Ambassador Spotlights: January 2022

Waste Warriors is non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of the wider Himalayan region by improving waste management systems in key locations across the Indian side of the mountain range. It has worked towards this goal through a combination of direct action initiatives and capacity building in local communities and stakeholders in and around the target region. Working alongside government agencies, Waste Warriors has implemented and developed zero-waste programmes in both tourist-frequented urban areas and in rural communities, while educating local teachers on the importance of environmental preservation and established waste management techniques such as recycling.

Waste Warriors also operates the necessary infrastructure for the collection, sorting, and reverse logistics of plastic waste while providing training for informal waste workers, thereby empowering and institutionalising their important role in the region's burgeoning waste management system. Since beginning operations in 2012, Waste Warriors has processed over 5,000 metric tonnes of waste through 13 waste management centres, impacting over 15,000 homes and over 600 businesses. The organisation has also organised over a thousand clean-up operations, harnessing the time and effort of over 6,500 volunteers. Avinash acted as the CEO of Waste Warriors society until November 2020. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Management as a DAAD Helmut-Schmidt Programme Scholar in Germany.

Hakiem is the founder of Vereniging Jongeren van Commewijne (VJC), an organisation dedicated to helping young residents of Commewijne develop their full potential by equipping them with useful knowledge and the tools to succeed. VJC has primarily worked on humanitarian projects since its founding in 2019 in the context of Suriname's economic difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisation has educated and trained young people on subjects linked to the Sustainable-Development Goals (SDGs). VJC also donates food packages to randomly-chosen impoverished households, particularly on days of national importance in the country, reaching 120 households so far. It has also provided school packages, helping around 213 children in the past two years, and food aid to homeless people, with 200 such packages delivered. Along with its partner organisations, VJC also donates essential goods to 6 children's homes, and it has worked alongside the Ministry of Health for Suriname's vaccination programme.

Hakiem is also the Male-Chairperson for The Youth Advisory Group of the United Nations Populations Fund in Suriname, advocating for gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and population development. This work is closely tied to the UN's overarching international goals in these areas, and Hakiem has overseen training and workshop programmes, as well as collaborations with other NGOs, to these ends.

Give Hope Uganda is an organisation led by young people to promote the health and well-being of their generation. Founded by Denis Kisubi in 2017, it does this in partnership with other organisations like Girls Not Brides and CIVICUS through a range of educational, health and livelihood programmes. Other partners include She’s the First, AFRipad Foundation, Menstrual Health Hub. The organisation has played an active role in menstrual health education, helping to create 3 clubs in 3 schools with a combined membership of over 90 girls who have been educated thoroughly on the issue. In addition, Give Hope Uganda has also organised 6 parent-teacher associations, which has so far impacted 39 teachers and 450 parents through raising awareness and providing mentorship around the challenges that young girls face. 10 local government officials were also invited to attend, and the organisation's menstrual health campaign has been endorsed at both the local state and school levels.

Under Denis' leadership, Give Hope Uganda also operates a Dream Scholarship Fund through which it supports and provides vulnerable children with educational material, uniforms, health products, and even school fees where necessary in isolated parts of the country.

When world leaders, politicians and activists gathered for COP26, Svetlana cycled from Amsterdam to the conference in Glasgow in order to promote bike usage as an effective alternative to carbon-emitting transport. As a young leader active in various sustainability initiatives, Svetlana's goal has been to collaborate with mission-driven individuals on sharing the knowledge necessary to build a resilient and sustainable future. Since COP26, she has founded a project aimed at making climate education accessible to all and equipping youth with 21st century skills. She is also advocating for the implementation of sustainability in school curriculums and practices. 

In 2017, Svetlana co-founded a student-led initiative on promoting sustainability by raising awareness and taking actions locally. Since then, she leads weekly clean-ups, workshops and events while speaking publicly on diverse topics. Svetlana also co-founded in 2019 an Events Management service that connected students with local companies to boost youth employment and empower them in their professional careers. After her field research on quality education, she created workshops for 50+ students to motivate them on their learning journey. She is currently part of the consultations on gender equality in climate change policies at the CSW66 together with over 70 youth across 32 countries. Since November 2021, more than 20 people have reported being directly inspired by Svetlana's actions in the lead-up to COP26, with over 30 showing an increased awareness and willingness to tackle climate change and social issues.

Led by Rufaro Mudimu, enke: Make Your Mark is an organisation dedicated to bridging socio-economic inequalities through the social change and enterprises fostered by young people. Its goal is to develop young people in such a way that they both realise their value and are able to create a future based upon their skillsets, entrepreneurial mindsets and valuable networks. The organisation strives to achieve this through two key programmes: the Trailblazer programme works to prevent young people from falling through the gaps, becoming unemployable while also not training or in education. The Catalyst programme offers remedial solutions to young people in this position, allowing them to reenter the education system or the workforce.

enke: Make Your Mark also collaborates with several other organisations to increase the scalability of its project to build a more inclusive society. So far, it has trained 5,887 young people, with 4,431 going through one of its key programmes and another 1,456 being reached through special client projects. With 60-68% of the young people reached being female, projects led by young leaders who have been trained by enke have impacted over 108,000 people across South Africa.

Inspired by One Young World, Calvin founded the African Summit on Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ASENTI). More than 30,000 young entrepreneurs have been impacted by the summit and ASENTI training programmes. The organisation continues to grow, with Calvin aiming to impact upwards of 50,000 young people by 2026. The summit provides networking and mentoring opportunities for budding young Africa leaders, creating the space for important conversations between young entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors, and other stakeholders. He is currently working on establishing the ASENTI HUB, an innovation hub with an objective to incubate and support entrepreneurs across the continent.

ASENTI has partnered with numerous prestigious organisations with a presence in Africa, including One Young World, UNFPA, UNIDO, KPMG, NETFUND, and Kenya Power, working with country representatives in 10 African countries. In total, up to 10,000 people have undergone training and mentoring through ASENTI, while a further 20,000 have been impacted directly by the ASENTI summit and its online platforms. Calvin is also the founder of the Financial Inclusion Awards, a platform promoting financial inclusion in Kenya.