Christina Edifailo Mwakisole is a feminist activist pursuing her Bachelor of Medicine degree in Tanzania. She’s passionate about ensuring communities have access to healthcare services. She is also a peer educator who specialises in HIV, sexual reproductive health and rights, and general health education for adolescent girls, young women and young gender-diverse people. She is a volunteer at Dare, a young-women led NGO that advocates for the health and wellbeing of adolescents, youth, girls and women based in Tanzania.
Esenam Amuzu is a feminist sexual reproductive health and rights activist who is passionate about youth development. She has experience in programming for adolescent and youth reproductive health, HIV, maternal health, family planning, gender equality and meaningful youth engagement. She also has experience in social and behaviour change communications, media advocacy and project management. Esenam has worked and volunteered with several organizations including UNFPA Ghana where she was a Youth Leaders Fellow as well as a key voice for the #DontTaxMyPad campaign in Ghana that focuses on advocating for the removal of luxury tax tag on sanitary pads.
Her advocacy for gender equality and sexual reproductive health and rights have afforded her opportunities to represent girls, women and youth locally and internationally amongst stakeholders at the UN Commission on Population and Development convened by UNFPA HQ to name a few. Esenam was part of the 2018 Women Deliver Young Leader cohort, the 2017 European Development Days Young Leader and a Youth Trailblazer Awardee of the International Conference on Population. She is also currently a Supply Chain Fellow of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition.
Hailing from Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums in Nairobi, Kenya, Lilian Mbuthi is a determined advocate dedicated to empowering young women and adolescent girls in beating odds and challenging societal norms. Her influence extends globally, inspiring young women to embrace their worth and pursue leadership roles. She demands accountability, amplifying voices against gender-based violence and gender inequities. She is passionate about and committed to advocating for sexual reproductive health and rights as well as improving access to healthcare services. Her indomitable spirit uplifts, unites, and creates lasting change for the women and girls she represents, embodying resilience in her noble cause.
She has been awarded certificates for advocacy, edecivic education, public policy, project management, stakeholder engagement, and SDGs championing from the Leap Leadership Institute of Leap Africa Lagos, Nigeria. She was a Pan-Africanism Fellow with Africans Rising Gambia; a Jammii Femmes Fellow with Women In Africa; and a Global Youth Changemaker. Currently, she is as an Inclusive Tech and Innovation Fellow at UNITAR. Her background underscores Lilian's commitment to effecting positive change and highlights her as a beacon of hope for AGYW empowerment on both local and global stages.
Welisane Maagbor is a feminist sexual reproductive health and rights activist; a communications officer; and a content creator for Development with knowledge in Management.
She has been involved in designing and implementing programs aimed at advancing social inclusion and mainstreaming key populations from an intersectional feminist approach. Here focus areas include HIV/AIDS, comprehensive sexuality education and advancing gender equality. Welisane is also passionate about investigating and interrogating the status quo to challenge different forms of discrimination young people experience, particularly in relation to sexual reproductive health and rights.
Nadene Msekiwa is a political scientist and a social justice feminist researcher with a keen interest in sexual reproductive health and human rights. She is a project coordinator, report writer and an art-activist expert who uses digital storytelling and analytical poetry to articulate gender issues.
She is currently working as a Programs Coordinator for the Pepeta Africa Network at Katswe Sistahood where she has nurtured her capacity for organizational planning and coordination, networking, gender research and analysis, and regional organizational development consultancy.
Nadene has found her niche and passion in focusing her life’s work, thus far, addressing the disadvantages womxn face due to existing gender inequalities by utilizing feminist philosophies to challenge and dismantle patriarchal systems. Her social justice advocacy focuses on human rights, civil society, women’s participation in decision-making, governance, and policy processes, and sexual reproductive health and rights.
Nadia April is a dedicated advocate for women's rights hailing from Namibia. She embarked on her academic journey at the University of Namibia, where she earned her degree in Population Studies in 2017. Since then, Nadia has been fervently committed to empowering marginalized communities, particularly focusing on the indigenous San young women and girls of Namibia.
In 2018, Nadia took on the role of Programs Officer at the Women's Leadership Centre (WLC). At the WLC she passionately spearheads initiatives that amplify the feminist voice, enhance visibility, nurture creativity, and cultivate leadership skills among young women. Her efforts extend to some of the most marginalized sectors of society, including lesbian young women, indigenous San young women, and those living under customary law, exposed to various forms of violence and HIV due to harmful cultural practices.
Nadia's work with the WLC exemplifies her dedication to fostering positive change and empowerment for women in Namibia. As a young feminist, she stands at the forefront of the fight for equality, striving to create a more just and inclusive society for all.
Ngozichukwu Chukwuma is a dynamic development professional with a proven track record in strategic planning and implementing impactful policies and programs for sustainable development and social justice. Based in Nigeria and working across Africa, Ngozichukwu specializes in championing the rights of women, girls, and young people, with a profound focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Her effort aims to create a safe and inclusive space, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances and diversities, can access vital sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services.
Her long-term aspirations revolve around advancing access to sexual and reproductive health services in Nigeria, becoming a human rights advocacy and policy expert. She hopes to envision community-based learning hubs that focus on bridging the information gap and empowering women, girls, and young people to make informed decisions about their health and bodies. These hubs will serve as beacons of knowledge and empowerment, championing gender equality, sexual rights, and reproductive health as fundamental human rights.
Guided by her values grounded in the human rights framework, which is fundamental for ensuring well-being and a healthy world, Ngozichukwu believes advocacy must be led by and centre the needs and experiences of those directly impacted.
Zoe Nakamba is an award-winning health advocate currently enrolled in medical school. She is a Neurosurgery apprentice and a published researcher. Zoe is a member of the Member Engagement Technical Working Group (TWG) at the PACT.
She has over 10 years’ experience in HIV advocacy. She worked with Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) in the subcommittee of young women and young people living with HIV to mobilise, set up hubs and community branches in all 10 provinces of Zambia with other youth member organisations. As a secondary school student, she developed a handout on Voluntary Medical Male circumcision, and the basics of HIV and other STIs, cervical and penile cancers to address information gaps and especially address misconceptions among Zambian youth.
Zoe has worked in print and electronic media alongside platforms like the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Radio 2 and Hot FM radio. This earned her the Zambia Adolescent Activism Award in 2015 and made her the youngest person to write for the Bank of Zambia at the age of 16.
She is also a member of the High Level Group on Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Ministerial Commitment on health and education for the wellbeing of adolescents and Young people. She convenes a hub for hundreds of adolescents and young advocates/activists mentoring them in evidence-based advocacy and basic HIV virology and interaction with body systems, the immune system and its response to STIs, Cervical and Penile cancers, male and female anatomies and several other scientific or technical information regarding to HIV and other related diseases. The Hub was acknowledged by the First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, UNICEF Country Representative and the Ministry of Health.