Beatrice Belaphonte Mlai, 23, grew up in Mabawa Ward, Mkanjuni Street, in Tanga City. Like many young people in coastal Tanzania, her life has always been closely connected to the ocean, farming, and the everyday realities of communities that depend on natural resources to survive.She holds a degree in Agriculture and Aquatic Sciences, and while …
As a youth advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Malawi, I have walked the dusty roads of Zomba, Machinga, Mangochi, and Mchinji. In these communities, I have listened to girls pushed out of school by early pregnancy, boys with little knowledge of contraception, and health workers overwhelmed by demand and limited …
Kadiatu Bakarr, is a 19-year-old girl from Gbangbatoke Junction in Moyamba District, whose desire for education was unquenched despite the numerous challenges she faced in her early teen years. In 2021, at the age of 16 and in school, she became pregnant. Her family, deeply disappointed, rejected her, and she was forced to drop out …
Meet Lindsay Garanewako, a young leader from Harare whose journey with Restless Development transformed her life and the lives of other young people at Butler Farm. Through the Peak Youth Thrive Project, Lindsay stepped into a Young Leader role, a role that deepened her passion for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and strengthened …
Benard Asiku, during an Inter Generational Dialogue (IGD) session, he was leading in his community. Benard Asiku, during an Inter Generational Dialogue (IGD) session, he was leading in his community. Benard Asiku, an Inter-Generational Dialogue (IGD) mentor under the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Economic empowerment (SHE) Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills (SOARS) …
The Hands That Weave Change In the neighborhoods of Bharatpur, a dedicated group of young people known as Saral Nepal saw a problem that many had simply learned to accept: a landscape increasingly cluttered by plastic. As a local civil society organization, they had the passion to change things but needed a catalyst to scale …
In Kalangba, a rural community in Sierra Leone, many adolescent girls face limited opportunities after completing secondary school. Isha S. Kanu, an 18-year old girl, had completed her West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), but like many of her peers, she found herself at home with no access to further education, skills training or employment. With few prospects and no structured …
In the quiet, remote village of Makwie an outreach community to Gbendembu in Sierra Leone 18-year-old Yapo Kanu lived in silence and shame because she had never gone to school. For Yapo, the world of education was foreign and intimidating. She often avoided conversations with her peers who were enrolled in school, feeling inadequate and …
Asha grew up in a community where a girl’s destiny was often predetermined, marriage and motherhood took precedence over education and personal ambition. She, like many others, had big dreams; she aspired to be a nurse, to heal the sick and serve her community. But fate had different plans. I believed that education was my …
At just 20 years old, Nadhifa has already faced challenges that could break many but instead, they ignited her desire to bring change to her community. She once dreamed of becoming a teacher. School was her safe space, her future. But that dream ended when she was forced to drop out in Form Two due …