Maimuna is a Tanzanian activist, entrepreneur, environmentalist, and feminist with over 30 years of experience advocating for children’s and women’s rights. She began her career on rights-based approach in 1994 at the kuleana Centre for Children’s Rights in Mwanza, focusing on educational rights and combating child exploitation. In 1999, she co-founded the Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization to mobilize communities to prevent domestic violence, and in 2001, became its first Executive Director. She supported the creation of WoteSawa and the Wadada Centre to address child domestic worker rights and sexual violence against girls, respectively.
Maimuna’s work earned recognition in 2011 when she was honored as the "Tanzania Woman of Courage" by the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania, celebrating her significant contributions to gender-based violence prevention and women’s rights advocacy. Her collaborative spirit has seen her partner with feminist groups in Canada and Ireland, building global solidarity on issues of violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and poverty.
Maimuna saved as a think tank member or the Ending Violence against Women and Girls group at the UN Women Southern Africa Regional Office. Transforming from her leadership at Kivulini in 2012, she founded MikonoYetu to economically empower women and girls and promote environmental conservation. Maimuna is also supporting the establishment of MsichanaTai an organization that empowers adolescent girls to reach their full potential.
Working nationally, Maimuna also leads a probiotics enterprise with Western Heads East Program, linking health and women’s economic empowerment. Her belief in the transformative power of economic empowerment and knowledge for women drives her initiatives. She is currently focused on narrating African women’s history and establishing a Women’s Museum in Mwanza. She holds an M.A. in Development Studies from Holy Ghost College, Kimmage Manor, Ireland.