HCDExchange 31 Days of Appreciation for Young Changemakers from the Global South

This year we are celebrating #InternationalYouthDay2023 in style by dedicating the whole month of August to our appreciation campaign for the young people who have helped shape our work in the past year or so. This week, we highlight the profiles of 4 dynamic young leaders across the Global South. You can follow along on Twitter (@HCDXchange) and Threads and Instagram (@hcdexchange) to see our daily dedications and follow the campaign as it rolls out across the month of August.

1/31

Sira Sojourner Touré

Sira is a passionate sexual and reproductive health ambassador, working with the Partenariat de Ouagadougou as the Youth Focal Point. She is one of our HCD Youth Champions in Francophone West Africa, who has helped us in our efforts to embed human-centered design #hcd into the design and implementation of adult and youth sexual reproductive health #aysrh programs in the region. Sira is determined to address overlooked challenges for young people in Mali.

2/31

Tonny Olela

We got to work with Tonny when we were doing user testing and iteration of the youth corner for the HCDExchange Community Learning Forum. Tonny, a young #srhr champion hails from Siaya County in Kenya and is part of the UNFPA Youth Advisory Panel-Kenya???? . He has co-founded? The Polly Foundation in Siaya to advance his passion for empowerment and community building which are pillars in advancing gender equity.?When asked about what attracted him to the field of #hcd and #aysrh/healthcare, Tonny said "HCD is an interesting field that offers me chances to develop creative and user-centric solutions that can significantly enhance my community's well-being and quality of life."

3/31

Yashi Jain

Yashi has been our close collaborator on a range of partnerships. Drawing on her experience working with adolescents and young people in India, Yashi was part of a panel discussion for a webinar that helped us unpack the A to Z of youth/adult power dynamics - what it is, how to recognize these dynamics and best practices to consider when working with the youth. Read her insights in this short summary.

Yashi has been closely involved in strategy development, on-the-ground programming, developing innovative mechanisms for meaningful engagement with young people and convening a Youth Advisory Group for the Dasra 10to19 Collaborative. We were curious to know how human-centered design has helped shape Yashi's work, here's what she shared with us, "HCD as a method is something I discovered as I continue to work in the space. I see it as a very relevant tool to be able to make a positive, inclusive impact in my work."

4/31

Himanshu Kumar

A theatre artist from Jharkhand, India, Himanshu was one of our Youth Leadership Hub associates who contributed towards the development of our Four-Step Journey to Meaningful Youth Engagement tool. Himanshu dedicates his efforts to working within four development pillars: #sexualhealth, #reproductivehealth, #education, #climateaction and #genderequality and mainstreaming. In 2022, Himanshu implemented a learning project supported by our sub-grant in which he explored ways to simplify #hcd for youth audiences using a story-based approach.

Currently, Himanshu leads the Rang Darpan organization where he uses theatrical activities for advocacy.

We see you and appreciate the leadership you bring into shaping HCD+AYSRH/Global Health practice. Thank you for all that you do.