Ursula Mabolia has transformed her grief into action by empowering fatherless girls, women, and children through education and advocacy.
Ursula Mabolia was just five years old when she lost her father, and this loss shaped everything she would later become. That personal grief, once buried under the silence of childhood, eventually found its voice through her life’s work. Today, Mabolia is a philanthropist, author, teacher, CEO, and founder of the Zolange Foundation, a non-profit organisation working to empower vulnerable women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Her journey began with Grieving Daughters, a book she wrote to explore the emotional and psychological effects of growing up without a father. In it, she shares her own experience of fatherlessness, highlighting the long-term effects it can have on young women – from isolation and low self-esteem to emotional struggles and identity loss. The book opened up a larger conversation about absent parenting and how it quietly shapes the lives of women, especially in African and diasporic communities.
That same personal story led Ursula Mabolia to establish the Zolange Foundation in 2020. The name “Zolange” means “love you” in her late father’s native Kikongo language, and it was a deliberate choice that reflects her mission to make others feel the love and presence she once longed for.
The foundation, headquartered in DR Congo, is focused on humanitarian relief, education, and capacity-building initiatives that create both immediate and long-term impact. Through Zolange, Mabolia has launched programs that pay school fees, supply learning materials, and provide scholarships to children in partner schools and orphanages in Kinshasa. The foundation also supports orphanages directly, offering food, clothing, toys, and better living conditions for orphans.
For women, the foundation offers empowerment programs that include training sessions, workshops, and mentorship — all designed to help Congolese women develop the skills and confidence they need to lead in their families and communities. The social entrepreneur believes that if you want to change a country, start by equipping its women. Zolange also partners with organisations like OTJ Naturals to sponsor school fees and fund sustainable community projects.
Outside of the foundation, she teaches Bible study and leadership development at RTNAC in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. She is also the CEO of Trans Veritas, a company that focuses on translation services.
She frequently appears on podcasts and panels, where she discusses the complex emotional and social realities of growing up without a father.
Have you registered for the Africa Female CEO Conference (AFCC)? Join over 200+ influential and emerging African women leaders at the inaugural AFCC on September 18th at Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, to chart the course for Africa’s future. Hit this link to reserve your slot: https://tix.africa/africa-female-ceo-conference-afcc
