Q&A with Malaika’s Noëlla Coursaris Musunka
While Noëlla’s career began in modeling, since 2007 she’s been focusing her efforts on reshaping the future for girls in her homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo with her non-profit, Malaika. Here, she shares how she is empowering a new generation, and her pick of holiday gifts that will send 20% of net proceeds to support Malaika’s work.
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Q&A with Malaika’s Noëlla Coursaris Musunka
While Noëlla’s career began in modeling, since 2007 she’s been focusing her efforts on reshaping the future for girls in her homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo with her non-profit, Malaika. Here, she shares how she is empowering a new generation, and her pick of holiday gifts that will send 20% of net proceeds to support Malaika’s work.
Shop the edit
Optional sub-header 30 chars
Q&A with Malaika’s Noëlla Coursaris Musunka
While Noëlla’s career began in modeling, since 2007 she’s been focusing her efforts on reshaping the future for girls in her homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo with her non-profit, Malaika. Here, she shares how she is empowering a new generation, and her pick of holiday gifts that will send 20% of net proceeds to support Malaika’s work.
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What inspired you to launch Malaika?
“I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but after my father passed away when I was 5, I moved in with relatives in Europe. I had very little contact with home, but was encouraged to pursue my education and eventually got my degree in Business Management. At 18, I returned home to meet my mother, and witnessed firsthand the poverty and lack of opportunity for women in the country. I knew I wanted to find a way to help.”
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Where does your passion for girls’ education come from?
“I believe that girls’ education is the key to unlocking the potential of our next generation and society as a whole. An educated woman is more likely to give back to her community, to inspire others to attend school and to cultivate a sense of independence among both her peers and the next generation.”
Where does your passion for girls’ education come from?
“I believe that girls’ education is the key to unlocking the potential of our next generation and society as a whole. An educated woman is more likely to give back to her community, to inspire others to attend school and to cultivate a sense of independence among both her peers and the next generation.”
Where does your passion for girls’ education come from?
“I believe that girls’ education is the key to unlocking the potential of our next generation and society as a whole. An educated woman is more likely to give back to her community, to inspire others to attend school and to cultivate a sense of independence among both her peers and the next generation.”
How does Malaika empower girls and their communities?
“Our grassroots non-profit has five pillars operating in the DRC: an accredited school that provides free, and comprehensive education to 430 girls; a community center that offers education, health, and sports programs to over 5,000 youth and adults; technical classes that teach vocational skills to adults, a clean water program that has built or refurbished 31 wells, so that women and children don’t have to lose so much time to collect clean water; and an agriculture program, where we teach out-of-work youth and the community at large about sustainable farming methods. Malaika is a sustainable ecosystem that can be duplicated in any context around the world.”
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What’s one standout Malaika moment?
“Our first group of 17 students graduated last July, and it was amazing to celebrate the work they’ve put in over the past 12 years. Hip-hop star and actress Eve, a longstanding Malaika Ambassador and President of the First Cohort of Malaika Students, came and delivered a powerful speech that echoed the dreams and aspirations of each graduate. All of the graduates are going to university following the work of our team to secure them places. We have seen them growing for 12 years at Malaika and becoming leaders. They now have goals to become journalists, IT engineers, chemists–it's so incredible.”
What’s one standout Malaika moment?
“Our first group of 17 students graduated last July, and it was amazing to celebrate the work they’ve put in over the past 12 years. Hip-hop star and actress Eve, a longstanding Malaika Ambassador and President of the First Cohort of Malaika Students, came and delivered a powerful speech that echoed the dreams and aspirations of each graduate. All of the graduates are going to university following the work of our team to secure them places. We have seen them growing for 12 years at Malaika and becoming leaders. They now have goals to become journalists, IT engineers, chemists–it's so incredible.”
What’s one standout Malaika moment?
“Our first group of 17 students graduated last July, and it was amazing to celebrate the work they’ve put in over the past 12 years. Hip-hop star and actress Eve, a longstanding Malaika Ambassador and President of the First Cohort of Malaika Students, came and delivered a powerful speech that echoed the dreams and aspirations of each graduate. All of the graduates are going to university following the work of our team to secure them places. We have seen them growing for 12 years at Malaika and becoming leaders. They now have goals to become journalists, IT engineers, chemists–it's so incredible.”
How does support from Olivela help Malaika?
“We are deeply grateful to Olivela for partnering with Malaika and thank their generous customers for supporting such a socially impactful brand. This partnership will enable several girls to attend school and receive a quality education for free—just $3 can provide 1 day of school for a girl.”
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