16 youth activists partner with GPE to transform education

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Young people are already at the forefront of addressing the world’s greatest challenges, from climate change to racism, gender inequality and lack of education. Now, as the coronavirus pandemic puts school and learning further out of reach for children globally, youth leaders are raising the alarm and calling for support to education.

GPE youth leaders are young education activists, based in GPE partner countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. With youth networks in their countries, they are raising awareness of the barriers to education and aiming to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development. GPE’s youth leaders have seen firsthand how a quality education changes lives and are passionate about transforming education systems in their countries.

GPE youth leaders are supporting GPE’s financing campaign to transform education systems in the lowest income countries in the world.

GPE and youth: The plan

Through this pilot one-year engagement, GPE is partnering with youth in four ways to drive global change on education issues:

Amplification: GPE is amplifying the voices of youth to allow them to be heard by decision-makers and the broader public.

Awareness: Young people are raising awareness of the barriers to education in lower-income countries and their solutions, and engaging in high-level policy platforms and events to promote greater attention to GPE and education issues.

Ambition: Together, youth and GPE are partnering to raise the overall ambition of leaders for financing education and development, through policy engagement.

Action: Youth leaders will take their own actions to influence governments, their own networks and other decision-makers towards a better future for all.

MEET THE YOUTH LEADERS

In the next few months, GPE youth leaders will take part in several virtual events, and will be speaking up for education. These include:

GPE’s financing campaign
Discussions with global and regional youth networks such as the Y7, the youth platform of the G7
Global, regional and national policy forums such as Generation Equality linked events and parliamentary discussions.

Youth are driving change across the world and GPE is thrilled to partner with them to ensure every child can get a quality education

Youth leaders

https://www.globalpartnership.org/financing-2025/youth-leaders

Meet the young education activists who are raising their hand for education around the world

GPE youth leaders are young education activists based in GPE partner countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They are raising awareness of the barriers to education and aiming to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development. They are supporting GPE’s financing campaign to transform education systems in their countries and around the world.

Youth leaders

Meet the young education activists who are raising their hand for education around the world

Angel Warira

Angel Warira is a 25-year-old Kenyan youth advocate who is passionate about leadership and governance. She serves as the Secretary for Gender and International Relations of the All-Africa Students Union and has led various campaigns advocating for quality education at all levels of learning both nationally and continentally. Angel strongly believes that education is still the passport to the future.

@AngelMbuthia

Anthony Were

Anthony Were is a Project officer for Humanity & Inclusion in the Inclusive Education Project. He is a trained teacher with over 4 years’ experience and has worked in special schools dedicated to children with hearing impairments. In his work he supports teachers and learners in Inclusive schools in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya.

Armel Azihar sly-vania

Armel Azihar sly-vania, 25 years old, is a STEM activist and educator from the Comoros Islands. Armel has worked with IMARA COMOROS NGO where the crossroads of STEM, arts, and leadership meet. Armel is the lead educator on the STEM program and media consultant for the NGO, which teaches computer programming. Armel believes transforming education is important because we need to prepare children and youth to have internationally competitive minds and be creative citizens.

@SylvaArmel

Ashlegh Pfunye

Ashlegh Pfunye is a 24-year-old social justice activist from Zimbabwe who strongly believes in quality education for all. He has served as the Secretary General of Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU). Ashlegh has been at the forefront for advocating for equal access to education for all and has led campaigns, protests and peaceful initiatives in efforts to make education free for all in Zimbabwe.

@Pashlegh

Bridget Akurut

Bridget Akurut is 26 years old and lives in Kampala, Uganda. She has been an advocate for girl’s education as a FAWE alumni and she is Alumni Representative to the FAWE General Assembly, as member of the Educate - Her Alliance, Youth leader in Archdiocese of Kampala among others. She strongly believes that education creates equal opportunities for both boys and girls.

@akurutbriget

Cynthia Nyongesa

Cynthia Nyongesa is 25 years old and from Kenya. She founded a digital platform, “Cynthia Untamed” to amplify the stories of young changemakers in Africa. She uses the platform to fundraise for books for needy students. She began advocacy as a volunteer mentor with ‘Wings to Fly,’ the Equity Group and Mastercard Foundation’s scholarship initiative. She is the Generation Unlimited Youth Ambassador for Kenya. Here, she advises the Global Leadership Council and Office of the President in Kenya on education and training in creating opportunities for youth. She believes that transforming the education system equips learners with the skills to be innovative.

@Cynthia_Oprah

Diana Ayala

Diana Ayala is 27 years old and lives in Honduras. She is part and leader of CEAAL Youth Group in Honduras and part of GCE & CLADE through Foro Dakar Honduras. She is regularly involved with advocacy actions to local governments and CSOs on the success of SDG 4, and the education sector plan of Honduras, which includes access, quality and free education for all.

Fatu Sewanatu Mansaray

Fatu Sewanatu Mansaray is 20 years old and a Sierra Leonean living in Freetown. She has used her voice to challenge world leaders and local governments to invest in education for all. Fatu is part of Plan International’s youth network. The network uses advocacy to bring changes to their communities. Fatu believes that transforming education will solve many of the inequalities in her country for example teenage pregnancy.

@FatuSewanatu

Iyunoluwa Ademola-Popoola

Iyunoluwa Ademola-Popoola is 21 years old. She lives in Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria, and attends university in Ibadan. She is a volunteer with OneAfricanChild for creative learning. OneAfricanChild is creating a society that fosters creativity, education and innovation among young Africans. Iyunoluwa believes that the educational system in Nigeria has to be transformed because presently it isn’t inclusive.

@AIyunoluwa

Josephine Kamara

Josephine Kamara is a 27 year old girls’ rights advocate from Sierra Leone. Recently, she led Purposeful and its Coalition for Girls Education to raise public awareness and influence the government of Sierra Leone to overturn the policy that banned pregnant girls from attending schools. Josephine believes that a strong army of educated female children can change Africa.

@Jojo_Jazzmeen

Maryjacob Okwuosa

Maryjacob Okwuosa is a 25-year-old Nigerian. Maryjacob coordinates Activista in Nigeria as a platform to build the capacity of young people to demand quality and accessible education for all in Nigeria. Maryjacob is also the founder and Executive Director of Whisper to Humanity, a youth-led feminist organization that is training teachers and students to create a more conducive learning space for all.

@Okwuosamj

Mukhtar H. Modibbo

Mukhtar H. Modibbo is 24 years old and lives in Abuja, Nigeria. He is a social development advocate and a champion of the FollowTheMoney initiative, which works in over 10 African countries. He specializes in practical issues around education financing, advocacy and development of education policies as it affects rural and deprived grassroots communities. Mukhtar believes that education is at the heart of any national development.

@Halilumukhtar

Ola Abagun

Ola Abagun is a 29-year-old lawyer and activist based in Nigeria. She is the founder of Girl Pride Circle Initiative - a youth-led NGO which advocates for girls' rights to education (including comprehensive sexuality education), equal opportunities and violence-free communities. Olaoluwa strongly believes that a gender-transformative education system is critical for a truly equal and inclusive society.

@TheOlaAbagun

Selina Nkoile

Selina Nkoile, is 27 years old and lives in Narok, Kenya. In 2017 she founded Nashipai, which uses grassroots interventions to provide Maasai girls with opportunities for education and success. Selina is a ONE champion, youth advocate for NAYA Kenya and a member of Youth End FGM Network Kenya. She believes transforming the education system will provide a strong base for lifelong learning and opportunities.

@SelinaNkoile

Shradha Koirala

Shradha Koirala is 28 years old. She is the senior program coordinator for the National Campaign for Education Nepal (NCE Nepal). As the youth focal person in the organization, she believes that educational transformation is possible through and by young people as they are the real agents of change.

Sonita Alizada

Sonita Alizadeh

Sonita Alizadeh is a rapper and activist. She was born in Herat, Afghanistan, under the reign of the Taliban regime and grew up an undocumented, refugee street child in Tehran. At the age of 10, Sonita was sold into forced marriage. The contract fell through. Her family again tried to sell her when she was 16 and she escaped. Witnessing the injustices of the world, and her friends swiftly disappearing as they were forced to marry, Sonita wrote the song “Daughters for Sale”. With the aid of an Iranian filmmaker, a music video was recorded.

@SonitaAlizadeh

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