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Maureen Mbondiah

Vongai Mbara Lifestyle Reporter
She is a fitness enthusiast who loves fashion and books. Besides her many projects that are meant to inspire women, Maureen Mbondiah leads life of a lady who knows how to stand up to occasions — fit, smart and informed.

Her boutique and magazine in the United Kingdom are testimony to her passion for fashion and reading. And those who attended her breakfast meeting at Meikles Hotel yesterday know she is a fountain of wisdom, especially on issues meant to inspire women.

Her lifestyle is also as inspiring as her motivational drive. Her love for traditional food says a lot about her desire for a healthy lifestyle. She cannot resist peanut butter sauce and she makes it a point to eat sadza and vegetables in peanut butter sauce whenever she comes to Zimbabwe

Her name might not ring a bell in some people’s minds, but she has made strides in empowerment circles. Mbondiah is an entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom with interests in fashion, literature and health. She is currently in Zimbabwe to share ideas about her areas of interests with people that might feel inspired to emulate her.

The Saturday Herald Lifestyle had a chat with Mbondiah as she was readying yesterday’s breakfast meeting to know more about her lifestyle.

On a typical day, she wakes up around 5.45am and by 6am, her personal trainer will be by her door for an intense workout. She then prepares her kids for school and drops them off before heading to the office.

It is a busy day at work that sometimes she finishes late but if she happens to finish early, she goes home and prepares a home-cooked dinner for her family.

Maureen went to the UK at the age of 17 soon after completing her secondary education to pursue mental health nursing. “I was always a hard worker and a goal getter. My results were so good that I was accepted to study in the UK and I was ecstatic about that,” said Mbondiah.

Like any other human being, she has faced her own challenges in life. Whilst in the UK, she found love and got married. However, the marriage did not work and Mbondiah found herself divorced with two children to take care of.

“From 2008, I was a single mom pursuing her work. I went through difficulties financially. My house was repossessed because by then, I was not yet a citizen of the UK so I was not entitled to any marital benefits. So I had to give up my house because could not afford it by myself,” she said.

Having faced many challenges, Mbondiah developed a thick skin as she worked hard for her family. “I was serving in church, and my children were also serving in the church. After going through a difficult phase, I had a desire to work and support women who find themselves going through desperate situations and give them strength.” She started her journey three years ago using her Facebook account to offer advice to women in particular and people responded.

“I started getting in-boxed with comments from people asking for relationship, career, spiritual and general advice. People would share their testimonies and how I had inspired them and I saw that it was an area that I could target and do my giveback to the community.”

In November 2014, she officially found the Womanhood Global organisation. “Through Womanhood Global I believe we can tackle poverty, handout mentality and equip women to be self-sufficient,”

Through meeting women in dire situations while attending women’s events, Mbondiah developed an interest in hosting women’s empowerment sessions. Early last year, Mbondiah launched the Womanhood Global magazine where business owners can advertise and create visibility for their business as well as get motivation from renowned business people.

Her passion for women was not only to help them conquer difficult situations but also make them look and feel good about themselves. She also started a Facebook page, Moskloset Tips dedicated to give tops to women on how to dress.

“People then started asking me if I sold clothes but that time I did not. I was only sharing tips so I looked into the avenues and I found some suppliers and that is when Moskloset was birthed. I ventured into the fashion business and ended up launching it here in Zimbabwe,” she said.

As she continued expanding her business, Maureen discovered that the love chapter in her life had not yet closed. She found love again and got married at a white wedding ceremony in the UK. “I found the man of my dreams. He is a Christian, he supports me, loves me and we run businesses together. We are an amazing team together.

“Women need to set their mind to pursue their vision and then work at it daily. It is a constant move daily and bit by bit you come closer to your vision. I have a burden to boost the confidence of women who find themselves in helpless situations of despair, lack, poverty, and discouragement. I believe bringing women from across the globe despite their race, colour or background together with one voice is the start.”

Her work has been recognised and she has been nominated for All Women Achievers Awards 2016 (Finalist), Midlands Business and Community Awards 2016 and BEFTA Awards 2016 amongst others. She also hosts women’s empowerment sessions where women gather under one roof to share their daily ordeals and draw strength from one another.

Her life is an unprecedented balancing act for sure, but according to her, the rewards can be fairly unprecedented, too. From being a housewife to running a successful business whilst leading women in church Mbondiah is no ordinary woman. She is also an author for a book of inspiration for women with over 300 women from across the world.

She started her non-profit organization from nothing, with nothing but heart and a passion to help women In future, this ambitious woman sees herself continuing hosting more sessions and giving back to the community.

During her stay in the country, she will visit Gokwe village to donate some sewing machines to empower struggling women.