The Woman BossThe Woman BossZainab Ceesay is a knowledge-hungry, passion-driven, LLB graduate from the University of The Gambia. In 2019, she got connected to The Woman Boss through Marie Jeng, our Programs Officer at the time. With so much free time on her hands, she decided it was time to get engaged and start making an impact in her society.
“Growing up, I always had a passion for humanitarian work – helping people and impacting the lives of children”. When Zainab heard that The Woman Boss was created to advance economic development for women and young girls, she was sold by the organization’s mission.
During her interview with the Founder and CEO, Awamary Lowe-Khan, she learned that The Woman Boss needed someone to take charge of communications and social media marketing. “At the time, I had no clue what any of this was about. I just knew I wanted to be part of all the positive work the organization was doing for women and girls in my country. Awamary and her team gave me a chance to learn. They groomed me to become an expert in a field that I have grown to love.
After months of hard work and lots of coaching, Zainab Ceesay got promoted to the position of Communications and Social Media Marketing Officer for Innovate Gambia. She is the lady behind the inspiring quotes, creative captions, and beautiful flyers on all of Innovate Gambia’s social media pages. Never hesitating to put herself out there, Zainab says that she gets creative inspiration from a diverse group of individuals that she has befriended in The Disruptive Lab’s co-working space. Currently at the age of 22, we can also proudly introduce her as the Communications and Digital Marketing Manager of PointClick Technologies, a global tech company.
In addition to what she does for Innovate Gambia and PointClick Technologies, Zainab Ceesay has not forgotten what initially drew her to The Woman Boss and she continues to play a vital role in the organization’s community outreach programs.
“Being a survivor of a very brutal cultural practice – Female Genital Mutilation, which drained me of my confidence for years, I found a voice in the work that I do at The Woman Boss and have gotten to be part of the fight against Gender-Based Violence”. The Woman Boss recently partnered with UNICEF, journeyed to 19 schools in the, Banjul, Kanifing, and West Coast Region, and provided a training on Leadership and Gender-Based Violence to 1000+ girls. Zainab Ceesay, despite having a hectic work schedule and having to study for her LLB exams, spared all the time that she could to conduct our training on FGM. Her participation was crucial, especially the fact that she shared personal experiences as an FGM survivor herself. This, in turn, got many of the girls to open up and feel like they were in a safe space. “I’ve made a promise to myself to fight for what is right and never rest until harmful cultural practices are dead and buried. No young girl should be subjected to the horrors of FGM just because it was ordained by society or our forefathers”.
As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked Zainab Ceesay who she ultimately aspires to be like. “I have a lot of people I look up to, but I want to be the best version of myself. That doesn’t mean I will be perfect for I am human, but I hope through my actions and accomplishments, I inspire other women around the globe”.
Written by:
Aji Isatou Nyan
Intern and Woman Boss High School Ambassador
