Program Overview
The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is at the heart of the SHE SOARS project—an initiative working across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of out-of-school adolescent girls. Established as a fully youth-led governance body, the YAB are the watchdog for meaningful youth engagement, ensuring that the voices, expertise, and lived experiences of young people guide the project’s design, implementation, and accountability mechanisms.
Why a Youth Advisory Board?
The SHE SOARS program recognises that young people are not just beneficiaries, but leaders and experts of their own realities. The YAB was created to shift power dynamics, ensuring that youth from the region are central to decision-making processes and project strategies. This approach dismantles tokenistic participation and adopts meaningful youth engagement (MYE) as a guiding principle, enhancing the project’s impact and sustainability.
Mandate & Role
YAB members co-design, advise, and monitor every step of the project. Their mandate includes:
- Developing guidelines on MYE to hold partners accountable.
- Leading intergenerational dialogues that bridge the gap between youth and adult stakeholders.
- Providing technical input into SRHR curricula, mentorship programs, and participatory grantmaking.
- Driving youth-led monitoring, evaluation, and advocacy, ensuring systems are inclusive and responsive.
- Supporting and amplifying the work of youth-led organisations across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia
A Space for Youth Leadership
The YAB is composed of six passionate young advocates (two from Uganda, two from Kenya, and two from Zambia), aged 18 to 28, who bring diverse expertise and lived experiences from their communities. Together, they act as watchdogs for meaningful youth engagement, build the capacity of partners to engage better with adolescents, and shape solutions that respond directly to the realities young people face.
Looking Ahead
The YAB is not just a consultative body; it is a movement of young advocates driving transformation in SRHR and gender equality. As its membership rotates every three years, the Board ensures continuity, fresh perspectives, and generational leadership in SHE SOARS. By championing inclusivity, accountability, and youth-led agency, the YAB envisions a future where adolescent girls and young people thrive as leaders in their own right.
The Youth Advisory Board stands as proof that when young people lead, change is not only possible it soars.
Meet the board
The current board: Uganda- Derrick Atiki, Shanurah Jimbo, Kenya – Anthony Njuguna
Kenya: Gloria Mogoi Kimani,
Zambia: Maryner Lungu, Mathias Sakala,
Outgoing –Jeremiah Lubumbe Mulanda , Amanda Banura, Alvin Mwangi
