We were lucky to catch up with Lumbie Mlambo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lumbie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I hope my legacy would be that I made the connection between women, water, and poverty. I found a way to make it easy for marginalized communities to access natural resources essential to life. By being environmentally conscious to lessen the devastation of eco-systems brought on by a variety of manmade activities, it is essential to conserve the environment and protect the environment from pollution and other activities that cause environmental degradation. Harm to the environment leads to things such as lack of clean water, which I’ve committed to solve.
Lumbie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a Zimbabwean-born philanthropist and the founder and CEO of non-profit JB Dondolo. I double-majored in Computer Science and Mathematics at Indiana University South Bend and Texas Woman’s University. Also, I am a proud recipient of the UN Global Leadership Award, Global Goals Ambassador, Tony Elumelu Foundation Ambassador, AWIEF Social Entrepreneur Award winner, Global Goodwill Ambassador and a Vital Voice for unrepresented women.
I am an enthusiastic supporter of clean water and giving women and girls the tools they need to live healthy, productive lives. I speak out on issues affecting women and girls around the world, offering my advice on how to make people’s lives better and restore their dignity.
Recently, I received a nomination for the Women Changing the World Award among millions of other global changemakers. Dr. Tererai Trent, one of Oprah Winfrey’s all-time favorite guests, presents the Women Changing the World Awards. I have a great opportunity to put JB Dondolo in the spotlight on a significant stage. In order to recognize achievement in business, sustainability, leadership, health, education, product development, innovation, and technology, Dr. Trent is pushing the envelope with her bold vision. We prosper when we work together and support one another, and Dr. Trent is one of the very few people who knows the importance of reaching down and lifting one another up. Visit https://wcwawards.com to take part.
The Freedom to Grow Conference is also another event that I’m proud to be selected as a guest speaker. The conference’s main objectives are agricultural technological innovations, the development of new generations of farmers, the expansion of economic opportunities with a global scope, and the achievement of agreements that offer opportunities and solutions for the development of an agricultural experience never before achieved by an ag conference. They work to establish an influential presence for Bi-POCs, seasoned farmers, young and emerging agricultural entrepreneurs, and farmers across the agricultural nation. I am privileged to share my expertise and wisdom with this audience. To be part of the movement, visit https://www.freedomtogrow.us.
As a volunteer Matron and Patron of a newly formed Civil Society named New Era Youths for Africa (NEYA) https://neyacivilsociety.com/ , I’m thrilled to assist them in giving the youth the opportunity to be change agents. It provides me the possibility to join forces with NEYA and JB Dondolo’s “100 Voices for Our Planet” program to engage young people in promoting environmental awareness through sustainable behavior. In addition, I volunteer as a Coordinator with Accelerate Africa https://accelerate-africa.org/, where I make connections in Zimbabwe and raise awareness of their cause.
How did you get into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc,?
Inspired by my father who was orphaned and never went to school but served as a revered humanitarian in his local community, I took the leap to continue his legacy. As a result of my dedicated actions in serving the community needs, I started the 501(c)(3) nonprofit JB Dondolo, after my father’s namesake. I found my purpose with women. I want to help make it easy for marginalized communities to access natural resources essential for life. I find that the shortage of water particularly noteworthy since it negatively affects women and girls, keeps them in poverty, and widens the gender equality gap. Health and economic growth are at risk without water. Fewer girls attend school, and women are less capable of earning a living.
What type of products/services/creative works do you provide? What problems do you solve for your clients?
At JB Dondolo, we provide access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in underserved and impoverished communities to reduce poverty, and promote gender equity and good use of natural resources.
We’re solving the issue with lack of access to clean water and sanitation – a natural resource essential for life to exist in marginalized communities. The problem impacts mostly women and girls (in Zimbabwe) who must walk up to 18 miles a day in search of water in the most dangerous places. This leaves girls with no time to attend school and women with no time to attain any skills. We make use of science and technology to address this significant environmental and climate challenge that is causing gender inequality and poor health. Going by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are committed to being inclusive of everyone and partnering on the goals with others (SDG 17) as we build to achieve equitable lives and fair economies.
What do you think sets you apart from others?
Our method of dealing with the problem is what makes us unique. For us, providing water entails more than just “providing access to water”. It entails the inclusion of everyone through community development, food security, health, and education. In order for what we do to endure for future generations, we promote healthy, environmentally responsible living.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most pleased of the distance we shorten for women who must travel far to collect water, particularly in adverse weather, on dangerous terrain, and in settings where women are more likely to be sexually assaulted. Because we are talking about human life and dignity, you cannot place a value on that. Water is a fundamental human right. Human lives are in danger whenever there is no access to water.
What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.?
We are committed to our vision. We need the Earth to survive, thus it’s crucial to be environmentally responsible. You need to challenge some of your ingrained beliefs about how to live your life and the world in order to adopt a more environmentally responsible way of thinking. Without this first action, which I refer to as “an enabler,” supplying water becomes an extremely difficult and expensive task. For that reason, this initiative is a “Water Action Agenda”. It is published with the Partnerships for SDGs at https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/100-voices-our-planet . You can also get information on how to become involved in saving our planet at https://jbdondolo.org/100-voices-for-our-planet/ .
We are funded by grants, Angel investors, matching funds, donations (monetary and in-kind), fundraising campaigns, auctions, and our consultancy services. There’s a way for everyone to get involved by simply going to our website https://jbdondolo.org.
In order to raise money for this organization, our talented Youth Ambassadors Shane and Nigel Mushambi, as well as creative Interns Sai Suresh, Ann Li, and Abraham Shedrack, are doing outstanding work. All, genuinely offer ground-breaking ideas that are sustainable and replicable by everyone. Their originality and “out of the box” thinking are essential to the achievement of our mission.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We definitely built a solid reputation in the market by keeping our promises. Although we’re not always quick to arrive, we always fulfill our promises. Additionally, we provide communities with a quality product and teach them how to use it so they are less reliant on us. With those we work with, we are open and honest. People like to be listened to. Instead of telling communities what they should have, we prefer to listen to them.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Whether we were successful or not, I appreciate the effort put out by my team. Every achievement is a reason for celebration because it requires effort to reach. Success is not the only thing that matters; what matters is how hard you work and how committed you are. In order to encourage work-life balance within the team, we have a flexible working environment. Additionally, I support employee-led initiatives since I believe that anyone may contribute ideas. I establish open channels of communication and uphold “an open door policy” in order to make everyone feel welcome and at ease. We are a happy family that is committed to the mission. We love to have fun while we work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jbdondolo.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbdondolo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jbdondolo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2874343/admin/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jbdondolo
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/jbdondolo
Image Credits
JB Dondolo