I have seen many projects in Africa and Transport4Africa remains the best in terms of empowering people on the continent.
My husband, Engineer Irvine Perkins Nyamapfene occupies the centre of my heart and I dedicate this book to him. My three sons, Tinopiwanashe, Spencer and Mukudzeishe who have grown to be fine gentlemen, I cherish every moment I am with you. Many times I travel and leave you on your own and not a day have you disappointed at all. I dedicate this book like always to my boys and all children of the world.
This book is for you my beloved sister and one given to me spiritually, Marrily Runoona Rutsito. I give it as a gift of love and hope especially during a time when you lost our lovely baby Mellissa. You are such a wonderful sister who I want to see happy and accomplishing hopes and dreams. Thank you for teaching me love in simplest of ways.
Last but not least, can this book inspire my sister Ella Makoni and her children to live this short life to the full in Australia. I am hoping when they read it, their present and future will carry them to an inspiring life. I dedicate the book to her and the children with all love of a sister.
To buy the book follow this link
