Mofya Norah Elizabeth Mpundu II, also known as Morah Tupelo is a resilient woman who has endured many challenges to be where she is. A young Zambian woman serving in the U.S Army, Tupelo is an inspiration to young African women from developing countries inspiring them to work hard and dream big. She made her first attempt to join one of the Armed Forces of the United States Army, which was the Air Force in 2019. Although she was met with some challenges and had to stop training, Tupelo still worked hard to get back in and she finally did almost a year after. She is currently the brains behind the page, ‘Enliven2Inspire’ a slogan which stands for giving inspiration across the generation to the young and old that life isn’t easy and in order to get to what we want, we must be willing to work hard and put in some effort. She encourages people to keep trying no matter how many times they fail, to be patient and to pray. She shared her story of hardship and triumph in an interview with Grace Sikanda.
Give me an insight of your childhood, especially because you grew up in a developing African country. Where did you grow up and what your family was like?
I grew up in Zambia, Ndola Lubuto west. I didn’t grow up with my biological parents, I was actually born out of wedlock in 1995. My father rejected the pregnancy so my grandfather took up the responsibility of raising another man’s child and named after his late wife Ms. Mofya Norah Chitambo Elizabeth Mpundu I and I became Mofya Norah Chitambo Elizabeth Mpundu II. However, whilst my mother was pregnant with me she wasn’t necessarily treated well by her step mother and sisters and her greatest fear happened when she returned home and found her daughter limping. And you know those days there were no great hospitals in the villages which was Mukushi so she was forced to travel to Lusaka teaching hospital in the Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. They found out that my leg was broken and was put in a cast my aunt later took custody of me and we stayed together for the longest time. I actually thought she was my mother till when I got older and found out she wasn’t. she was and still is a teacher who was very keen on education and many rules let’s just say she was a strict parent.
I grew up way too quickly. At a very young age of 7 years old, I had responsibilities such as sweeping the house, ensuring that the dishes are neatly packed away. Playing wasn’t part of my daily routine, no it was wake up by 05am sweep the surrounding before I went to school. I wasn’t even allowed to go outside the gate.
And it wasn’t just her who put in the hard work, I had another aunt who too played a big role in shaping my life. So to answer your question in a nutshell, my family life was a mixture of two strict middle classed women who both were very educated and raising a rejected child.
Growing up with under the influence of two “middle classed strict women” must have been quite an experience. How did your guardians influence you?
I grew up as a troubled child from being raped by my aunt’s cousin’s to being beaten mercilessly, there was no room for error even though they were overprotective, yes horrible things did happen to me whilst under their nostrils. I didn’t see the value in most of their teachings till now as an adult. I look back and I try to find light in my darkest childhood life.
What is your education background, where did you school?
I attended Agape preschool and then spent years after that at Chiluba Basic School then went to Lady Diana in Kanyama compound in Lusaka for my 5th and 6th grade then went back to Chiluba for my 7th to 9th grade. And then the beginning of secondary school’s 10th grade I went to the United States of America and finished my high school years at Thomas A. Edison high school in Alexandria Virginia.
What led to your career path, joining the U.S Army and serving in the AirForce? Have you always wanted to join the Defence forces?
I had gotten accepted into Changsha medical university for medicine as I always wanted to be a doctor or pilot. But because at that time my fiancé was in China, my biological mother did not quite see fit for me to go school there. I had also gotten accepted in Claflin university to study psychology but because my heart was set to go China, the time that I would have enrolled in classes in the United States at the university I missed the window. So in the end, I started attending classes at a community college where I got my associates in sciences. I spent over 4 years trying to get a degree that I should have gotten in two years’ reasons being that I was paying for my own school out of the salary I was earning working mediocre jobs such as a hostess at Outback and the Majestic restaurants, coat check girl at Landini brothers and a cashier at MacDonalds. However, life in the states despite having a job was really hard to cope with especially with the mistreatment I got from my biological mother which made it even harder.
In 2019 I had decided that I was going to join one of the Armed Forces of the United States Army which was the AirForce. Whilst being an airman, I got accepted and went for Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas. However, that dream was cut short because two weeks after graduating I found out that I was 8 weeks pregnant and was asked to leave training provided that I could return in 6 months.
I informed the man responsible for my pregnancy and he insisted I abort the pregnancy. I was infuriated and hated myself how could I allow myself to be in such a position knowing quite well that this was going to be the peak of my career. Whilst in transition of leaving training, I was met with some pregnancy difficulties when I visited the Army hospital at San Antonia Lackland base the gynaecologist said I was too petit to carry full term pregnancy as there wasn’t enough nutrients being shared between me and the fetus growing in my womb at that time the pregnancy was not going to survive. I was given the option of either the baby or me. That news broke me into pieces now we all know that African do not take the news about their daughter getting pregnant lightly so out of fear I ran to Ghana to my old time friend where I got married but that marriage only lasted 10 months into our marriage I found out that my husband then only married me as a passage to the Americans. I finally came home because the healthcare in Ghana compared to the healthcare in America is very different, I could have lost my life and the baby’s.
The 21st January 2020, I was in labour for 20 hours and a C-Section had to be carried out. If the doctors hadn’t made the abrupt decision, I would have lost my baby. I got a promotion at work to be a pharmacy technician, working at Walgreens pharmacy in the United States. But the cost of my daughter and I’s survival was getting costly. So I was left with no choice but to apply again to go back into the AirForce. It took close to a year to get in and when I finally did, January 10th I went for my Basic Combat Training which lasted three months and then Advanced Individual Training so together I was gone 7 months from my daughter and missing her first birthday and all the other milestones I’d have loved to be there for.
So, those are the events that led me to my career path, first it was me and now my daughter Aurelia.
Accomplishing your goal to join the Army is such a huge achievement. What are you most proud of accomplishing so far and is there anything you would do differently if given chance?
I am most proud of accomplishing a self-worth award because for most of my life I was looked down on as a black sheep of the family. I was an example of what not to do without them understanding that the troublesome child they always scolded and excluded actually had a dark past. Imagine being raped at the age of five, not once, a continual act that didn’t stop until I was 13 years old. I spent most of my adolescent life trying to prove to everybody that I was worth being kept and not aborted, that child everyone threw to the side, that nobody tried to pay attention to. I was the forgotten child and I was on the vengeance to prove to my family that I was here and I wasn’t useless. In the end I fell in love with myself and my mistakes it was a wakeup call for me that each one and every mistake I made got me where I am. My story is the right ingredient that someone will need as inspiration. So no, I wouldn’t do anything differently.
I have been following your page, Enliven2Inspire, for a while. How did it come about and what is the inspiration behind it?
Enliven2Inspire basically stands for breathing life into, it stands for giving inspiration across the generation to the young and old that life isn’t easy and in order to get what we want, we must be willing to work hard and put in some effort. Keep trying no matter how many times you fail, be patient and pray. And just like the Phoenix rises from its ashes, we all do but it’s up to you to make it happen.
What do you hope that someone reads your story learns from it?
What I hope to see and hear perhaps from someone who reads my profile is that I stood as an example of what not giving up looks like. Because at the end of the day you are responsible for your own success, you cannot keep on blaming your parents for something they did or your rapist or teacher for telling you that you won’t mount to anything, you can only blame yourself.
From your story, I can see how much of an ambitious woman you are, where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Where I definitely see myself in 5 years from now is a God loving mother to my “golden gift” Aurelia, a successful business woman and an author. And many more of course in alignment with Gods plans.
If you could pick just one, what would you say is your favourite quote?
My favourite quote is….
THE PAST CAN HURT. But the what I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it. – Rafiki, The Lion King.
Having gone through so much pain and hardship but still remaining focused to make your life better, if your life was a book what do you think would be the title?
LIVING TO INSPIRE.
