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Belinda Munemo, Zimbabwe

Belinda Sheillah Munemo describes herself as “a lioness: queen of the jungle.” Like an elegant feline mother, Belinda says, “I am caring and will protect my cubs - my people and all that I believe in - at all costs and will empower them with skills and knowledge.” Already, Belinda has demonstrated these qualities and had an immense impact her community.

At the age of 15, Belinda noticed a struggling child-headed household in her neighborhood. Rather than simply tossing a few coins, she helped 13 year-old Anna start a small egg-laying business and vegetable garden to generate income. Belinda taught the young orphan how to manage the profits so that she could pay for school fees and provide basic commodities for herself and two younger sisters. As the business grew, Belinda empowered Anna to take responsibility for the chickens and make the operation sustainable.

Of her accomplishments, Belinda says humbly, “To be a great leader, one needs to serve.” She has recently established a new video store in her community. Here, local youth find an alternative to engaging in risky behaviors: they can rent videos for a fee and watch educational videos for free! In the future, Belinda plans to fuse this entrepreneurial spirit with her passion for medicine to open a network of hospitals across Africa that will focus on research and treatment for cancer and HIV/AIDS.