Impact Stories & Blogs

Sally Musonye, Kenya - WiAP Cohort  Six years ago, I took the maiden step of joining the YALI network by submitting my first ever application. My sole motivation then was a schoolmate who seemed to be excelling so well as a YALI alumni. I was unsuccessful because of my non-impactful and messy submission. Occasionally, I would follow her work in the community and her desire for growth and change was transformational. I resolved to be a change-maker and strive to lift others to learn and share in my joys and successes. The resilience, commitment, and dedication gave birth to my present status...

Kuol Arou Kuol, South Sudan - Cohort 37 Kuol is a South Sudanese peacebuilder based in the refugee settlement in Northern Uganda. After the 2018 deadly conflict between the refugees and the host community, he founded the Shabab Peace and Environment Action Group (SPEAK) to bring together youth from both refugees and host to tackle their differences through a coordinated effort. The aspect of environment  was made one of the main areas of focus because a lot of environmental factors led to the conflict. There was an increasing competition for natural resources that Kuol thought to solve by ...

Linda Chepkwony is the CEO of Rift Valley Organics Africa an Agribusiness that she started to process agricultural products through Value Addition. Since its inception, the company has continued to deliver genuine organically value-added products. Linda envisions transforming the food sector  into a healthy, transparent and socially responsible business. “ My company is an agro- processing and value addition company that creates market opportunities for small holder farmers and beekeepers through value addition of Honey (plain and infused), Nuts and Nut  Butters (from peanuts, cashews an...

Melatwork Tibebu Mengesha, Ethiopia – Cohort 33 My project is named “WhatNext”: Non-profit Women Empowerment and Mentorship program designed to equip women with leadership, self-development and soft skills to enable them to be confident, independent and competent in their professional as well as personal lives. Our Mission is to inspire women to recognize their power and elevate them to live up to their potential, be a positive influence in their community and be role models for next generations. WhatNext’s vision is to create a safe platform for women to learn and be mentored to o...

Gerald Ahimbisibwe, Uganda – Cohort 39 My name is Gerald Ahimbisibwe, the president and CEO of the ability youth initiative Uganda (TAYINU). TAYINU is a youth led non-profit  organisation which envisage  building a cohort of self-reliant young leaders contributing to the growth of the African continent .We are working across Uganda with young people especially those in universities to forefront societal change in areas of education, financial inclusion ,livelihood and civic spaces. Since its inception, TAYINU has been incorporated fully and now operates legally.   My leadership jou...

Cynthia Abito, Uganda - Cohort 34 I am Cynthia Abito,  Pocket Education’s CEO and Co-Founder. I have  a BA in Physical Planning. I am a 2021 Tony Elumelu Foundation Disruptor Entrepreneur. I also serve as a Mentee Advisory Committee of Global Give Back Circle as a member of the founding cohort of MasterCard Foundation Mentees. In 2016, I founded Global Pathways for Success Uganda, an NGO that provides community development. I have previously worked as a Consultant with Geo-Mic, Lira Municipal Council,  House and Building Planning Analyst, and with Bright Future Initiative as the Treasur...

Aimé-Patrick Manirakiza, Burundi - Cohort 40 I have 4 years of experience in Telecom sector at Econet Wireless Burundi. Currently, I work as an associate at Higherlife Foundation, and International Organization which works in Education to support orphans and vulnerable children and has 5 years of experience, specially focusing on computer trainings and Database. Beside this work, I’m a Founder of Sayangana Association, where my focus is on clean up campaigns, protecting the environment, planting fruit trees at schools and mentorships.    The project is aimed at protecting the environ...

Patient Belanila Matango, Democratic Republic of Congo - Cohort 34 I was born in war, raised in war and today conflicts persists in my country. At the age of 20, I asked myself several questions about various existing inter-ethnic wars and conflicts that have long characterized instability, insecurity and underdevelopment in different sectors of life. The challenges in my country requires proper organization, functioning, well-structured political system having strong animators with a sense of leadership.   My background motivated me study Social, Political and Administrative Sciences at ...

Grace Ineza, Rwanda - Cohort 35 My name is Ineza Umuhoza Grace, I am a self-motivated eco-feminist impact-driven activist in the climate change sector serving the global community. I believe in the power of sharing the community voices in the pursuit of achieving global climate justice. I come from Rwanda, a small country in Africa that did less to contribute to the current climate crisis and yet we are at the frontline of experiencing its impacts!  In the rural community, 3 to five people felt this impact in terms of drought, rainfall, flooding, erosion and landslide tend to be the curren...

Carolyne Njung'e, Kenya - Cohort 23 Carolyne Njung’e, is a 27-year old female social entrepreneur residing in Kakamega Town, Western Kenya. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, she stepped out of the banking industry to become a street-food (smokie-mayai) vendor and create employment opportunities for the youth within the county. This move saw the birth of Candi Fresh Kenya, an institution that is revolutionizing the street-food sub-sector with an aim of delivering safe and affordable food to economic consumers while creating decent employment for youth (especially young women). Through...