Cameroonian feminist advocate, Dr Zoneziwoh Mbondgulo-Wondieh, was born March 26, 1985. After excelling in her early education, she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Buea in Cameroon. She continued her education at Buea and earned a Master of Social Sciences degree in Sex and Gender studies. She then earned a Master of Social Sciences in Sex, Gender, and Violence from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. This was followed by earning a doctorate in International Relations and Conflict at Buea.
Dr. Mbondgulo-Wondieh is an award-winning feminist humanitarian storyteller, blogger, reporter, and researcher. She has many years of experience in gender and digital activism, movement building, policy advocacy, and youth leadership. She is the founder and Executive Director of Women for a Change in Cameroon. The vision of Women for a Change is, “To see a society where women and girls sexual and reproductive health and rights are respected, promoted and protected.” This goal is being achieved by social and political advocacy, feminist movement building, training programs, and educational campaigns. She frequently travels to the rural communities in Cameroon to carry out peer-to-peer sexuality education, conduct interviews, hold focus groups discussions, and organize leadership trainings and workshops with youth and young women.
For over 15 years Dr. Mbondgulo-Wondieh has led Women for a Change. Under her leadership the organization has reached over a million girls and women throughout central Africa. Over a thousand young women have been trained in advocacy and women’s rights. The organization has successfully advocated for the inclusion of the voices of African women in governmental policy and decision making. Under her guidance Women for a Change has been instrumental in translating and raising awareness on national and international women’s rights protocols and frameworks including the Maputo (Mozambique) protocol and the Beijing (China) Platform for Action.
Dr. Mbondgulo-Wondieh is also an accomplished writer who focuses on women, gender, and sexuality. In 2013 she was awarded the Global Citizen Award on Humanitarian Reporting and Storytelling. She also was selected to participate in the Obama– Mandela Fellowship for Young African Leaders at the University of Delaware.
In 2024 Dr. Zone (as she is often called) kicked off the Central Africa Feminist Forum on Beijing+30!, an international conference commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. She gave the welcome address, encouraging participants to unite in the fight for gender equality, and to work to amplify the voices of women across Central Africa. She reminded participants of the power of resilience, collaboration, and advocacy as they reflect on 30 years of progress since the Beijing Declaration. She proudly remarked that, “the journey continues, and together, we are making history.”
