Afandi Mulahi

Afandi Mulahi recently joined the NYAGI family after retiring from a 30-year career at an international development finance institution.  Her service in the development space covered several areas including partnerships relationships management, support for public health initiatives, creatively engaging Africa’s youth in development dialogue, and elevating youth voices in efforts to address the continent’s development challenges.   Her most fulfilling experience, she says, was working with Africa’s youth who bring bold and brilliant ideas which seldom make it to the policy makers’ purview.   

Notwithstanding the vast, and invaluable exposure gained from the development space, Afandi has always wanted to work with women and children, “for ‘selfish’ reasons”, she says.   Her favorite aunt, a soft-spoken gentle mother and wife ultimately died because of repeated incidents of domestic violence.  The story doesn’t end there though.  Her aunt had dedicated her life’s work to providing shelter, skills training, career counselling services, emotional, psychological support and a safe space for women and children rescued from domestic violence situations.  Suffice it to say, her home and family were never the same after.   While the NYAGI project has a different mandate altogether, the mission of this group of dedicated volunteers is to enhance maternal health services delivery to mothers from the last mile, where access is scarce at best.   

A mother to a college freshman herself, Afandi lives by the Swahili adage, Mama ni boma -- loosely translated, the home is incomplete without a mother.  In her world, a simple yet profound way to honor the central (mostly unsung) roles mothers play in our lives is to consciously support the wellbeing of every mother because a healthy home, family or community begins with a healthy mother.