Cade Lucas
Businesswoman, author, gold miner – Point Cook’s Yeukai Ota has a resume as impressive as it is eclectic.
And if she has her way, the title of ’Mrs Australia’ might soon be added to it.
The mother of two who migrated from her native Zimababwe in 2004, is a finalist in the pageant, which unlike it’s namesake competitions, rewards fundraising rather than beauty.
“It’s a leadership pageant where you get to pick a cause and my cause is to raise money for wheelchairs for children in an orphanage in Zambia,” Mrs Ota said.
“I want to raise funds for 100 wheelchairs for children in desperate need. Each wheelchair costs $400, so that’s $40,000.”
It’s an ambitious target, but one Mrs Ota is setting about reaching with a series of fundraising events beginning with an auction in Hoppers Crossing this Saturday.
“The auction is on the 2nd of December at Encore Events Centre. We are going to auction a weekend stay at Crown Casino,” she said of the event which is being held in conjunction with Afro Aussie Women in Business and has a fundraising goal of $2000.
Mrs Ota has further events on International Women’s Day on and Mother’s Day scheduled and is also selling copies of her book ‘Fierce and Fabulous’ which she describes as “a dedication to the lives and achievements of 16 women who are changing the world.”
Mrs Ota co-authored the book with Nkandu Beltz, the patron of the orphanage in Zambia that she is fundraising for and also her unlikely conduit into the world of mining.
“Nkandu is also my mentor,” she said.
“I own a gold exploration company in Zimbabwe and she’s mentoring me as she owns a copper mind in Zambia and is changing the lives of people in her local community and I want to do that in my community where we are mining in Zimbabwe too.”
Mrs Ota said the mine is only in it’s early stages and hasn’t made much money yet. Instead she’s focussed on raising money for wheelchairs ahead of the Mrs Australia pageant in Sydney on February 3. Depending on the result, it could be followed by the world final in America later next year.
To attend the auction on December 2 visit: aawib.com/events
