Undefeated Woman

Desange Kuenihira is the CEO and founder of unDEfeated, a non-profit organisation that provides education for underprivileged youth and supports single mothers in developing entrepreneurial skills so that they can start successful businesses to support their families.

Originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, at the age of two, Desange and her six siblings moved to a refugee camp in Uganda. In that camp, she had to fight for the life she wanted. She was told repeatedly that she was meaningless and that her only potential worth was the dowry a much older man who would pay to marry her as a pre-teen. Many of her friends were forced to marry strangers and have their children. Typically, the marriages wouldn’t last long, and soon the women returned to their parents with children, a ruined reputation, and no options for their futures.

Desange lived in Uganda for twelve years as a refugee before moving to the U.S. and becoming a U.S. citizen. Although she still faced many problems, she built her life in Utah and having people who believed in her potential meant she was able to determine her own future. She studied at the University of Utah and gained a Bachelor of Science in criminology and a Bachelor of Science in health, society, and policy, with a minor in entrepreneurship and pre- business.

Desange was one of the lucky ones and was given an opportunity to have a different future when she went to the United States but she always remembered the girls left behind. She founded unDEfeated for her friends and the countless young women in Uganda who don’t have someone valuing their worth. Her story of resilience and courage reflects the hardships faced by women in Uganda who often experience sexual abuse, poverty and child marriage and she hopes to break the cycle of poverty by creating opportunities for women to start and operate their own businesses.

Desange believes that education is the key to success and this is what will help Uganda move past being a poor country with an emerging economy and also close the significant educational disparity between men and women.

Find out more about Desange at Speakundefeated.org or her book Undefeated Woman is available at https://www.amazon.com/Undefeated-Woman-Desange-Kuenihira/dp/1956072063

    You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.
Find out more about our innovative Resilience and Burnout solutions.