TuMuna foundation empowers visually impaired women
The TuMuna Foundation, a social-impact initiative under Nomad Wellness Collective, is transforming the lives of visually impaired women across Namibia through its pioneering Wellness Training Programme. The programme shows that sight is not confined to the eyes; it lives in the hands, heart, and soul.
“TuMuna” translates to “We See” in Otjiherero. Unlike conventional vision, it represents a way of perceiving the world from within. Scientific research shows that when one sense is impaired, others often become heightened. For visually impaired individuals, the sense of touch can become sharper, more intuitive, and deeply attuned to life. At TuMuna, this natural intelligence is nurtured and refined through practical, immersive training.
The six-month programme takes place at the Nomad Academy in Windhoek, with support from the Namibia Training Authority. Participants gain professional skills in holistic massage, anatomy, emotional healing, entrepreneurship and leadership. Enrollment is completely free, with full sponsorship covering accommodation, meals, stipends, and training kits, ensuring no woman is left behind.
Founder Mariane Akwenye, also chairperson of the Africa Wellness Initiative under the Global Wellness Institute, explains: “TuMuna is not about teaching the visually impaired how to thrive; it is about revealing their inner sight. It is an extraordinary way of sensing, feeling and connecting that cannot be taught. We guide what nature and spirit have already awakened.”
Healing hands
She adds that when a woman who cannot see learns to heal through touch, it transforms her life and shifts the world’s understanding of what is possible.
Graduates become wellness practitioners supporting cancer patients, trauma survivors and those recovering from illness. Many work as spa and wellness therapists in Namibia’s hospitality and wellness tourism sector or establish sensory therapy businesses in their communities. Some become TuMuna Ambassadors, representing Africa’s inclusive wellness innovation globally.
The foundation aims to train and employ 100 visually impaired women by 2026, establishing a new professional lineage of sensory healers.
For generations, visually impaired individuals in Africa were often sent back to villages with minimal support. TuMuna challenges this, turning perceived limitations into national resources. It is not a charity, but a blueprint for inclusive innovation, merging science and spirit to show that disability is not inability; it is a different ability.
The TuMuna Foundation is a Namibian non-profit under Nomad Wellness, dedicated to empowering visually impaired and underserved women through inclusive education in wellness and rehabilitation.
“TuMuna” translates to “We See” in Otjiherero. Unlike conventional vision, it represents a way of perceiving the world from within. Scientific research shows that when one sense is impaired, others often become heightened. For visually impaired individuals, the sense of touch can become sharper, more intuitive, and deeply attuned to life. At TuMuna, this natural intelligence is nurtured and refined through practical, immersive training.
The six-month programme takes place at the Nomad Academy in Windhoek, with support from the Namibia Training Authority. Participants gain professional skills in holistic massage, anatomy, emotional healing, entrepreneurship and leadership. Enrollment is completely free, with full sponsorship covering accommodation, meals, stipends, and training kits, ensuring no woman is left behind.
Founder Mariane Akwenye, also chairperson of the Africa Wellness Initiative under the Global Wellness Institute, explains: “TuMuna is not about teaching the visually impaired how to thrive; it is about revealing their inner sight. It is an extraordinary way of sensing, feeling and connecting that cannot be taught. We guide what nature and spirit have already awakened.”
Healing hands
She adds that when a woman who cannot see learns to heal through touch, it transforms her life and shifts the world’s understanding of what is possible.
Graduates become wellness practitioners supporting cancer patients, trauma survivors and those recovering from illness. Many work as spa and wellness therapists in Namibia’s hospitality and wellness tourism sector or establish sensory therapy businesses in their communities. Some become TuMuna Ambassadors, representing Africa’s inclusive wellness innovation globally.
The foundation aims to train and employ 100 visually impaired women by 2026, establishing a new professional lineage of sensory healers.
For generations, visually impaired individuals in Africa were often sent back to villages with minimal support. TuMuna challenges this, turning perceived limitations into national resources. It is not a charity, but a blueprint for inclusive innovation, merging science and spirit to show that disability is not inability; it is a different ability.
The TuMuna Foundation is a Namibian non-profit under Nomad Wellness, dedicated to empowering visually impaired and underserved women through inclusive education in wellness and rehabilitation.
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