Rise

Natalie is passionate about studying the brain. She plans to study neurology and open a hospital to treat neurological disorders. For her Rise project, she worked on raising awareness about headache disorders and their prevention. She is a member of Simply Neuroscience, an interdisciplinary movement focusing on neuroscience and psychology education, outreach and awareness. In 2021, she was selected to join the Yale Young African Scholars program.

From a young age, Nyasha has always been intellectually curious. When he found himself without a teacher in the second semester of his fifth year, he knocked on other teachers’ doors until they agreed to teach him after regular school hours. He is currently a student at the United Students Achievers Program Community School. For his Rise project, he worked on increasing awareness around deforestation and reforestation as linked to climate change. He won a district chess tournament for players under 13 within a week of learning how to play.

As a Refugee residing in Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe, Tegra displays remarkable intelligence and achievements in school. Despite challenging life circumstances, Tegra was the Head Boy at his school and participates in many clubs such as debate, volleyball, he’s a Gender Based Violence peer educator and tutors young refugee students and High school science students in TWEENS (Together We Educationally Empower Non-privilege Students) program. For his Rise project, Tegra offered free in-person tutorial lessons to his fellow refugee exam candidates who couldn’t afford online learning during the covid-19 pandemic. This provided them with the basic skills and answering techniques of exam papers’ questions to fully prepare them to sit for their National exams. He extended his project by founding the ‘All You Need to Know’ (AYNK) online youths platform where he offers weekly information sessions to youths across his country, Zimbabwe on issues that affect most of the youths in today’s societies i.e drug abuse, teenage pregnancy etc. Through the same platform, he connects youth to opportunities and scholarships to keep them distracted from youths community problems. An aspiring engineer environmental activist and youth advocate, Tegra also hopes to start a charitable organization in the future to support the needy, widow, disabled, the elderly and refugees.

Olly is a young scientist who cares deeply about addressing climate change. In 2021, she won a British Council award for participating in the Rivers Of The World program, where she examined human interactions with river ecosystems. Olly also completed a leadership course with Student Connection Trust, received a scholarship from USAP Community School, and undertook a Peer Youth Support course to support people with mental health challenges. For her Rise project, Olly sought to support women’s financial independence in her community through beekeeping. To break the poverty cycle, Olly focused on women who could not complete their education due to financial constraints, cultural beliefs, and early pregnancies. She hopes to continue developing sustainability initiatives to alleviate all forms of poverty in the future.

Sean is a dedicated young programmer from Zimbabwe, passionate about using technology to make a positive impact. Inspired by his own journey into coding, Sean founded a project to teach programming and robotics to students in his community for his Rise project, fostering curiosity, problem-solving skills, and a desire for lifelong learning. Sean’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to empowering youth led him to collaborate with a software engineer to establish a company focused on providing free coding education and manufacturing electronic devices. With his passion and drive, Sean is poised to become a leader in the field of technology and innovation.

Londubuhle is a passionate advocate for social justice and inclusivity. Driven by her commitment to bridging the communication gap between deaf and non-deaf individuals, she created a YouTube channel for her Rise project providing valuable information on important topics in sign language like sexual and reproductive health and drug abuse. Through her efforts, Londubuhle has empowered individuals to learn sign language, raise awareness about deaf culture, and contribute to a more inclusive society. Beyond her work, she enjoys drawing and painting, reading classic novels, and participating in fun runs. In the future, she hopes to pursue a STEM career in the pursuit of mitigating climate change.