Illuminata received her secondary education certificates from Dodoma Secondary School and then Kilakala Secondary School, (previously Marian Girls High School) in Morogoro Region. Illuminata graduated in Social Development and Administration from the University of Dar es Salaam in 1975, (and later on she graduated from the University of Dar es Salaam with MA in Sociology in 1981). Soon after her graduation, she was employed by the Department of Social Welfare as a Social Welfare Officer Family and Child Welfare Section. She joined the Child Development desk, which led her to work directly with UNICEF and other organizations dealing with child development projects.
As a head of the Child Development section, Illuminata was instrumental in advocating for, and piloting different intervention strategies for pre-school aged children and children living in difficult circumstances at family, community, and national levels. The positive result of the programmes inspired UNICEF to recruit her in 1989 as a Child Development Assistant. She later joined the education sector at UNICEF as a Project Officer in 1996. She worked with UNICEF for 20 years at national and international levels, until her retirement in 2009.
As a retiree, Illuminata became actively involved in her church as a church community leader and a counsellor. At the moment, while she continues to work with her church, she refocused her goals to include a broader community for advice, counselling, moral support and family reconciliation.