A Chat With Zambia's Most Profound Woman; Norena Mutoya Chiteba, Founder of KUPES Young Womens Network.

Zambia is in need of role models, women who will mentor our girls, women who will create an impact in behavioural change in our communities. Women who will make them realise how worthy they are. I feel, we have lost it a bit in the way our girls are being brought up. We see the chaos in the news, on the Internet everyday in the lives of our young women. We thank God that not all hope is lost. We have women like Norena Mutoya Chiteba, a Zambian woman, with a real heart for our young women, a woman who is so passionate about girls and the women. Norena is a rare gem. She decided to step up and make a difference in our society by founding a network called "KUPES YOUNG WOMENS NETWORK".

African Super Woman met up with her for a chat about the Network. And I should say that, Norena is one of a kind. One of the women I admire in Africa. Lets meet her, know her and learn. about the Network.

ASW: I am so honoured to seat here and talk to you. Thank you so much for creating time to meet me. So, Who is Norena Mutoya Chiteba?

Norena: I am a wife and a mother of four, three biological kids and my nephew. A founder of KUPES Young Womens Network. I am the President of the Zambia's Squash Association, first female ever (with a smile on her face), I seat on a Council for Harvest Institute of Missionaries Bible Collage and I also seat on the gender committee of the Zambia National Sports Council Board.

ASW: Wow! You are one of a kind, Norena. When did you start the KUPES Young Womens Network?

Norena: I started the Network back in 2009, I was working for Finance Bank at a time as the assistant director for marketing and business development. I am so passionate about girls and women and I really wanted to do something for them. I started off with twenty women in Kabanana compound, doing some workshops with them. But being in the Corporate world at that time, I had loads of work on my hands and I decided to take a break from the Network. I stopped working for Finance bank and I joined Standard Chartered Bank as head of corporate affairs and that was my last assignment in the corporate world and that was in 2011.

Early 2012, a friend of mine and I bought a franchise called Bella Dona Finishing classes were we taught women how to behave and our focus was in schools. It was going very well but I still had my network at the back of my head. Then in 2013-2014, I decided to formalise my Network. And that was the reborn of KUPES Young Womens Network.

ASW: Tell me more about the network, what is it all about?

Norena: KUPES Young Womens Network is a network that looks at empowering, motivating and inspiring young women from all walks of life. I say from all walks of life because at the beginning, my focus was on the under-privileged communities, but then I realised that even the privileged ones don't have  people speaking for them. They would have everything but they have no mentorship, no guidance and no information.

ASW: What is your vision for the young women?

Norena: I envision a society where young women have a clear understanding of their self-worthy and capabilities, they have a clear understanding of their purpose, because if you understand who you are, nothing can touch you. If you understand who you are, frankly speaking, you wont be swerved left, right and centre. We need to get it right with our young women in our society. I believe if we can create an impact on you, you should be able to create an impact on your family and your community.

ASW: I like that Norena, that's a very powerful vision and I believe we can make it and we will get there. Change starts from within and its one person at a time.

What about the KUPES Chat, what is it about?

Norena: The KUPES Chat is one of the activities we do at the Network. The idea of the KUPES Chat came about sometime in 2014 when I had attended the CNBC Africa event at the Southern Sun hotel here in Lusaka. At the event, they were interviewing Dr Kankasa, Brenda Muntemba, Monica Musonda to mention but a few. We were about a hundred women in attendance and I released that we were all above the age of 35 years. And I thought to myself that the people who should be listening to this are the young ones, because they are the ones who can make an impact in our society. And that's how I decided to start the KUPES Chat.

The first KUPES Chat we featured Yuyo Nachali Kambikambi, she is the head of corporate communications and government affairs at Airtel Zambia. She came and spoke to the young women and it was lovely. And in March this year, we had another Chat were we were able to seat fifty young women at the Hotel Intercontinental and it was fully paid for by the Hotel. In April again, we were able to seat  seventy young women at Intercontinental Hotel and we were privileged to have Miyanda Mayimbo, the founder of PROSOFT. She came and spoke to the girls and it was awesome. We are actually looking at a longer term partnership with Intercontinental Hotel. And the Vision for the KUPES Chat is to go nationwide.

Pictures You Want To See (The Kasumbalesa Business)

Remember the story I published a few weeks ago (Trading At Kasumbalesa, My Experience)? well, I found more pictures on my laptop today of that trip and my experience. I just thought I should share with you. Enjoy ;-) 

About to start off from Kasumbalesa to Lusaka. We had to get on a truck, on the back with all the coldness of Zambian winter.

This is at the Village were we went to look for goats in Southern Zambia

Waiting for transport to take us to a nearby town where we could get on a truck. This cow was our transport.

This is a funny one lol! My friend Nanzila was having issues the her goat, it didn't want to move, she decided to carry it by force!

I don't know if i mentioned in my article, but we also bought these pigs. Oh yes, we carried them on our own.., no men involved lol!

This is the village in Mazabuka where we were received. I was trying to find some network connection around 5am.

Pulling my very stubborn goat with all my strength

Getting ready to get on this truck to take us to the village in Mazabuka.

My friend Nanzila

Found some guys making fire at some car wash, we decided to join and make ourselves warm.

This is some restaurant in Choma were we had some breakfast. We were broke, we couldn't go to a fancy  one lol!

THE DRY FISH BUSINESS; This a truck that carries all your goodies, all these bundles are bundles of dry fish. The truck comes with the fishermen from Southern Zambia and comes with them to Lusaka (Ku-mobil, behind Chibolya). Then we buy the fish and use the same truck to transport it to Kasumbalesa.

And we get on this bus and the truck with the fish follows behind.

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! 

Inside My Closet...(Vintage Sunday)

Okayyyy! So, last Sunday (yesterday), I decided to pull a Vintage dress and try to pull that 80's look when going to church. It wasn't bad I guess, though the whole outfit doesn't look "Vintage" but I loved it. The dress is very comfortable and it is a perfect fit. I just love it!

DRESS =us$0.50 & SHOES (Ebay UK) £5

BELT= us$0.50 & HEADWRAP= us$0.2

Here we go lol! The dress I am wearing was bought from a flea market here in Lusaka, Zambia we call it "salaula", you know, a second hand clothing market ;-) . In Europe (at least where I have been) you don't sell then on the streets but you can find them in "Charity shops" or "the Red Cross shops", I remember a few years ago when I was in Leicester, UK, I used to go to "carboot sales" to find some nice second hand goodies or clothes ;-) . And in Denmark, I still visit the "charity shops" from time to time ;-) . Oh YES! I do, you find very nice cloths and with nice labels there ;-) and at a very very nice price. In Zambia I would say "mutengo waku church" :-D meaning at a"church price".., it means they are really cheap.

Make a fashion statement with a Headwrap this weekend.

Headwraps have been around for decades. And they have been commonly worn by African women. Headwraps also called head ties, have a very significant history in the African American community ( I will write about it in another article).

On the African continent, they have been most common in Southern and Western parts over the past years. Historically, headwraps, head ties or turban have different meanings and cultural statements in different countries. For example, in my country (Zambia) long ago, you would only see headwraps been worn by elderly women and young women would only wear them at the funerals. I guess its been the same in many African countries. In Zambia we call them "chitambala" in Nyanja (the most common name, we have 72 languages and they are called differently in other languages). In Malawi and Ghana the headwrap is called "duku", in Zimbabwe the headwrap is called "dhuku", in Botswana the headwrap is called "tukwi" and the Nigerians call it "gele".

Fashion revolves with time and the headwraps are no longer symbolises culture or spiritual or slavery or anything like that. It is the in-thing now! It is what is trending in the fashion industry at the moment. And you don't only see the African ladies wrapping it up, we have the white ladies rocking the head wraps too. That's the beauty of fashion, it has no race and it breaks all the boundaries.

Myself

I have added a few pictures as an inspiration for you. In case you are thinking of trying it. There are a lot of tutorials on youtube on to tie headwraps or turbans. I like headwraps myself and sometimes I use just a small piece and use it as a headband.

And remember, its all about colour ;-) .

Brandy, rocking it in a headwrap

Myself wearing my favourite black headband.

Tyra Banks wearing a headwrap. Looking good

My model friend, Kate. Looking real African.

"WRAP-IT-UP THIS WEEKEND!"

More News on The Mainga Mwaanga, 51 and The 17 years old School girl Scandal.

I am not a gossip blogger, but if its anything to do with girls and women, African Super Woman will surely blog about it.

I woke up to some shocking news this morning on facebook. And it is all over the Internet right now! The 51years old Mainga Mwaanga, the son of the famous Vernon Mwaanga, has been chasing young school going girls for the past years. And today, some of the pictures with one of the girls were leaked and Zambian Watchdog got hold of them (and we all know what those guys at the watchdog are all about).

Mainga Mwaanga with the 17 years old girl

In the pictures leaked, there is Mainga Mwaanga holding a 17years old girl, in one of them, they are kissing public and without any shame! There is another picture were they are in bed and one breast of the girl is showing and another one were the girl is completely naked (sorry, I couldn't add those pictures on my blog). The girl is in her last grade (grade 12) and she is living with her parents in Lusaka's Chelstone township.

Mr Mainga Mwaanga with his beautiful wife

Mr Mainga, what is this nonsense!! That is your daughter for God's sake! Apparently you have a daughter who is 24years. you have kids and a beautiful wife at home, what is it that you want? What kind of demons are you possessed with?! You surly need some deliverance!

The Single Life and YOU

First of all, I would like to state that I'm NOT a relationship expert. Though I think I should pursue a degree or doctorate in relationship, marriage counselling or something like that ;-) . Then I will be called "Dr Nono" (it is my nickname, a shortcut for Inonge.., like Anna is called Nana). I love writing about relationships and marriage. I remember writing an article about marriage five years ago when I was 23years old. The title was "To Love, Honour...Until Death Do Us Part". This article was published in our local Magazine "Beauty Zambia Magazine". I wasn't even in a relationship at a time I wrote it :-) .

I like to say, I Love LOVE! (hope that makes sense to you). In my teens, I loved to watch Cinderella, sleeping beauty etc and I had a bunch of self written love poems.

Anyway, today I wanna talk to my single ladies and gentlemen. First of all I would like to say that being single is not God's desire for you. I have scriptures to back this one up, (I am not being religious but its the fact) that's why He created Adam and Eve in the first place. If you have passed the marriage age (18yrs or 21yrs depending on which country you live in the world). And you are still not HITCHED, you don't have to worry about anything and you shouldn't get desperate. And the "age stated" shouldn't scare you, you can get married at any age, so long you are mature enough. What I mean is that, you can get married once you are emotionally and physically ready and that you are over 18years! not like that 62years old woman who married a 9years old boy in South Africa last year...(sickening event).