Annah Sande

A young Woman's Battle for her Community

“I believe that we (as young women) have the space with our innovative ideas and our dynamic perspective we will be able to change the world one district at a time.” Annah Sande is a 26-year-old politician from Zimbabwe who participated in the 2023 Council election. Her drive for change and passion for her community are evident from her nascent political career.

Her journey began in Epworth, a constituency on the periphery of the Central Business District of Harare. Epworth is a developing community which faces a range of social issues including access to clean water, education, and waste collection. From a young age, Annah discovered “that access to education as a young girl was not free. In our society child marriage is very common, I lost a number of friends in my journey of growing up, further drug and substance abuse, and lack of opportunities, in the economic sector are also extremely common.” These issues pushed her to become an advocate for change within the community.

She fought hard for an admission to the University of Zimbabwe where she chose to study Sociology. She became active in fighting for students' academic freedoms and rights leading her to be nominated as the first female representative on the student's council. Despite being an active member she always felt the need to ‘do more’ and to be more politically engaged. It was then that she started positioning [herself] to contribute in the national realm where she believes that change was possible and only through struggle can the democratic space open up giving equal opportunities to the girl child. After completing her degree, Annah went back to Epworth where she joined the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change. In 2023 she won and became a proportional Representative Councilor, becoming the youngest person on the local board. She had a clear goal: to bring tangible development and lasting change to the community. She wanted to deliver the critical resources that were still lacking, including running water and clinics that could provide comprehensive services.

However, after barely a month into her term, she was the victim of an illegal recall, an underhanded tactic to get rid of strong voices in the community. An individual who claimed to be a representative of the leadership of her party was responsible for this removal. This recall was devastating not only for the community that had elected her, but also for her. Annah and her family faced abductions, illegal arrests and assaults, undermining her campaign and making it more challenging to get the necessary resources to continue the fight.

Despite these numerous attacks and challenges, Annah remains strong and committed to being involved in politics where she wishes to continue to encourage and motivate young women in Zimbabwe, young women in Africa and young women in any corner of the world to rise up to the equation and answer to the quest of leadership. Her journey has brought her opportunities such as participating in the Young Women’s Empowerment Academy held by International IDEA in Malawi, in February 2025, calling it a transformative experience. The academy provided a space for learning impactful, practical skills, engaging in diplomacy and most notably creating connections with young women like her from other countries. Through these discussions, she has realized that her fight isn’t hers alone “the battle that I am fighting in Zimbabwe, someone in Malawi is experiencing the same. Our fight continues to be universal.” After leaving the academy, she wants to share what she has learned with other young women who did not have an opportunity to be there. She believes wholeheartedly that by changing one district at a time, transformative actions will spread and impact the lives of young women and girls around the world, allowing women everywhere to prove themselves as essential participants in reshaping the future.