Our Story
It started with a WhatsApp group.
CWMP did not begin in a boardroom. It began with a WhatsApp group called Wife Prep, which later became Hama Dzangu meaning my relatives. Three women from different generations began sharing life, faith, family, motherhood, challenges and everyday experiences. In those conversations, we found ourselves learning from one another and being strengthened by one another.
As the conversations grew, so did a realisation. Women need people who can walk with them through the different seasons of life. We need someone to talk to when we are trying to make a difficult decision, build something new, raise children, navigate relationships or simply figure out what comes next.
We also realised that women need an accompanying community when they enter and navigate the marketplace. It is easy to be a Christian at home or at church. The marketplace brings different pressures, relationships, decisions and opportunities. It raises questions about how we lead, how we conduct business, how we handle money, how we treat people and how we remain faithful to Christ when things become difficult.
That is where CWMP was born.
We wanted to create a space where women from different backgrounds, professions, industries and generations could come together, learn from one another and encourage one another to be the light in the marketplace.
Three women. Different journeys. One heart.
CWMP was born from the experiences of three women who are themselves navigating the realities of life and the marketplace. We are mothers, wives, professionals and women who are building and daughters of God who are not ashamed of our Faith in Christ. We know what it means to pursue a career or business while also caring for children, managing a home, dealing with family responsibilities and trying to remain grounded in our faith.
We understand that a woman’s professional life does not exist separately from the rest of her life. Sometimes you can be preparing for an important meeting while thinking about school fees. You can be managing a team while wondering how your child is doing. You can be building a business while carrying responsibilities at home that nobody else sees.
We are not perfect. we are building too.
We do not come to CWMP as women who have everything figured out. We come as women who are still learning, still growing, still raising children, still building, still asking questions and still trusting God.
That is why this community matters to us. Sometimes you do not need another person telling you how to live. Sometimes you simply need another woman who understands your journey and is willing to walk alongside you.
Linda Chikerema
Co Founder | Business Development & Brand | Author | Village Mum
Linda brings experience in development, business development, branding and entrepreneurship. Her professional journey has taken her into different spaces, but one of the experiences that continually shapes her is motherhood and the responsibility of building a future while raising children.
She understands the tension many women experience between pursuing their ambitions and being present for the people they love. For Linda, building is not only about professional achievement.
It is about creating opportunities, leaving something meaningful for the next generation and helping other women recognise what they carry. She is passionate about mentoring, helping women grow in confidence, develop their gifts and build with purpose, excellence and faith.
Charlene Shonhiwa
Co Founder | Branch Manager | Steel & Construction | Mum of Three
Charlene works in the steel and construction industry, where she has developed experience in sales, customer relationships, operations and branch management. Her work requires her to lead, make decisions, solve problems and engage with people in a demanding marketplace. At the same time, she is a mother of three.
Her experience reflects the reality of many women who move between professional responsibilities and motherhood every day. There are customers to serve, teams to manage and decisions to make, but there are also children who need their mother, homework to check and a family that still needs attention when the working day is over.
Charlene believes women can build, lead and grow while being mothers, wives and women of purpose. Her journey reminds us that the different parts of our lives do not have to compete with one another.
Praise Helen Gumbo
Co Founder | Marketing Executive | Sales | Jewellery | Mum of Boys
Praise brings experience in marketing, sales and the jewellery industry, together with a strong passion for people, relationships and opportunity. She understands the importance of connecting people, recognising potential and creating spaces where others can grow.
As a mother of boys, Praise is also conscious that the work women do today helps shape the world their children will inherit. Building a business or career is not only about personal ambition. It can also be about creating an example for our children and showing them what is possible. Praise wants women to recognise their value, confidently use their gifts and understand that what they carry can become an opportunity for another woman.