Lonnie’s Legacy of Leadership and Love
“What is your name?” they would ask.
“Nthanda Manduwi,” I’d reply.
“Nthanda… Manduwi… as in daughter to Mrs. Lonnie Kalua-Manduwi, the captain?”
For as long as I can remember, I have lived in the light of a name larger than my own. My mother, Captain Lonnie Kalua-Manduwi, was the first female marine captain in Malawi — a woman whose brilliance and determination defied the boundaries of her time. Long before conversations about women in leadership became global priorities, she was charting her own course on the waters of Lake Malawi, commanding ships and commanding respect in spaces where women had never stood before.
This book, Lady at the Helm, is my attempt to capture the fullness of her story — not only as the pioneering captain whose name preceded me everywhere I went, but as the woman, the leader, the entrepreneur, and the mother who shaped the trajectory of my life and the lives of countless others.
More Than a Captain
My mother’s story begins long before the title. Born in 1966 in Blantyre, she was a girl whose brilliance was matched only by her determination. When her father’s passing forced her to leave university, she did not accept a smaller destiny. Instead, a rejection from a bank for being “overqualified” pushed her toward a bold new path — one that would lead her to the Marine College of Malawi, where she would be the only woman in a class of twelve.
In 1997, she became Malawi’s first female inland marine captain, rising through a deeply male-dominated profession and proving — to herself, to her country, and to all who would follow — that there was no space too vast or too rigid for a woman to inhabit. It was there, too, that she met my father, Phillip, a marine engineer, and together they built a life anchored by shared purpose and love.
A Life of Many Chapters
But my mother’s story does not end at the helm of a ship. It evolves — just as she did.
She stepped away from the water to raise a family and shape future leaders as a lecturer, mentoring generations of marine professionals who would go on to captain vessels of their own. She turned her focus to education, becoming a principal and later founding Hillside Secondary School and Excel Primary School — institutions that stand today as pillars of opportunity in our community.
And all the while, she lived with chronic illness — nineteen years of quiet endurance, rarely spoken about, often invisible to those around her. Even as her health declined, her strength never wavered. To the world, she remained composed and commanding; to us, she was a testament to resilience itself.
A Legacy That Outlives a Lifetime
Lady at the Helm is not only a biography of a remarkable woman. It is a story of what leadership truly looks like: the courage to step into spaces not built for you, the wisdom to know when to pivot, and the generosity to build doors for others to walk through.
It is a chronicle of entrepreneurship and nation-building, of love and partnership, of strength and sacrifice. It is a story about the often invisible labor of women who not only break barriers but build new worlds — and about the ripple effects of their choices across generations.
It is, too, a deeply personal story — one that explores how her life shaped mine. Her belief in education guided my own journey. Her example of leadership influences the work I do today. Her resilience continues to ground me. And as I think about my own legacy, I know it is inextricably tied to hers.
FULL BOOK CONCEPT
Lady at the Helm: Lonnie’s Legacy of Leadership and Love
A Memoir of Balancing Life, Love, and a Career in a World Not Built for Women to Thrive
By Nthanda Manduwi
Foreword by Phillip Manduwi
Part I – Water: Origins of a Pioneer
How a girl from Blantyre became a woman who would change history.
- A Name That Carries Weight – Childhood in Blantyre, roots in Rumphi and Mangochi, and the early sense of identity shaped by family, faith, and expectation.
- Loss and Resolve – The death of her father and its profound impact on her education, ambition, and worldview.
- The Overqualified Girl – Rejection by a bank leads to a pivotal decision that changes everything.
- Charting New Waters – Applying to Marine College and walking into a male-dominated space as the only woman.
- The Class of Twelve – Meeting Phillip and navigating the early days of maritime training.
- First on Deck – Rising through the ranks and becoming Malawi’s first female inland marine captain.
Part II – Shore: Love, Sacrifice, and Reinvention
When life demands you choose between what you love and who you love.
- A Partnership Forged by Water – The love story that shaped her life and legacy.
- Stepping Away from the Helm – Resigning from captaincy to focus on motherhood and family.
- The Classroom as a New Deck – Becoming a lecturer and shaping future generations of marine professionals.
- Balancing Acts – Navigating motherhood, mentorship, and professional purpose.
- When the Body Betrays – The onset of arthritis and the slow reshaping of daily life.
Part III – Legacy: Building Institutions, Creating Futures
When leadership is not about power, but about what you build for others.
- A Principal’s Purpose – Transitioning to leadership roles in vocational training (TEVET) and expanding her impact.
- The Hillside Vision – Building Hillside Secondary School with Phillip — the couple’s first major venture into private education.
- From Dream to Foundation – Establishing Excel Primary School as the heart of her legacy.
- Education as Enterprise – Turning a calling into a sustainable business and empowering communities.
- The Ripple Effect – The success stories of students whose lives were transformed by her schools.
Part IV – Depth: Illness, Anticipatory Grief, and Strength
When strength is invisible, and grief begins long before goodbye.
- Nineteen Years – Living with chronic illness while refusing to be defined by it.
- A Mother’s Mother – The perspective of her own mother navigating her daughter’s illness.
- The Ones Who Didn’t See It Coming – Wongani’s perspective and the many ways grief arrives.
- “She Was So Strong” – The public’s perception and the private reality of her strength.
- The Day After My Birthday – Her passing, the funeral she envisioned, and the celebration of a life lived with purpose.
Part V – Horizon: Continuity and Impact
Legacy is not what you leave behind. It’s what continues because of you.
- The Celebration She Planned – How her farewell reflected a lifetime of leadership.
- Beyond the Water – How her vision continues through her children and the institutions she built.
- The Next Wave – The broader impact of her story on women, education, and leadership in Africa.
- Lady at the Helm – A final meditation on love, legacy, and what it means to thrive in a world not built for you.
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Why I’m Telling This Story
I am writing this book because her story deserves to be preserved — not just for our family, but for history. Because the stories of African women who lead, build, and transform are too often left untold. Because leadership looks different when viewed through the lens of a woman who did not just occupy space but redefined it.
But most of all, I am writing this book because her life changed mine — and I believe it has the power to change others too.
Lady at the Helm is a tribute to my mother’s life and legacy. It is a love letter to the women who came before us, a map for those who will come after, and a reminder that even in a world not built for us, we can still chart our own course — and bring others along with us.
— Nthanda Manduwi
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