About Us

Turning Pain into Purpose. From Lived Experience to Lasting Change.

Sherita Mandongwe's journey is one of loss, courage, transformation and purpose.

As a mother of two children with disabilities, Sherita understands first-hand the fear, uncertainty and isolation that many families can experience. In the early years, she struggled to accept her children's additional needs. Cultural beliefs, misconceptions about disability and a lack of understanding led to denial something she now speaks openly about so that other families can learn from her experience.

Her sons experienced significant communication delays, with one beginning to speak at the age of nine and the other at eleven. Looking back, Sherita believes that earlier acceptance, understanding and intervention could have opened the door to support much sooner. Her journey was not easy. Cultural beliefs, stigma and a lack of understanding initially made it difficult to accept her children's additional needs.

But through her own lived experience, Sherita discovered the life changing importance of acceptance, early intervention and the right support.

Everything changed when she accepted that her children needed additional support. With specialist education and the right interventions, she watched her sons make progress beyond what she had once imagined. This experience transformed not only her children's lives, but Sherita's understanding of disability and the importance of supporting families as early as possible

Then came another life changing challenge.

After losing her husband to a heart attack in 2014, Sherita Mandongwe faced the devastating challenge of raising two children with disabilities while rebuilding her own life.

But she refused to give up.

She turned her pain into purpose, her challenges into action and her lived experience into a lifeline for other families. She refused to let grief or adversity define her future. While caring for her children and volunteering in her community, she turned her challenges into a solution for others and founded Dimobi Children Disability Trust.

That journey inspired and creating the understanding and support that Sherita once desperately needed herself.

Today, her message to parents is powerful:

Don't let fear, stigma or denial delay your child's opportunity to receive support. Acceptance is not giving up it is opening the door to understanding, early intervention and possibility.

Through Dimobi, Sherita is determined to ensure that families, particularly those facing cultural barriers and inequalities, feel heard, understood, empowered and never alone. Today, her experience drives a powerful mission: to break stigma, empower families and ensure that no child with a disability is denied the opportunity to reach their full potential.

From grief came strength. From lived experience came purpose. From one mother's journey came hope for many families.

Her story is at the heart of Dimobi's mission:

Turning lived experience into action. Breaking barriers. Empowering families. Giving every child the opportunity to thrive.