Lindokuhle Mbili is truly a force to be reckoned with as the face behind Siyaphambili Women’s Organisation, a NPO, that is based at Mistake farm, Umzinto.
The 32-year-old is the founder and chairperson of this organisation which started in July 2020.
“I noticed that the power of a woman is underestimated and people don’t believe that women can be independent and do things on their own anymore,” said Mbili.
“A lot of young women around and in my community finish school and stay at home. They don’t further their studies and instead get married at an early age.”
Mbili said that these young women only look up to men and see themselves as just powerless housewives.
“I want to show these women that they have the power to change their lives and boost their self-esteem.”
The organisation offers women leadership and skills development, women mobilisation and advocacy, support to women social empowerment and protection programmes and lastly, support to women-led NPOs involved in socio-economic initiatives.”
These women are also taught how to start small businesses for their independence. Siyaphambili Women’s Organisation recently paid for 20 women to do a security course which resulted in some of the women now being employed. Others courses they have put women in include a home-based care short course and sewing course.
Mbili stated that her respect for women empowerment began many years ago when she was raised by her mother who was a single parent, and her grandmother.
“My mother was unemployed, my grandmother was a pensioner and my grandfather died long ago before I was born. My father left my mother when I was only two-years-old, but they managed to raise me without a man in the house,” she said.
She was sent to Isulabasha Primary School and finished at Tholisu Secondary. Thereafter, Mbili stayed with her aunt in Durban and got a job as a domestic worker for six months. A little while later, she was given a learnership through the sport and recreation department as a sport co-ordinator.
Once that contract ended in 2012, she was fortunate enough to get a job as a credit clerk. When the business closed down a year later, she started working as a service consultant at a bank from 2015 to 2018, and then resigned because she wanted to fulfil her dream of being a businesswoman, work at the same time and start a NPO.
“I ended up being a financial advisor and running my business, also assisting in the community as we do assist women with different things,” she explained.
All of this young woman’s qualifications were achieved while she was working and studying part-time because she had to support her mother and siblings – a fine example of women empowerment indeed.
To get in touch with Lindokuhle Mbili and find out more about her NPO, call 078 7002135.
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