Meet Marche Arends – our new Deputy Content Manager
Towards the end of last year we received the sad news that Zimkhitha wanted to stretch her wings and do other exciting work and things. It was a blow – as Zimkhitha felt like an irreplaceable institution at FunDza… so we created a new position instead: one of Deputy Content Manager for the Fanz programme.
We advertised and interviewed a range of candidates… and are delighted to introduce you to the wonderful Marché Arends, who joined the FunDza family on 13 January this year.
In her words…
My name is Marché Arends. I was born and bred in Cape Town but have lived in a few different countries over the past 10 years. My career has been quite varied – I have worked as a travel journalist, an investigative journalist, a teacher and an editor. I have enjoyed every one of those jobs because, when it comes down to it, I have a passion for words.
I believe reading and writing are two of the most powerful tools at our disposal as human beings and when harnessed correctly these tools can be used to effect incredible positive social change. This is why I am so excited about working at FunDza. It is an opportunity to help develop a generation of people into conscious, driven, inspired citizens who could potentially revolutionise the way our country operates.
I have always had a great love of reading. I was lucky enough to be introduced to literature from an early age, and today books remain among my closest friends. I also enjoy writing. I write mostly short stories, poetry and works of creative nonfiction, and am largely interested in the themes of otherness and marginalisation.
I enjoy cooking, travelling, listening to good music and being out in nature. I am privileged to live right by the beach so I take advantage of that as much as possible. I love spending time with my family, my friends and my dog. I am always open to trying new things and exploring new parts of my city and my country that I hadn’t known about.
Above all I value kindness. I believe that if you treat people with kindness, compassion and respect you are well on your way to developing healthy and fulfilling relationships. I know that if I want to be treated with respect, I have to show others the same courtesy. I try as far as possible to be open-minded and approach situations from multiple perspectives.
I am so excited to be a part of the FunDza team. I have been welcomed so warmly by everyone and already feel completely at home. The work FunDza does is incredibly inspiring and I feel really thankful and grateful that I get to be a part of it.
Something to remember: “Perhaps we should love ourselves so fiercely that when others see us, they know exactly how it should be done.” – Rudy Francisco
Marché is working closely with Ros and mentoring the editing and writing team. We love the energy and commitment she has already shown to FunDza and look forward to having her grow with us.