We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Noella Coursaris Musunka. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Noella below.

Noella, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Malaika is the nonprofit organization I founded in 2007 (along with an incredible team) with a mission to empower girls to reach their full potential through education and local community transformation. We do this by providing clean water, vocational, agricultural, athletic and health programs.

My father died when I was only 5 years old, and shortly after my mother sent me from my home in the Democratic Republic of Congo to live with relatives in Europe, as she did not have the means to take care of me. This was a very hard time for me, but I turned to education and poured my energy and focus into learning and growing and preparing myself to be able to give back one day.

These life circumstances, so early on, were super impactful. They instilled a passion within me to devote my life to fighting for education for all girls everywhere. And when I returned to Congo, when I was 18 years old, I saw so many girls who could’ve been me who were so desperate to attend school and learn and better their world, but who simply did not have the opportunity. This was when the dream for Malaika was planted in my heart, and I haven’t stopped working toward providing self empowerment opportunities for the community of Kalebuka and girls everywhere since.

Noella, 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’m so proud to be the Founder and CEO of Malaika, a nonprofit organization that is impacting so many lives. Since I founded Malaika in 2007 (and continue to lead as a full-time volunteer), we’ve grown into a full-fledged ecosystem consisting of a world-class school for 430 girls (with two graduating classes already!), a community center with programs for 5,000 youth and adults including sport for peace and social impact, technical classes certifying future electricians and mechanics, a clean water program with 31 wells serving over 35,000 people each year and a sustainable agriculture program. All programs are free and work together as a replicable model.

In addition to my work with Malaika, I am a Congolese/Cypriot philanthropist and international model. I’m passionate about girls’ education worldwide and use my voice to advocate for this cause through such platforms as the World Economic Forum in Davos, UNGA week, the university halls of Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and MIT and other global stages.
In 2017, I was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential & Inspirational Women of the Year, in 2018, I received an award at the 100 Years of Mandela celebration and in 2022 she was honored as a Daughter of Greatness from the Muhammad Ali Center. I am an Advisor at Concordia and an Ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I sit on the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the L’Oréal Fund for Women Endowment Fund Advisory Committee and I’ve been a two-time judge for EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

How did you build your audience on social media?

From the beginning, Malaika has been about people and giving them the tools they need to serve themselves. So, my personal and Malaika’s pages have been devoted to telling the story of these girls and their families in the DRC. And also highlighting our growth journey as an organization and within the community.
Storytelling is so key on social media. People want to see stories, and they care and become invested in stories. This approach, which was for us the only approach that could truly support our community while showing how beautiful it is, naturally continues to attract an audience.

I advise anyone starting out to stay consistent, know your audience and cater to them while staying true to your values, take seriously how you have the power to be positive and drive change, and also, tell strong stories and be authentic! My personal page reflects Malaika, my career, my journey and my family too – it all works together!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’ve had to be so constantly adaptable and resilient during my personal journey and in my professional journey with Malaika. I had so many people tell me no straight from the start, but I knew my purpose and I learned how to persevere to meet my goals. We’ve faced cultural, logistical and other challenges particular to the part of the world we operate in, so we’ve learned to come up with solutions and adapt.

During the height of the pandemic, for example, the schools in Congo closed for a very long time. I knew our girls needed the lifeline that Malaika provides, and they needed to stay on the level of their peers worldwide. So we set up a system to meet their families’ needs by distributing food and other necessities and then had our teachers distribute and collect homework. The girls were so grateful to have this continued opportunity to learn, and that year there was still a 100 percent pass rate on the national exam!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.malaika.org
• Instagram: @NoellaCoursaris
• Facebook: MalaikaDRC
• Linkedin: Noella Coursaris Musunka
• Twitter: @Noellacc
• Youtube: @MalaikaDRC
• Other: Malaika IG: @MalaikaDRC
  Malaika Linkedin: @MalaikaDRC
  Malaika Twitter: @MalaikaDRC

Image Credits

MalaikaDRC