EMpower—The Emerging Markets Foundation

#ThrowbackThursday In the early 2000s, emerging markets were booming, especially in the UK’s financial sector. Investment and banking opportunities were everywhere, but something was missing: a way to give back. Enter EMpower UK. ?? When Bradley Wickens returned to the UK after living in Brazil, he saw the need for a transparent, responsible, and high-impact way for finance professionals to support the very communities they worked in. EMpower US had already built this model—replicating it in the UK was the next natural step. As Brad, Former EMpower UK Board Chair, reflects: "The demand for such an organisation was clear…EMpower UK has grown beyond that initial idea, becoming a philanthropic powerhouse with the same mission but far greater reach." What started as an idea has since grown into a force for impact, harnessing the power of philanthropy to create real change for young people worldwide. Swipe through to read more about this milestone! #EMpowerTurns25 #25YearsOfImpact #25YearsofEMpower ?? In pictures: Jonathan Bayliss, Lucie Kucharova, Parvoleta Shtereva, Eric Dannheim, Angella Heath, Marta Cabrera, Jeremy Llewelyn, Ozan Korman Tarman, Marc Balston, Aditi Thorat, Maurice Nadjar, Vincenzo Zinni, Kayla Kohlenberg, Zaryna Lee, Estefania C., Shaala Bawa.

We are thrilled to announce that Soji Nora Adewumi has joined our U.S. Board of Directors! ? With over 20 years of experience driving transformational change, Soji is passionate about unlocking potential and optimising organisational performance. As the Chief Operating Officer at Center for Whole-Child Education | Arizona State University Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College (Turnaround for Children), she leads finance, HR, and technology, shaping strategy and scaling impact in education equity. Her career spans leadership roles in strategy, risk management, and organisational design across both nonprofit and corporate sectors. She began as a management consultant at Deloitte, helping financial organisations leverage technology and human capital for growth. Now based in Brooklyn, Soji brings her expertise and energy to EMpower’s mission. We’re excited to have her on board—join us in welcoming her! ??

Coming to #SWF2025? Join us on 2 April for Young People and Community-Led Change—a Skoll Foundation side event co-hosted by EMpower and Oxford Martin School’s Future of Development. Our expert panel will explore the why, what, and how of meaningful youth engagement, sharing data, best practices, and methodologies for fostering youth leadership in philanthropy. The discussion will feature Adam Heuman (EMpower), Christian Meyer (Oxford Martin School), Swatee Deepak (Shake the Table), Linda Weisert (Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)), Christine Burkhart (Global Fund for Children), and Ramatu Bangura (Children's Rights Innovation Fund (CRIF)). ?? Jesus College, Oxford ?? Register now: https://lnkd.in/e3aaGUDk #SkollWeek

What happens when passionate change-makers come together? We witness bold ideas, and a shared commitment to putting girls at the centre! Continuing our anniversary-special series #25Eventsin2025, we bring you Event #2! Suna's Daughters (Suna'n?n K?zlar?)—an EMpower grantee partner in Turkey—and their Girl-Centred Programme Design (GCPD) Learning Community connected with EMpower’s Indian grantee partners (CHIP Mumbai, OSCAR Foundation, PUKAR ., Vacha Charitable Trust, and Unnati ISEC) and youth leaders—sparking deep conversations, valuable insights, and a renewed vision for empowering girls and young people. From Turkey to Mumbai, this exchange proved that cross-country learning and collaboration has the power to impact real change. At EMpower, our sense of purpose is strengthened by creating opportunities and spaces to make this happen! Stay tuned for more incredible moments! #GirlsAtTheCentre #Leadership #Collaboration Filiz Bikmen Heera . Jayanthi A Pushkaran Priyasha Banerjee Swarnlata Mahilkar

Happy International Women’s Day! ?? As we wrap up our #IWD2025 series, we turn to Asia, where young women and girls from East and Southeast Asia (ESEA) and India invite us into their worlds, offering glimpses of their everyday lives, their dreams, and the futures they are working towards. In ESEA, EMpower partners with organisations that equip young people with life skills, vocational training, and career guidance, opening doors to new possibilities. Our partners also create safe spaces for young women and girls to access sexual and reproductive health resources without any fear of judgment. In India, EMpower supports initiatives that don’t just educate or provide livelihoods. They create spaces where young women and girls take charge of their own lives. As V? Th? Kim Dung, a former REACH participant, shares: 'It’s inspiring to see how one opportunity can transform not just a life, but an entire community.' These images capture just that—moments of courage, joy, and quiet strength, reminding us of what’s possible when young people have the support they need to dream freely and shape their own futures. Thank you for following us along on this #IWD2025 journey. The work doesn’t end here, but today, we celebrate every young woman and girl reclaiming her power, one step at a time. ? ?? REACH, Photovoices International, Virtualahan, Medha, Jan Sahas, PUKAR. #IWD2025 #ForAllWomenAndGirls #HerLensHerVoice #YouthVoices

If we want to build a world where women and girls can fully exercise their rights, we need to start young. When adolescent girls and young women have the space to learn, grow, and make their own decisions, they gain the confidence to navigate the world on their own terms. This year’s United Nations theme for International Women’s Day, 'For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,' highlights the importance of investing in young women and girls, ensuring they have the opportunities and support to thrive. As we continue our #IWD2025 series, we turn to Latin America, where young people share glimpses of their lives—their experiences, aspirations, and hopes for change. In Latin America, EMpower partners with local organisations that connect education with livelihoods, with gender equity and health at the core. We support efforts to keep young people in school, improve academic performance, and provide sexual and reproductive health education to address gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy. Some of these images offer a look at how our grantee partners are making this a reality. #ForAllWomenAndGirls #HerLensHerVoice #YouthVoices

We’re thrilled to share that EMpower has been selected as a grantee of the ICONIQ Impact Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab—a $200 million collaborative philanthropy fund supporting organisations addressing youth anxiety and depression around the world. ? Our project focuses on strengthening the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 10–24 by enhancing the programmatic capacity of 155+ organisations EMpower partners with across 15 emerging market countries. ? Read more about the Youth Mental Wellbeing Co-Lab here: https://lnkd.in/eZZrTxfj ? #YouthMentalHealth #Philanthropy #CollaborativePhilanthropy #YMWBCoLab

As we begin our International Women's Day celebration, we bring you the voices of young women themselves. Too often, the world dictates what women should want and what’s best for them—but this time, they share their own stories and reflections. Through a series of youth photo essays from our partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, young women and girls offer a glimpse into their world through photography—capturing their realities, joys, and hopes for the future. This year’s UN theme for IWD is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” and calls for a future where every young woman has the power to define her own path. These photos exemplify that vision. We begin in Africa, where EMpower and our partners work to strengthen young people’s ability to pursue and sustain livelihoods, stand up for their rights, and foster well-being. #IWD2025 #ForAllWomenAndGirls #HerLensHerVoice #YouthVoices The Mudita Foundation, Khululeka Grief Support, URBANET GHANA, Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF), Earthchild Project.

We are gearing up to celebrate the Youth Ke Bol Conclave on March 21!??? What is the conclave about? ?? The Youth Ke Bol (YKB) Conclave marks the culmination of a power-packed initiative to advance young people's active leadership, understanding of, and access to Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH). The conclave will bring together a diverse group of young leaders, policymakers, funders, civil society organisations, and experts for an impactful, invite-only event. What's the theme? ?? This year's theme, chosen by young people themselves, is: "Apni Raah, Apni Pehchaan – Reimagining Quality of Life through a Youth-centric Lens"! How do we envision this event? ?? The YKB Conclave will serve as a powerful platform to: ? Amplify young people's voices and their role in advancing policy and programmes. ? Showcase stories of success, innovation, and learning, demonstrating real impact on the ground. ? Evaluate the Quality-of-Life framework, identifying gaps and lessons learned to inform future youth-centric approaches. ? Facilitate actionable commitments to sustain SRH initiatives and youth leadership beyond the project lifecycle. ? Encourage cross-learning and knowledge exchange, promoting realistic solutions and best practices. We look forward to facilitating insightful discussions, sparking new connections, and creating spaces to share stories from the incredible young changemakers leading the way. ?? ?? #YouthLeadership #SRH #YouthDevelopment Dasra, Pravah, The YP Foundation, UNICEF, Vikalp Sansthan, YuWaah India at UNICEF.

In our latest?blog, Suvidha Hughes, EMpower's Vice President for People and Operations,?reflects on her transition from the corporate sector to the nonprofit world and what both sectors can learn from each other. She highlights three key elements that drive success in any organisation—people, performance, and money—and how they manifest differently across industries. https://lnkd.in/gs8kCiTf