Countdown to the Zimbabwe International Women's Awards 2015 Ceremony!

The Zimbabwe International Women Awards (ZIWA) was established in 2013 by Juliana Jonathan and Maud Goba, with the goal of honouring and magnifying unsung heroines. Zimbabwean women are known for their resilient and hardworking characteristic yet their success is mostly invisible within the patriarchal society. Although the Award Ceremonies are UK based, ZIWA seeks to applaud successful Zimbabwean women who are making strides in their areas of expertise across the globe.

•  The unending support by Zimbabwean's in the UK community was evident through the attendance at the first award ceremony and lucrative sponsorships which were mostly from Zimbabwean business women.  The event sold out as Maud Goba recalls, 'the tickets sold out, we had to ask the hotel for extra tables, some women were willing to stand throughout the actual ceremony.'

•  The UK based location is not an impediment to uniting women globally; this was countered by the free online live streaming by Zimbolive TV across the globe. Women across the globe, particularly in Zimbabwe were able to tune in. Last year's event included live performances from prominent musicians, Tendai Nelson a jazz musician recounts, 'performing at the ZIWA's was a great platform to be acknowledged by my fellow Zimbabweans, and it was a great opportunity for networking with fellow musicians in the industry.'  The essence of ZIWA transcends beyond the ceremony, it is a way of bringing Zimbabwean women together, therefore birthing networking opportunities.

•  This Year ZIWA is proud of its latest expansion into the ZIWA Community Project which is aimed to benefit every Zimbabwean woman. The ZIWA community project includes the mentorship programme and the single mother's project to name a few, more information available on their website www.ziwaawards.com. The ZIWA 2015 team has expanded, through the appointment of a new project director, publicist and marketing consultant.

•  This year the ZIWA Ceremony will be held on Saturday the 3RD of October 2015 the venue will be announced in August.  The ceremony tickets will be limited to 400 and there will be no additional tickets, therefore they are on a first come first serve basis.

•  This year a ZIWA Anthem featuring prominent female Zimbabwean musicians to be released on various platforms at the Awards Ceremony all the profits will go towards the ZIWA Community Project.

•  The ZIWA team has taken constructive criticisms on board, therefore community researchers have been appointed in order to discover women who are making an impact in the community who are not necessarily in touch with the virtual world. An external nominations panel has been appointed and an external moderator.
•  It is important to note that ZIWA is dependent on the wider community to spot these heroines; therefore they encourage Zimbabweans across the globe to take part in the nomination process in the month of June in order to fully represent the community.

Upcoming Key/Dates

•  June 2015 - ZIWA nominations process
•  July 2015 - ZIWA panel starts deliberations to shortlist nominees
•  August 2015 - ZIWA nominee shortlist announced and voting opens
•  August 2015 - ZIWA 2015 tickets released and venue details revealed
•  3 October 2015 - ZIWA 2015 Awards ceremony


•  Interested businesses, sponsors can enquire on info@ziwaawards.com. Zimbabwean women in various industries are encouraged to join, as this will be the largest gathering of Zimbabwean women in the UK. To keep up to date with the latest developments women are encouraged to keep in the loop via our social networking sites, Instagram, twitter and website.