As she reached her 20th birthday, Josina was immediately assigned responsibilities within FRELIMO's multifaceted quest for national independence. She began work at the Mozambique Institute, a residential education center for Mozambican students in Tanzania, as assistant to the director. The director is Janet Mondlane, the American born wife of FRELIMO president Eduardo Mondlane. A year and a half later, Josina turns down the offer of a scholarship to undertake university studies in Switzerland and volunteers for FRELIMO's newly created Women's Branch (Destacamento Feminino). The Women's Branch is tasked with providing women with political and military training in order that they may be fully integrated into the liberation struggle. This initiative is little short of extraordinary in view of the fact that gender equality goes strongly against traditional African cultural norms.