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Tsitsi Ndabambi and Mirirai Nsingo
The ancient tales of godmothers who rescued and transformed girls from rags to riches with their magic wands or the Biblical angel who changed the Virgin Mary into the mother of the King of Kings still exist in this era. The stories are always different but still end merrily. One such person is non other than Uzillah Hove Munyengeterwa, the social media “fairy godmother” who started reaching out to women through the social media.

With poverty and any other life adversities wearing the face of a woman, it is this cadre’s life that Uzillah has chosen to transform, just through using social media.

Instead of wasting her valued time and data searching for hot gossip as many would prefer, drooling and daydreaming over other people’s posh lifestyles and scandal, she instead chose improving her own life and utilising social media platforms into a life changer and a business at the same time.

The lady has just published her own motivational book “The Gift of a Woman” and a magazine “Today’s Kitchen and Home”, which she introduced to the world on June 16, in which she is encouraging women to pursue their God-given gifts, turning them into wealth creating projects.

“As I spent most of my time working and networking with women, I realised that we are all gifted with strength and multi-tasking so I decided to write about it and awaken the vision in a woman,” she said.

On social media she started with inviting women to invest in kitchen gadgets and utensils. She put together a society according to what one can afford as each person contributes money for six months and then orders her kitchen needs.

This attracted many women worldwide and she immediately turned it into an enterprise. With her team, she created a catalogue and now even provide furniture for the whole household and the “rounds” have seen women buying residential stands and cars.

Uzillah is now the CEO and founder of Today’s Kitchen and Home (TKH) and Today’s Business Women Development. On the social media platforms, which extend to WhatsApp groups, she teaches about entrepreneurship and home management, encouraging women who sit and mourn of poverty to implement the Proverbs 31 woman.

Tradition has defined a woman as a “doormat” who depends on the husband or modestly speaking, a man-friend for financial resources thus causing tension and unending problems between husband and wife especially if he fails to meet the family needs.

Moving with the times even the uneducated ladies, through people like Uzillah, are probing their way into the market using their natural talents which they never dreamt would elevate them.

Her book launch, which was graced by representatives from the Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs who read a speech on behalf of Minister Sithembiso Nyoni.

In her speech, the minister hailed Uzillah for empowering women and promised her that the ministry will back up their business initiatives.

Prominent banker Edna Mukurazhizha, the managing director of WEDB Financial Services and founding director of Women Excel — an organisation that seeks to empower women breaking out of their mediocrity — shared her expertise with the 1 500 women who attended the event at Baraza Pavillion in Harare.

Modestly dressed and well-groomed women, the likes of Memory Mangisi who are also following Uzillah’s social media teachings, said they could not afford to miss this historical event that is changing their lives.

Uzillah’s work attracted Sumisola Aderonke Kuku, the head of One Woman Africa who brought along a team of her members from Nigeria; she also shared on how they are doing business in their country apart from being mere housewives.

There were tearful moments when some ladies shared their rags to riches stories. One such story was that of Lizzie Mushongwe, a former house maid for nine years in South Africa who quit her job after attending a business seminar hosted by Uzillah after Uzillah told her not to just stare at her problem but fix it and she immediately found her way back home to start afresh. She self-taught and achieved academically while vending on the pavements of Masvingo and the rest is history as now she is a university student with a mission to open her own school by November this year.

Another vendor, Kurwaity Maulana, proudly parked her brand new car which she bought through TKH and boasts of owning a tuckshop and two residential stands, also acquired through the business teachings and “rounds”.
Success testimonies flew from everywhere, inspiring and challenging everyone present to stop mourning and work their way up to their financial liberty.

“We have women who think that their ideas are not worth mentioning or pursuing, who are living with a sleeping giant inside them.

“They believe that only men are breadwinners and it is the Government’s duty to create employment,” commented Uzillah. “My book has been written for such people and the motivation and mentoring in these eight chapters will awaken the sleeping giants within them.”

Mother of five and award winning musician Edith Weutonga topped the icing on the cake with her inspirational melodies at the book launch.

Uzillah’s husband, Stanley, could not contain his pride as he witnessed the fruit of his wife’s sweat silently from the back-row.

From the sparkle in his eyes one could tell that he felt that he was one of the luckiest husbands in the world with such a woman who is changing the game on behalf of fellow women.