Meet Action Learning Cycle 9 Members

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Youth-led organisations are central to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), yet many continue to face structural barriers to accessing sustainable and equitable funding. Limited to short-term seed grants and often excluded by restrictive donor criteria, youth-led organisations—especially in the Global South—struggle to scale their impact, retain staff, and innovate freely in response to young people’s needs.

This topic resonated strongly with participants in an earlier Action Learning Cycle, and we’re bringing it back due to continued demand for deeper exploration. In this 9th cycle, we’ll build on previous discussions to go further—reflecting on global funding gaps, challenging tokenistic practices, and sharing practical strategies to shift power and foster long-term sustainability for youth-led and youth-serving organisations. Learn more about our 9th Action Learning Cycle topic here.

We asked our group members about their motivation to join this learning cycle—and here’s what they had to say:

Tinashe Rufurwadzo
Programme Manager, Community Strategic Initiatives
ViiV Healthcare, Positive Action

Positive Action is the backbone of ViiV Healthcare’s corporate philanthropy. We have been supporting youth-led and youth service organisations working on SRHR and HIV with long-term committed funding. We are a trusted funder for community-based organisations and have long been championing the leadership of young people. Our approach is flexible, and being part of this Action Learning Group will enable us to delve deeply into the challenges and solutions for sustainable financing of youth-led organisations.


Mohamed Ehab
Ceo/Founder – Technical
Banana med

We joined this Action Learning Cycle to build relationships and learn from the experiences of other organisations in the field. We look forward to developing our skills and knowledge of the field and to apply them to the wider goals of Banana Med.

Menna Sayed
Co-Founder – Business
Banana med

“We’re excited to learn from experienced trainers and connect with other individuals and organisations who share our passion for this field as we develop diverse skills to strengthen our project.


Ricardo Chica
Co-founder
Status Queer

This learning cycle presents a key opportunity to develop and refine our funding approaches, explore innovative financial models, and build a roadmap that aligns with our long-term vision as Ecuador’s only youth-led LGBTQ+ organization. Participating in this group will not only support our internal growth but will also allow us to share and replicate good practices with other emerging organizations across the Global South.

Jorge Luis Fernández
Projects Coordinator
Status Queer

While we lead major initiatives on digital rights, SRHR, and community resilience, we recognize the need to strengthen our financial sustainability to scale our impact and maintain independence. This learning cycle offers a vital space to enhance our funding strategies, explore innovative models, and exchange good practices with peer organisations.”


Claude Mihigo
President of the Board of Directors
Volontaires des Pays des Grands Lacs “VPGL”

We joined this Action Learning Cycle to strengthen our advocacy for youth sexual and reproductive health and rights by engaging key decision-makers through targeted actions in Uvira. We also aim to build the capacity of youth, justice workers, and leaders while ensuring support for young people facing stigma, all of which require sustainable funding to make lasting change.


David Medina Andrade
Director-Founder
Fundación Qubo / CERO initiative

Our goal is to ensure that civil society organizations, especially those led by young people, become self-sustainable and avoiding high-turnover due to lack of funds. This is why we are excited to join this Action Learning Group. Not only do we have experience in training youth-led organizations in fundraising, but we also aim to help them become self-sustaining through collaborative work. We believe that collaborating with community leaders is key to achieving the financial sustainability of global initiatives with local impact.

Lorena Sarmiento
Sub-Director
Fundación Qubo / CERO initiative

“We believe that financial sustainability transforms social or environmental initiatives into long-term life projects, rather than short-term experiences abandoned due to lack of income. By joining this Action Learning Group, we aim to deepen our support for youth-led organizations—sharing our experience in fundraising and scaling while learning alongside others committed to building sustainable, community-driven impact.”


Joliane Attolou
Présidente du Conseil d’Administration MAJ-BENIN/ABPF
Mouvement d’Action des Jeunes (MAJ) de l’Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF)

We are currently working to empower our partners by setting up income-generating activities and innovative projects. Working with this group will enable us to learn about strategies and means of achieving our organization’s short- and long-term objectives.

Tchihou Nicaise Cyrille
Trésorier National du Conseil d’Administration du MAJ-BENIN/ABPF
Mouvement d’Action des Jeunes (MAJ) de l’Association Béninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille (ABPF)

We are joining this cycle because the concrete actions currently being thought up by youth organizations are not yet being successfully implemented, due to funding constraints.”


Priscilla Efe Johnson
Founder/Executive Director
Xari Africa

Sustainable financing is one of the biggest challenges for youth-led SRHR organizations like Xari Africa. While we have bootstrapped our initiatives and implemented a social business model through book sales and educational resources, scaling impact remains difficult without consistent funding.

Chisom Nkwah
Project Manager
Xari Africa

“By joining this group, we hope to strengthen our financial strategy, explore innovative funding models, and transition from short-term project support to more stable revenue streams—ensuring continued access to SRHR education and services for thousands of girls.


Tracy Anyango
Programs Coordinator
Youth Alliance 4 Change (YA4C)

Youth Alliance 4 Change (YA4C) is excited to join this Action Learning Group to strengthen our capacity to address challenges faced in Busia County, Kenya, where perennial flooding is a persistent crisis. These floods disrupt access to SRHR services, increase the risk of gender-based violence, and exacerbate period poverty by limiting access to menstrual hygiene products.

Victor Baraza
Media and Communications Officer
Youth Alliance 4 Change (YA4C)

By engaging with peers and learning collaboratively, we aim to develop integrated advocacy strategies that push for policy reforms aligning climate adaptation with reproductive health and community resilience.


Hashem al-smadi
Communication & Partnership Director – Legal Advisor
Drabzeen DHD

Financial sustainability is key to ensuring that our initiatives—especially those focused on human rights, civic engagement, and AYSRHR—can continue to thrive and expand their impact. By joining this group, we hope to explore innovative financing solutions, learn from best practices, and collaborate with like-minded organizations to further our vision of enabling a resilient and self-sufficient youth movement

Hashem al-smadi
Executive Director
Drabzeen DHD

Drabzeen aims to empower youth as catalysts for sustainable development and social change. Exploring sustainable finance for youth-led activism directly aligns with our vision of creating resilient, self-sufficient youth movements.


Zulfiya Mamadalieva
Project Analyst
UNDP Uzbekistan

By participating in this group, I aim to collaborate with like-minded professionals to share best practices and develop strategies that can enhance our organization’s impact. Engaging in this dialogue will not only enrich my understanding of emerging trends and challenges but also empower me to leverage collective insights to drive meaningful change within my organization. I believe that our combined efforts can significantly contribute to the realization of the SDGs, fostering a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”


Alexander Decena
Founder/Executive Director
Youth for YOUth

Our organization excels in operational and administrative efficiency and delivers impactful initiatives within the communities we serve. However, sustaining projects remains a challenge due to short-term, project-based grants and limited funding.”

Joharri Apolinar
Chairperson, Board of Trustees
Youth for YOUth

“Even when we allocate our organization’s income to support small grants, they remain insufficient—especially as we often refrain from applying organizational fees. This is why we are eager to gain new skills in sustainable financing and explore more viable, long-term funding strategies.”


Angela Ngulube
Co/Founder-Programs Lead
Nyali Zambia

As a Community based organisation, joining this group will help to strengthen our capacity to  receive funding for our programs and promote program continuity even after funding stops. Through joining this group we hope to share our experiences and  learn from other organisations and individuals and improve our capacity to develop strategies that can help our organisation grow and improve its impact in the communities of Lusaka.

Evelyn Chirwa
Gender and Inclusion Officer
Nyali Zambia

The USAID stop order highlighted the critical need for sustainable financing, particularly for small organizations like ours. By joining this group, we aim to share our experiences, learn from others, and strengthen our capacity to develop financial strategies that support our organizational growth.


Emmanuel Ojo
Program Manager
Mercy Sarah Foundation

“Sustainable financing empowers organizations to build long-term resilience through diversified income streams, strategic fundraising, and strong financial management. This stability not only attracts donors and partners, but also enables nonprofits to scale their impact, invest in innovation, and continue serving communities even during funding uncertainty. We are excited to contribute to sector-wide solutions to these challenges through this cycle.”

Abigail Matthias
Executive Director
Mercy Sarah Foundation

“We understand sustainable financing as the most critical factor in ensuring long-term impact for youth-led organizations. It allows us to move beyond short-term project funding and build stable, resilient structures that can adapt and grow. Through this Action Learning Cycle, we are gaining the tools and insights needed to diversify our income, strengthen our financial strategies, and ultimately invest in the communities we serve.


Khumo Raphuti
Founder
Khumo Edu-Eco Foundation

“We are applying to this group to address the financial sustainability challenges faced by youth-led organisations like ours, as we rely heavily on grants and donor funding, which often limits our ability to plan long-term initiatives. Currently, we are working on diversifying our funding streams but lack the expertise and strategies to fully achieve this. By joining this group, we aim to explore innovative and sustainable financing models that can ensure the continuity and scalability of our AYSRHR programs.

Zinzi Dikgang
Trustee
Khumo Edu-Eco Foundation

We’re joining this group to confront the financial sustainability challenges that many youth-led organizations like ours face. Through this Action Learning Group, we hope to gain practical knowledge, explore innovative financing models, and build the financial resilience needed to reduce donor dependency and deepen our impact.