Our Network

Prasansha Acharya is an independent gender and climate justice practitioner from Nepal. Her academic and professional interests span gender‑responsive climate action, impact investment, gender‑smart investing, and community‑led adaptation. With over three years of experience as a consultant, her work has centered on strengthening institutional GEDSI and PSEAH policies and practices, supporting gender‑smart and impact investment initiatives, and building rural women’s confidence to save, invest, and improve their livelihoods.

Joy is the founder of LE-VAWG Initiative. A feminist organization advancing psychosocial support and mental health care for survivors of Gender-Based Violence. As a sexual violence survivor, She leads trauma-informed programs that serve women and girls In Nigeria and Africa. providing counseling, safe spaces, economic opportunities and legal aide for survivors. Her flagship project, project LE-VAWG, has created judgment-free spaces for 280 survivors to access emotional first aid, legal support, and referrals to professional care. Through her advocacy projects she as reached 16 communities and impacted over 22,000 women and Girls. Joy is committed to shifting communities mindsets from stigma to empathy, and she actively collaborates with local mental health advocates and GBV response networks to strengthen survivor-centered services. She has an Academic background in Philosophy, Gender training at NILVAWG Abuja, Business certification at Lagos Business school. Her activism as earned her Princess Diana Awards, a finalist for . ORG Impact awards, USA and the Executive Volunteer President For Girl Up Nigeria an Initiative of the United Nations Foundation advancing the rights of young girls in Gender and Leadership.

Namatovu Angella is an LGBTQ activist, human rights lawyer, anti-trafficking advocate and Founder of Azali Women Organization. Grounded in intersectional justice, they lead vital efforts in Uganda to protect and rescue victims and survivors of human trafficking, gender-based violence, exploitation and forced displacement, with a distinct focus on supporting LGBTQ individuals. Under their leadership, the organization operates essential anti-trafficking frameworks, offering rapid-response rescue, critical legal support, mental health counseling, and safe transitioning spaces alongside long-term economic empowerment initiatives. Angella is also a feminist and democracy activist navigating increasingly restrictive legislative environments to defend civil liberties and civic space across Africa and the MENA region.

Liliia Antoniuk is a Ukrainian civil society leader, researcher, and gender equality advocate dedicated to strengthening democratic resilience and empowering women and girls. She is the Executive Director of the NGO Women's League, where she has built a nationwide ecosystem of leadership, civic engagement, and mentorship programmes that equip hundreds of girls and young women each year with the skills and confidence to become changemakers in their communities. Liliia is also a PhD researcher in Law focusing on gender equality and European integration, a Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, and an alumna of the College of Europe, the European Parliament, and Carnegie Europe's SHAPEDEM-EU fellowship programmes. Her work has been recognized by the Parliament of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Council of Young Scientists under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

Camila Batista is a Brazilian social entrepreneur, lawyer, and women's rights advocate serving as Chief Operating Officer of Migraflix, a social enterprise advancing the social and economic inclusion of migrants and refugees across Latin America. She chairs the Advisory Board of the Migration Youth and Children Platform (MYCP), the official United Nations mechanism for youth participation in intergovernmental migration processes. She has been recognized as one of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations' "150 Voices of Tomorrow" and is a fellow of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders network, Opportunity Collaboration, and the CERC Migration and Integration program at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Musa founded Peace Drive, a youth-led peacebuilding organization in Freetown, Sierra Leone, dedicated to rebuilding intergenerational trust and strengthening democratic accountability in communities affected by conflict and political mistrust. Through initiatives like its Knowledge Management Series, Peace Drive equips young people with the tools for dialogue, civic engagement, and mediation, helping bridge divides between generations and within communities. Musa's work has been recognized on the global stage, including through the UNODA Youth4Disarmament Initiative, Peace Ambassador at One Young World, and as a UN Youth Delegate to the Fifth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5), where he contributed to international advocacy on peace, security, and youth inclusion in policymaking.

Dina Chaerani is an Indonesian feminist advocate, youth organiser, and digital storyteller working at the intersection of bodily autonomy, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and youth justice. Grounded in lived experience, her work challenges the systems that police bodies, stigmatise sexuality, and silence young people, especially in digital spaces. She is the Co-Founder of Sexdugram and the creator of the bold online persona SRHR Barbie, using storytelling, media, and advocacy to make SRHR political, accessible, and impossible to ignore. Dina also hosts Sex O’Clock News, a youth-led platform that brings sharp, feminist reporting on SRHR, power, and justice to wider audiences.

Nwankwo Praise Chidiebube is a gender justice advocate and Founder of HerRise Foundation, a feminist non-profit that has reached over 30,000+ women and girls across Nigeria through trauma-informed GBV prevention, psychosocial safe spaces, and women’s leadership programming. Starting with her school allowance, and the proceeds of scrap metal she sold to fund her first project, she has secured over $10,000 in consecutive Ford Foundation grants, trained 163 teachers as GBV first responders, and produced her state’s first school GBV Club Manual. A Board Member of UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Young People’s Action Team, 2025 National Health Fellow of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, and Fellow of Lagos Business School and Harvard Business School faculty’s Aspire Leadership Institute, she has represented Nigerian youth at the UN Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar. She does not measure success by how far she has come, but by how many she has gone back for.

Wisteria Deng is a clinical psychologist, queer immigrant artist, poet, and theater-maker working at the intersection of storytelling, healing, and community care. She is the Founding Artistic Director of Vermilion Theater, a multilingual arts nonprofit serving immigrant, queer, and diasporic communities through performance, community workshops, and culturally responsive mental health programming. Her flagship project, Home as a Verb, brings together creative expression and community-based workshops to explore the mental health impacts of displacement; the project has been supported by the City of Boston’s Weaving Well-Being Grant and developed through multiple community partnerships including University Settlement, where Wisteria serves as an artist-in-residence. A Yale-trained clinical psychologist and Gruber Fellow, Wisteria’s work bridges palliative care, community mental health, poetry, and performance to ask how we make home in unstable places.

Bipana Dhakal is a youth advocate and development practitioner from Nepal working at the intersection of education and community development. She is the Founder and CEO of The Learning Fortress (TLF), a community-rooted initiative that creates non-formal learning spaces in underserved rural communities, where children and young people build practical skills, confidence, and leadership through context-based learning. Her work focuses on expanding access to meaningful learning opportunities and strengthening youth participation in community decision-making processes. Bipana also serves as a Youth Advisor at Comic Relief US and a Youth Council Member at The Possibilists. She contributes to youth-focused initiatives on education, equity, and civic engagement across local and global contexts.

Abdullah Al Hasan Dipto is a Diana Award recipient, social impact leader, and educator from Bangladesh with extensive experience in economic empowerment, entrepreneurship development, and youth leadership. Abdullah has designed and led initiatives that equip marginalized communities with essential skills, resources, and opportunities to improve their livelihoods and build sustainable futures. Through his work in community development, capacity building, and social innovation, Abdullah has supported emerging entrepreneurs and young leaders from underrepresented communities to create meaningful and lasting change.

Filmmaker, writer, and director, and cofounder of FEMBUD — a feminist storytelling and creative justice collective in Abuja that uses film, art, and cultural organizing to challenge harmful narratives and amplify the voices of women, girls, and historically marginalized communities. She also serves as Programs, Productions, and Advocacy Manager at the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF), a survivor-run nonprofit dedicated to sexual and gender-based violence response and prevention. Diri believes art and creativity are essential to structural change — that storytelling can bridge the gap between empathy and action, allowing us to shift cultural narratives and disrupt inequality.

Maryam Ebrahim Elsharkawy is a medical student at Mansoura National University and a forward-thinking health-tech entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Founder of PulseID, a digital health startup developing unified digital patient identities through the integration of blockchain technology and biometrics to ensure secure, instant access to medical records. Recognized for her leadership in innovation, Maryam led her startup to win first place in her university’s internal competition, qualifying for the international rounds. Her commitment to global entrepreneurship is further highlighted by her selection for the University of Michigan's Entrepreneurship Exchange program. Maryam operates at the intersection of clinical practice and business sustainability, fighting to build secure, data-driven health ecosystems that eliminate critical information gaps in patient care.

Bruno Essame is the Founder of APPCEV and Co-Founder of WATETEZI Africa, where he leads initiatives dedicated to youth empowerment, protection, and the socioeconomic inclusion of vulnerable youth and communities. He is a Monitoring and Evaluation expert with strong experience in project management, research administration, and development programming. He leads “Resilient Pathways for Displaced Youth in Cameroon”, a flagship initiative supporting internally displaced youth from Cameroon’s South West and North West regions through skills development, resilience building, and improved access to sustainable livelihoods. He has been recognized as a UNICEF Cameroon Youth Champion and served as an Ambassador for the “Our Voices Count” initiative of the Batonga Foundation, reflecting his commitment to youth-led development and social impact across Africa https://x.com/essamebruno198.

Physician and social entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of Dosy — the first women-led mobility platform in Egypt and the MENA region, reimagining how women move safely and independently by addressing safety, affordability, and access in everyday transportation. She founded Dosy after experiencing firsthand the mobility barriers women face, from unsafe and male-dominated ride-hailing services to unreliable public transport. Through Dosy, she is building a safer and more inclusive mobility ecosystem while creating economic opportunities for women as instructors and drivers across Egypt.

Ahmad Naseer Fazel is the President of Bright Horizon Leadership Consulting and an integral member of Girls Toward Leadership Organization, serving Afghan youth and women through leadership education and capacity‑building programs. He has co‑designed and implemented more than thirty initiatives reaching over 1,000 girls both online and in person, including hybrid programs supported by Morning Star Development that expand access to quality education and leadership training. Ahmad also serves as Secretary of Rotary Club Kabul City for the 2026–2027 term, reflecting his commitment to community service and global citizenship. Recognized for his advocacy in women’s rights and education, he has been selected as a 2026 GFIC Fellow, continuing his mission to empower young women, strengthen communities, and inspire future leaders.

Mariana Jiménez Hernández is a Mexican labor lawyer and social entrepreneur advancing labor rights and workplace inclusion for historically marginalized communities. She co-founded Laboralista de Confianza, where she leads initiatives that combine legal education and litigation, employability training, and advocacy for women, LGBTQ+ people, and other vulnerable communities. An alumn of the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), her work sits at the intersection of labor justice, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Dr. Abigail Canales Ibarra is a feminist physician from Monterrey, Mexico, working at the intersection of medicine, public health, and sexology. She is the founder of the Institute of Health, Gender, and Justice in Healthcare, where she designs clinical tools that make gender-based violence visible and actionable, within everyday medical care. Her flagship work includes the ACI-Mujeres framework, a methodology to detect, analyze, and interrupt structural gender violence, and the Dalia Initiative, a protocol for the humanized care of survivors of sexual violence. Her frameworks are used by clinicians and reach the public through open-access platforms she built, and her current work extends to HIV care and sexual health as a matter of human rights. As a Global Fellow in Courage, she brings a deep commitment to dignity, bodily autonomy, and justice to a global community of changemakers. She's also the Partnerships Director of Millennium Campus Network, deeply passionate about civic youth engagement, over 47 countries in 300+ universities.

Faridat grew up in Nigeria where her parents earned less than $100 a month combined, a house where the question was never what you wanted, but what you could survive. By 13, she had already become an SDG advocate, working with nonprofits on sustainable development goals. By the time she moved to the UK, this commitment had only deepened; she continued building her impact in the social impact and advocacy space, even engaging UK MPs on global health budget priorities. By 25, she holds nursing credentials across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States, an MBA, four certifications spanning project management, product ownership, and digital health, and three peer-reviewed publications on global health. As Director of Strategy and Operations at Innovate Health Africa, she leads a healthcare innovation fellowship that has trained 150+ health leaders across different African countries. She also serves as a Public Health Officer in health protection domain, responding to health threats and communicable disease control in one of the Crown dependency regions in the UK. Her leadership has earned multiple recognitions: the African Leadership and Innovation Award 2025, the Google Scholarship for exceptional leadership in technology, the Royal College of Nursing Learning Representative of the Year Commendation, and shortlistings for learning and development awards. Now she is building RIDA Health Global: a cross-border fellowship bringing health leaders from well-resourced and under-resourced settings together as equals across five tracks: digital health, public health and global health, quality improvement, research, and policy. She measures success by what becomes possible for people when systems finally build them in from the start.

Aseel Ibrahim is a researcher and feminist advocate, and the founder of Right Not a Luxury, a youth-led initiative in Jordan that empowers hundreds of young people using art as a powerful tool for awareness. She holds an MA in Audiovisual Translation and serves as a youth advisor on high-level global and regional platforms. Backed by a proven track record of mobilizing youth and championing intersectional issues, Aseel is dedicated to transforming grassroots realities into impactful advocacy while building inclusive, tokenism-free spaces for youth leadership.

Mabuse is a South African social entrepreneur, educator, and facilitator, and co-founder of Connected Development NPC. Through initiatives such as the STEP Programme, the Unchained Platform, and the Roots and Wings Network, he works with young people, men, and community-based organisations to build leadership, wellbeing, and pathways to opportunity. A former public school teacher, his work focuses on creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to lead change in their own lives and communities.

Ronelle King is a multi-award-winning Caribbean feminist, gender rights advocate, and Founder and Executive Director of Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-Based Violence. In 2016, she launched the #LifeInLeggings movement, a viral social media campaign that empowered survivors across the Caribbean to share their experiences of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, sparking regional dialogue and action on violence against women and girls. Under her leadership, Life In Leggings has grown into a leading Caribbean organization providing survivor support services, advocacy, and educational and empowerment programs. The organization’s Pink Parliament initiative works with young women and girls to increase their participation in politics, and its Redefining Masculinities program works with men and boys to address patriarchal masculinities and end male-perpetrated violence against women and girls. Ronelle’s advocacy has earned her numerous national and international recognitions. She is a United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals and was recently awarded the Pride of Barbados Award in recognition of her contributions to advancing gender equality and reducing gender-based violence.

A Filipino sustainability practitioner and human rights advocate working at the intersection of climate action, social equity and just energy transition. As Senior Director for Climate Change and Sustainability Services at EY Philippines, Director for Capacity at Sustainability PH, and Co-Founder of Green Impact, he advances strategies and programs that help organizations, communities and youth address systemic inequality and climate vulnerability. A GreenBiz 30 Under 30, NAAEE 30 Under 30 honoree & UNDP Youth Social Innovation Lab Winner, Laurence is committed to ensuring that climate action creates opportunities and protects the rights of vulnerable communities.

Radhika Modi is a researcher and facilitator working at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and menstrual health, and the founder of Flow at Work, an initiative advancing menstrual equity in workplaces across India. Her work has been recognized across the Asia-Pacific region through her selection to UN Women Asia Pacific’s 30 for 2030 network. She is also a recipient of the GRO GEST fellowship at the University of Iceland, where she completed a diploma in International Gender Studies.

Sethembile Msezane is an internationally acclaimed South African artist and educator. As the founder of Msezane Studios, she combines artistic practice with cultural advocacy to advance African narratives, expand African scholarship, and create greater visibility, and representation for marginalised histories and communities. Her work has been presented at leading international platforms, including the Cuenca Biennial (Ecuador), Dak’Art Biennale (Senegal), Bamako Encounters (Mali), and the Curitiba Biennial (Brazil), and is held in prominent collections, including the Iziko South African National Gallery and the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

Founder of Panah Collective, an emerging initiative focused on institutional responses to gender-based violence in Pakistan, and organizing member of Aurat March Islamabad. Works on survivor-centered advocacy, feminist organizing, and institutional accountability, with a focus on improving how survivors are treated by systems intended to provide protection and support.

Dea Nini is an international human rights lawyer and legal strategist from Albania whose work begins from a simple but radical premise: the right to life is incomplete without the right to live with dignity. She works alongside women, communities affected by discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised communities, using law not as a promise of formal equality but as a tool for substantive justice, institutional accountability, and systemic change. Her work bridges civil society, public institutions, independent human rights bodies, courts, and UN and European human rights systems, transforming lived injustice into legal arguments, policy reform, and rights that can be claimed in practice. A Chevening Scholar, Gold Medal law graduate, and member of the Global Fellows in Courage 2026 cohort, Dea brings the precision of a legal strategist and the urgency of an advocate to the pursuit of justice.

Yvette NKURUNZIZA is a Medical Doctor from Rwanda. Yvette is a cofounder of the AWAKEN HER INITIATIVE whose aim is to prevent deaths from breast and cervical cancers through increasing the uptake of screening services. Yvette holds a Masters in Global Health Delivery, Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health track from the University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda and Masters in Public Health from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom under Chevening scholarship. Yvette has allocated her life towards building equitable communities in health aspects. Yvette is currently a PhD student in Global Health at York University. Her research will assess the intersectional association between socioeconomic factors and Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in Rwanda.

Vincent Olwanda is a human rights defender, educator, and social entrepreneur dedicated to building self-sustaining safeguarding ecosystems for youth in Kenya. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Safiri Youth Impact (SYI) where his work operates at the intersection of education, gender equity, and public health. Vincent has a proven track record in mobilizing grassroots volunteer cohorts and executing EU-funded initiatives, notably directing the "Legal Framework for Change" project and the "Beyond the Periods" SRHR initiative across public schools. An experienced policy advocate, he recently drafted and presented a formal legislative memorandum to the Migori County Assembly to lobby for the region's first SGBV Safe House. As a 2026 Global Fellow in Courage, Vincent is expanding his impact by launching the Digital Resilience Enterprise Academy—a B2B cross-subsidization enterprise designed to permanently fund grassroots digital safety interventions.

Rogers Omollo is an author, social impact leader, and the Founder and Executive Director of Activate Action, a youth-led for impact organization in Kenya, dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing, and economic opportunities of adolescents and young people, particularly those living with HIV, disabilities, and other vulnerabilities. Through his leadership, Activate Action has established youth-friendly centres that provide HIV testing and care, mental health support, sexual and reproductive health services, entrepreneurship training, and safe spaces for young people facing stigma, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, and social exclusion. He has led community-driven initiatives that have empowered thousands of adolescents and youth with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to make informed life choices, improve their wellbeing, and build sustainable livelihoods. Rogers is passionate about creating inclusive opportunities that enable young people to live healthy, dignified, and productive lives.

Aglaia Orfanidou is the Founder and Managing Director of She Tells, a youth-led and women-led organization based in Greece that advances gender equality, climate action, and social justice through storytelling, participatory research, education, and advocacy. She works to transform lived experiences into evidence-based solutions and inclusive policies, particularly for young women and underrepresented communities. Since founding She Tells in 2024, she has led international initiatives engaging young people across Europe and Africa on issues including menstrual equity, ecofeminism, education access, and youth participation. One of her flagship initiatives, Cycle for Change, promotes menstrual health, sustainability, and access to reusable menstrual products for women and girls facing social and economic barriers. Aglaia is a 2026 Global Fellow in Courage, a Groundbreaker for Global Good, and a passionate advocate for youth-led social change.

Founder of Criándose: Initiative for Youth Development, a youth-led initiative in Ecuador dedicated to empowering children, adolescents, and young people through education, leadership, and gender equity. Currently developing a STEM education program for girls in undeserved communities, equipping them with skills in coding, robotics, and design thinking. Committed to expanding access to opportunities that enable young people to reach their full potential and drive positive social change.

An LSE international policy architect defending the rights of migrants, refugees, and climate-displaced communities, he is an Oxford GLC Overall Grand Winner and a 54th St. Gallen Leader of Tomorrow. An Erasmus Mundus NOHA recipient, a Global MDP First Prize winner, and a beVisioneers Mercedes-Benz Fellow, he serves globally as an IEP Ambassador, UNESCO-APCIC envoy, a previous Theirworld Global Youth Ambassador, and World Economic Forum Global Shaper, whose work with UNFCCC COP29, UNICEF Australia, and the UNDP has been featured across SBS World News, 7News, and Forbes networks.

Luis Rosas has spent two decades asking a single question from different vantage points: who gets to design the systems that govern safety, justice, and dignity? He began searching for the answer as a constitutional litigator, securing precedents before Mexico's Supreme Court on marriage equality, reproductive autonomy, and indigenous territorial rights, and contributing to rulings of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that remain binding across twenty-five nations. But it was during his seven years at Open Society Foundations — overseeing more than 300 initiatives on security, justice, race, and gender from Mexico to Argentina — that the question sharpened into the conviction that would reorganize his life: the people who endure discrimination, inequality, and violence are the last to be consulted about the solutions, and the most lasting answers were already alive in the communities that institutions kept treating as beneficiaries rather than as architects. That conviction became Xquenda Artes, an applied research center he cofounded in Oaxaca on a quietly radical premise — that indigenous and territorial communities are not beneficiaries of policy but its rightful authors. The proof followed: Vecinas y Vecinos por la Paz, Oaxaca's first independently evaluated community security model, documented a 42% reduction in crime where punitive approaches had failed, and is now scaling toward 57 municipalities and two million people by 2028. A member of the Ethical Public Leadership Network convened by Harvard and El Colegio de México, and an LL. M. graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Luis works at the place where law meets imagination, arts, and futures — standing for a proposition larger than any single program: that the future of democratic security will not be designed in the capitals of the North, but co-produced in the territories of the South, and that the world's task is not to teach these communities, but to finally learn from them.

Colombian architect, researcher, and co-founder of Colombiando, a nonprofit advancing rural education in some of Colombia's most remote communities. Through participatory research and community-led initiatives, she works alongside multigrade teachers to make visible the people and territories often overlooked by the education system. A Fulbright Scholar and MPA in Development Practice candidate at Columbia University, Sarah believes schools can be powerful catalysts for community transformation and territorial development.

Anoushka Sinha is a globally recognized social entrepreneur, human rights advocate, and international public speaker leading efforts to dismantle systemic inequities and build inclusive futures. She is on the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list with a special mention in Education, the youngest honouree of the Economic Times 40U40 , and a recipient of the Diana Award, the highest level of recognition for young people awarded by the Royal Family in memory of Princess Diana. She is the youngest honouree among the 75 Leaders selected by UN Women and the Ford Foundation, and has been named one of Asia-Pacific’s 50 Leading Lights in Business and Leadership by Women of the Future Programme, Asia Square, KPMG alongside icons like Sir Jimmy Choo. She is also a recipient of the Order of the Kentucky Colonels, the highest civilian honour in the state, granting her the honorary title of Colonel. Her work has been awarded by UNICEF, UN Foundation, and The Times Group, and profiled on global platforms including NASDAQ, Forbes, Times Square, NDTV, Yahoo, FEMINA, Financial Times, Economic Times, Business World. She began her advocacy at age 10, using her lived experiences to drive systemic change across education equity, gender rights, climate justice, and social innovation. She currently serves as one of the youngest advisors to the World Bank’s S4YE initiative, where she was named an Exemplary Justice Reformer. She has also served as a UNICEF youth advisor, the youngest ambassador to UNEP from her country, and the youngest ever steering committee member for UNESCO’s Global Youth Community. She has worked with leading multilaterals and global charities including the UN, UNESCO, UNDP, and the ONE Campaign to embed youth perspectives in global policy and systems reform. A remarkable speaker, she has spoken at high-level decision-making platforms such as the United Nations, Rockefeller Foundation, Misk Global Forum, TEDx reaching audiences of 5M+ across 75 countries. As founder of Anupam Foundation, she has built a global network of changemakers in 40+ countries, impacting 525k+ lives. She has also led the creation of low-cost med-tech and ed-tech for underserved communities in the Global South, awarded thrice by MIT. She is one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts, London, a Points of Light Honor Roll inductee by President George W. Bush, and a member of the invite-only ForbesWomen network for women leaders. She champions the rights of women and youth globally and is excited to be a part of this fellowship to drive bold, inclusive change.

Naisiae Tumpes is a Maasai Indigenous rights advocate, and climate policy practitioner, working to strengthen awareness of civic rights, land rights, and climate justice among Maasai communities in Kenya. Through her work with Indigenous Livelihood Enhancement Partners (ILEPA), she has contributed to research on carbon markets, and conservation, helping shape rights-based approaches to climate and conservation initiatives. She is also recognized for her advocacy on Indigenous land rights, including mobilizing youth participation in the protection of contested land in Maasailand. Naisiae engages a digital community of more than 300,000 followers, translating complex policy issues into accessible conversations on governance, Indigenous rights, and climate justice.

Co-founder and CEO of Take Care Mom, a digital platform for postpartum depression screening available in 4 languages across 83 countries, reaching over 5 million women. A former Microsoft operations manager from Central Asia, she left her corporate career to build maternal mental health infrastructure in a region where the topic remains deeply stigmatized. Take Care Mom was selected for the UNFPA Equalizer Challenge, the only project from Central Asia in six years, and won Bronze at the Women Changing the World Asia Awards and 1st place at UN Women Expo Kazakhstan. She also leads entrepreneurship and mentorship programs for women across Central Asia, helping over 20 participants launch their own projects and secure funding for their ventures.

Tafadzwa Wachenuka is a Zimbabwean electronics engineer and climate entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Grumium Engineering, which builds AI-powered smart grid technology that helps integrate solar energy and prevent blackouts across Africa. His flagship project serves businesses and communities in Zimbabwe, reducing energy losses by 40% and cutting carbon emissions by 1,500 tons annually. His work has earned an Earthshot Prize nomination, endorsement from the European Union Delegation, and grant funding from UNESCO, the European Union, and the Mastercard Foundation. Tafadzwa is a YALI Top 100 Innovator, a UNESCO Summit delegate, and a Mercedes Benz Global Fellow. He is driven by a vision to end energy poverty so that no child has to study by candlelight.

Shenali Wijesinghe is a Sri Lankan founder, writer, and communications strategist building VĀYU Health, a women’s health and safety initiative rooted in dignity, access, and care. Her work spans gender justice, storytelling, health access, and community building across Sri Lanka and Singapore. She is a Hult Prize Impact Fellow and a finalist for the 2025 Unlock Her Future Prize. Her research on women’s political participation in Sri Lanka was recognized by the Global Undergraduate Awards, where she was named Global Winner in the Politics & International Relations category.

Sarah Williams is the founder and CEO of What Were You Wearing? Australia, a national charity dedicated to preventing domestic, family and sexual violence through education, advocacy, and survivor-led initiatives. Under her leadership, the organisation has delivered workshops across the country, amplified the voices of victim-survivors, and driven systemic change through innovative campaigns. Sarah led the landmark government petition calling for mandatory drink spiking awareness and sexual harassment training for all bar staff, helping to advance safer nightlife initiatives nationwide. In recognition of her advocacy and impact, she was named Marie Claire Advocate of the Year in 2024 and continues to use her platform to champion a future free from gender-based violence.

Thai transdisciplinary learning facilitator and civic innovator—co-founder and Executive Director of JALAN Civic Lab, a creative think tank advancing civic rights and democracy across Southeast Asia. His work focuses on empowering young people and grassroots communities and co-creating just and livable societies through transdisciplinary research and practices. Currently pursuing a PhD in Gender and Development Studies at the Asian Institute of Technology and teaching contemporary global issues at Bangkok University.