We are proud to announce 2 One Young World Ambassadors have been selected as Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards winners by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Awards are “an annual recognition of remarkable individuals taking action to help achieve the Global Goals by 2030.”
Jenifer Colpas of Colombia received the Progress Award for her work to advance SDG 6, and Satta Sheriff of Liberia received the Campaign Award for her work on SDG 5. One Young World nominated the two Ambassadors for the Awards.
The Progress Award, celebrates an individual who supports progress via a science, technology, digital, or business initiative, and the Campaign Award celebrates a campaign that has raised awareness or built a community by inspiring action and creating change.
Congratulations to Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh for receiving the Changemaker Award.
Previous winners from the One Young World Community include Bonita Sharma of Nepal, Hauwa Ojeifo of Nigeria, Gregory Rockson of Ghana, Aya Chebbi of Tunisia, and Laura Ulloa of Colombia.
Congratulations to our 2021 winners:
Progress Award
Jenifer Colpas, Colombia
In 2015, Jenifer Colpas came face-to-face with the water crisis while volunteering in rural areas of Colombia. Jenifer is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Tierra Grata, a social enterprise that develops low-cost, easy-to-install solutions providing access to clean energy, safe water, and sanitation to rural communities in Colombia.
“I'm understanding my country in practice, not just reading something on the news,” she says. To date, her team has managed to reach about 10,000 people through tangible health and hygiene improvements to rural areas in Colombia. Access to private toilets also means that women and girls are protected from sexual harassment and health problems brought on by contaminated water sources. Together, this empowers families to make safe and sustainable choices.
Campaign Award
Satta Sheriff, Liberia
Satta is the founder and executive director of Action for Justice and Human Rights (AJHR) — a youth-led non-governmental organization in Liberia. AJHR advocates for human rights especially on issues of gender-based violence and child marriage.
“I’m not just doing it for myself. I'm related to people who are directly affected by gender-based violence in Liberia,” she said.
In response to a spike in rape cases in Liberia, Satta worked alongside the Affiliation of Child and Women Right Advocates to lobby the national government. As a result, Liberia's President declared rape a National Emergency in 2020, allocating a $4M budget and developing a national Sexual and Gender-Based Violence roadmap for Liberia. Today, she is President of the Affiliation of Women and Children Rights Advocates.
