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Mamandla Fellowship

Founded in 2019, the Mamandla Fellowship provides an opportunity to harness the collective efforts of our work and passions for the good of all mothers, and to leverage the power of our diverse experiences through a network of relationships.

Dear Fellow Mother-Supporter,

Embrace is a national movement with a simple, powerful mission: to ensure every mother is supported from the start of their motherhood journey.

The Mamandla Fellowship is uniquely designed as an accessible opportunity for mother-supporters who wish to lead a pro-mother agenda for social change in South Africa. The Fellowship is a year-long journey that includes compulsory in-person engagements, on-line learning and ad-hoc community conversation amongst the fellows. Attendance and participation at all fellowship engagements is compulsory. The Fellowship is designed to build community and networking. It is not an individual learning journey and fellows commit to showing up for each other during their fellowship journey. Every effort will be made to support logistics for participation. There will be no monetary contribution required for Fellows.

Embrace sees this Fellowship as a deep investment into the growth of our movement. We entrust fellows with the platform and connections to act and further the work of the movement for mothers.

As the Embrace movement grows, we believe we need a capable body of change-makers who understand the value of an investment in motherhood and are willing to lead the efforts of the movement in their local community and nationally. As the issues we’re passionate about gain traction, we’re looking to grow our community of fellows with individuals who desire to be at the forefront of these important conversations.

The Mamandla Fellowship is an opportunity to:

  • deepen your passion for supporting mothers,
  • upskill yourself as a leader and advocate for motherhood issues,
  • build strategic links with other like-minded women, and form lifelong friendships while you do it.

We believe a Fellowship like ours offers an opportunity to come into a space that redefines who leaders are and refines what leadership is.

If you are:

  • Community-minded and outspoken and passionate about social justice issues, especially those that affect mothers
  • A leader, keen to further develop your leadership skills in the motherhood space
  • A good communicator and listener, keen to broaden your opportunities in public and media engagement and keen to learn from other mothers and mother-supporters.
  • A team player – understanding the value of good collaboration and mutual upliftment
  • A doer – action-oriented; you want to see passion translated into positive change, and be a part of the process of making it happen

Then Mamandla is for you

Mamandla can offer you:

  • Lifelong membership in a network of activists who are working to improve the lives of mothers of South Africa
  • A year-long fellowship programme in which Embrace will offer you support and community, and an opportunity to make use of a wide range of change-making tools and platforms for the benefit of your community of mothers
  • Access to a variety of in-person and online masterclasses and community-building opportunities
  • Local and national communities of Mamandla fellows with whom you can meet up in person throughout the fellowship programme and beyond

Meet previous Mamandla fellows:

Portrait of Anushka

Anushka Singh-Bhima

I am hoping to connect with like-minded women to grow and shift society norms to a mother-centric approach. I am feeling excited to come together with other women who favour this model of community and women-led empowerment!

Portrait of Ayanda

Ayanda Mthethwa

Through the Mamandla fellowship, I aim to create a community of support where teen moms can share their experiences, uplift one another, and realize their potential. Together, they can conquer any obstacle and embrace a future filled with hope and endless possibilities.

Portrait of Bolanle

Bolanle Enang

Being a Mamandla fellow as a health professional means an opportunity to bridge the gap between clinician and patient, to be part of the solution and not the problem. It’s an opportunity to not only hold a space for them but to learn how to advocate for a better future.

Portrait of Bongie

Bongie Msibi

I have contributed to holding the South African government accountable for this inhuman practice, from the National DoH to Section 19 organizations such as the Commission for Gender Equity and the office of the Public Protector.

Potrait of Kebotlhale

Kebotlhale Motseothata

Being a Mamandla fellow is important to me as I am passionate about helping mothers who continue to face a triple oppression of race, class, and gender.

Portrait of Kefilwe

Kefilwe Sibenya

To be a Mamandla Fellow to me means that, I am able to lift up the banner and stand firm on the wings of change, to be part of a transformation that enables me to embrace my uniqueness . I am able to share space and thoughts with women who are driven by the same conviction of driving towards becoming a collective voice for those misunderstood or unheard. Mamandla Fellow programme is an enabler to become, to be equipped to stand for what I needed most in crucial times in my life as a young mother.

Portrait of Kudzai

Kudzai Fatokun

Being selected as a Mamandla Fellow/Alumni holds profound significance for me. It signifies an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals, nurture my leadership abilities, and make a meaningful impact in the field of motherhood support and advocacy. I am thrilled to join a community that shares my unwavering passion for empowering mothers and driving positive change in the lives of families.

Portrait of Lutfiyah

Lutfiyah Suliman

I’ve experienced and learned a lot in the last few years of mothering that prompted my interest in care, social reproduction and matrescence.

Portrait of Mapula

Mapula Gethe

I strongly believe in the principle of “motho ke motho ka batho,” which emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity. The journey of motherhood requires the support and involvement of the community to navigate its highs and lows, and Mamandla provides that space for each fellow to thrive.

Portrait of Monique

Monique Koopman

Being a Mamandla fellow as a health professional means an opportunity to bridge the gap between clinician and patient, to be part of the solution and not the problem. It’s an opportunity to not only hold a space for them but to learn how to advocate for a better future.

Portrait of Rolinah Mathebula

Rolinah Mathebula

As a mother myself I think it’s a responsibility of every mom to share love and support to those in need. To be a Mamandla Fellow, I want to continue learning and gaining more wisdom from other women to make a different in my community. I want to share many universal experiences and, most importantly, to make every woman to rise by lifting each other.

Portrait of Rowlene

Rowlene Jantjes

Frequently, the gritty, unpretty side of motherhood is overlooked. I want women to know that they have the right to question at every stage of motherhood, that they have a voice and that it deserves to be heard. The less isolated we feel, the more we can harness strength in unity and empowering each other.

Portrait of Dr Sibu

Sibuyiselwe Lubelwana

I use different platforms to educate women of their bodies and to help women understand what is available to them what their rights are and help empower them on an individual level so as to influence communities. I am also passionate about adolescent health and empowering girls from a young age. I have been involved with various projects and various organisations that involve women upliftment.

Portrait of Thando

Thandoluhle Vilakazi

Being a Mamandla Fellow/Alumni holds immense significance for me. It means being part of a vibrant community of inspiring individuals who share a common goal of uplifting mothers.

Portrait of Ukhona

Ukhona Ntsali Mlandu

I take the role of continuing to support younger and new mothers as well as those who have been on the journey for longer in all my lives as a professional and one who lives and operates in a rural, urban and global contexts.

Bronte Davies

As a Mamandla fellow, I hope to contribute to Embrace’s work for changing the narrative around teenage pregnancy and obstetric violence in South Africa, to join and learn from a powerful network of women working towards dignified pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences and ultimately, to make health systems work better for mothers!

Chimonay Masumbe

I am truly grateful to be part of the Mamandla Movement. Being a fellow of the movement to me means serving with the capacity to “influence others through inspiration, motivated by passion, produced by conviction and ignited by a purpose” (Dr. Myles Munroe). I believe that I was born for a time such as this to let mothers and woman suffering with depression know that, ‘We Hear You!’

Jolene Tromp

It is one of my goals to ensure that all women get to experience the pregnancy and birth they desire and deserve. And I am so excited about this journey with the Mamandla fellowship as it is directly aligned to what I wish to achieve.

Lyndall Moodley

It is a true honour and privilege to be a part of the Mamandla Fellowship. I believe in holding space within the small business community for the crucial conversations that Embrace is pioneering My personal goal is to evolve into a social entrepreneur that empowers women to own their time and income. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of a movement that can spearhead change in the generations to come.

Mildred Hlatshwayo

Being a member of Mamandla means now I can get to meet other women with whom minds put together we can change the whole perception of a mother and empower mothers so that they become self sufficient and have access to arms/means that can propel them to reach their optimum.

Nodumo Makaza

Being a Mamandla Fellow will allow me to network with like-minded women who are passionate about supporting mothers in communities and will enable me to grow.

Noloyiso Williams

It’s such a great honour to be a Mamandla Fellow because I get the chance to meet and connect with like-minded women.

Nomgcobo Galela

It is such a great pleasure to be part of the Mamandla fellowship 2022. This opportunity will allow me to expand my knowledge and create relationships with amazing women.

Nqubeko Shezi

Being a Mamandla fellow means that I can further my passion and get deeper with my involvement and intentions. I want to contribute to the fellowship using my experience and also by becoming a sponge and absorb as much wisdom and knowledge as possible.

Palesa Mphambani

My background incubated a personal philosophy of social justice which led me to seek communion in the fellowship of like-minded people that is Mamandla. Within the broad range of issues affecting motherhood and mothers’ rights, I have a particular interest in breastfeeding, the laws regulating maternity leave and early childhood development.

Pamela Mkhize-Madonsela

I am excited about being part of the Mamandla Fellowship and I look forward to the learnings, the amazing networks, and changing the world one day at a time.

Qaanita Rossier

I want to use the Mamandla Fellowship as an opportunity to learn the skills I need to return to the community, both my own and those in more under-resourced areas, and be a better supporter of mothers! A breaker of generational-chains! A sharer of beneficial knowledge and resources! A listener of stories! And an all-round advocate for the many issues that affect mothers in this country.

Cindy Mkhize

I’m Cindy Mkhize and I am a 29-year-old mother of one beautiful energetic daughter from Port Shepstone, KZN. I am a regional manager in corporate social responsibility for a construction company.

Maggie Marx

Maggie Marx is a research communication specialist at the University of Cape Town, a wife…

Dithoriso Mputhi

Dithoriso, or  ‘Dee’ as she’s affectionately known,  is a community activist and social entrepreneur who…

Dudu Mathebula

Dudu and her twin, Smangele are BoMme, “a movement that celebrates a beautiful motherhood. We…

Mamandla Fellowship: Apply Today!

The Mamandla Fellowship is uniquely designed as an accessible opportunity for mother-supporters who wish to lead a pro-mother agenda for social change in South Africa. The Fellowship is a year-long journey that includes compulsory in-person engagements, on-line learning and ad-hoc community conversation amongst the fellows. Attendance and participation at all fellowship engagements is compulsory. The Fellowship is designed to build community and networking. It is not an individual learning journey and fellows commit to showing up for each other during their fellowship journey. Every effort will be made to support logistics for participation. There will be no monetary contribution required for Fellows.

Someleze Swana

Someleze “Somi’s” passion is to offer mothers support specifically with respect to mental health. She…

Tabea Nong

Tabea’s  passion is in developing women’s sense of self-worth, outside of their identities as wives,…

Welcome to The Power Trip

Click on the image to download and read the full publication

 Embrace is an exercise in harnessing the game-changing strength of this community-in-practice to improve the social, economic, political contexts in which mothers mother. Mamandla is the central part of this social experiment. It is based in Embrace’s core belief that lasting positive change can and should be driven by the lived experiences of the individuals at whom change initiatives are directed. If we want to improve the lives and experiences of mothers in South Africa, we must allow these mothers to lead the charge. 

In this first edition of our yearbook, you will meet a group of women connected by and to the common aim of building and mobilising communities of support for mothers across the country. 

We hope you see your own patterns of care and communities in these pages. And, if you think you might belong here, we hope you’ll consider joining Mamandla.

Click on the image below to download The Power Trip (TM)