Durban — It was the hard-knock life that Zamasomi Mbonambi faced as a child that inspired her to help women in her community.
Mbonambi, 30, from Clermont, who is this week’s unsung hero, grew up in a shack and lived in abject poverty. At the age of 12, she became a domestic worker to help put food on the table.
“It was not a very nice life. When it rained, we had to wake up and place bowls as the water came through the roof of our shack. I know exactly what it feels like to sleep on an empty stomach, wearing torn clothes and shoes. Being laughed at because we had nothing at all. Being abused was also a part of our lives,” she said.
Her circumstances led to her starting a non-profit organisation, the Itshitshi Foundation, that focuses on the upliftment of girls and women from ages 7 to 25.
Mbonambi, who owns a cleaning service company, has a Diploma in Project Management and other certificates.
She started the Itshitshi Foundation three years ago.
The foundation provides training on arts and culture initiatives such as poetry, traditional dance, singing, modelling and theatre acting.
In addition, it holds awareness programmes on rape, HIV and Aids and gender-based violence and hosts activities throughout the year including end-of-school semester camps and offers career guidance.
Mbonambi and her team have worked with more than 600 girls and women.
“I have always been a traditional person and I did not like my upbringing, so I decided to do something like this to ensure that we encourage abstinence from sex,” she said.
“We saw the need to groom girls and help keep them safe for longer. I always tell them that they are not keeping themselves for marriage, but for stability. They are pushed to study, get jobs and even open their own businesses so that they can be self-sufficient. Even if they fall pregnant, it won’t be as teenagers and they can rely on themselves because they will have their own assets,” she said.
Mbonambi said while she uses her own money and receives funding from some businesses, their finances were not sufficient.
She plans to open a soup kitchen so that the foundation could hold daily feeding schemes for the underprivileged, and would also like to provide sanitary towels for young girls.
She holds a Project Management Diploma obtained from Damelin College, in addition to other certificates.
Mbonambi is currently self-employed.
Sunday Tribune