PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Tish Mukula is a nurse practitioner at Element Care in Lynn.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN — Tish Mukula came to Lynn with her husband in 1993 from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Today, Mukula, 50, a nurse practitioner, is a member of Woman, Cradle of Abundance, a nonprofit founded to empower women and girls in her native land.
Mukula said she has witnessed women and children suffering through hardships such as extreme poverty, forced marriage, dehumanization, gender-based violence and illiteracy.
The charity provides resources for impoverished women and children in Congo, including a safe home, health education and clinics, literacy classes and counseling for victims of rape.
“If these people are educated enough, they can stand on their own two feet,” she said. “They can help themselves, they can be independent and not be forced into things that they don’t want to do. That’s why I’m passionate about this. I want to help these women, they’re my sisters. They’re part of me. If I can just help one, I could make a difference.”
Mukula’s passion toward helping women and children in her native country stems from being a victim.
“I didn’t escape from it,” she said. “I was also one of the victims. I’ve came here and I’ve changed.”
After arriving in the U.S., Mukula has seen the opportunities an education can provide and hopes to help equip women and girls in Congo with an education, as well.
“I see how things are done here,” she said. “I see how education can change people’s lives. I want the same for those girls. That’s why I’m so passionate about it.”
Mukala said she moved to the United States because of the “great opportunity” working as a nurse practitioner presented.
Elisabeth Broderick, medical director at Element Care’s Lynn Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Center, described Mukula as an exceptional caregiver.
“She has a lot of compassion and is viewed with a lot of respect,” Broderick said.
She recalled a time when Mukula treated a man complaining of shortness of breath in the middle of the night on her own time.
“She’s pretty remarkable,” Broderick said of Mukala. “She has a lot of humility.”
After receiving a sizeable donation in 2014, Woman, Cradle of Abundance purchased a piece of land in Congo where they are building a women’s center that will provide further resources for impoverished women and girls. After the building’s completion, Mukala plans to return to Congo for its grand opening for the first time since she emigrated.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
Dillon Durst can be reached at [email protected].
