Category: Stories of Change
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Emily’s life-changing journey from the streets to a new start
In late 2023, Emily* stood proudly among her peers, celebrating the completion of her Form 4 education. Like many girls her age, she had dreams of joining college, starting a career, and…
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Sheron’s Voice : dedicated champions empowering girls in South Africa with access to vital healthcare services
Sheron, a mobiliser at Barcelona Clinic in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni is a healthcare champion connecting young people to vital sexual and reproductive health, HIV and mental health services. The challenges that young people…
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Simon’s Voice : A healthcare hero bringing hope to Mathare’s youth
Simon, a clinical officer, has dedicated nearly five years of his life to serving the people of Mathare, an informal settlement in Kenya notorious for its challenges, including poverty, inadequate healthcare, and…
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Mercy’s voice: reaching her dream through education
Kilifi county is one among the poorest counties in Kenya. According to the Kenya Poverty Report (2021), Kilifi has a poverty rate of 49.2%. The residents of this county face a myriad…
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Lencer’s story: growing up in Kibera as a girl
Nairobi, Kenya – Lencer lives in Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood, one of the largest informal settlements in Africa. Lencer became pregnant at 17 and had to drop out of school, facing stigma from…
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Ella’s voice: the journey to entrepreneurship
Nairobi, Kenya – When Ella found out she was pregnant, she was 17, studying at secondary school with a dream of becoming a business owner one day. For as long as she…
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Sharon’s voice: youth activism in Lusaka
Lusaka, Zambia – By her peers, Sharon is known as an active ambassador for youth empowerment in her community. She is 22 years old and volunteers as a Tiko mobiliser where her…
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Abebe’s voice: perspectives from an Addis clinic
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Abebe has been working as a senior nurse at the Abay Medium clinic in Addis Ababa for more than 14 years. Several years ago, Tiko approached the clinic…
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Nontokozo’s voice: resilience in Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa – Nontokozo grew up in Langaville, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, in a traditional family where consulting a healer is first-choice before seeking medical intervention. By the time Nonotokozo…
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Shakira’s voice: gaining confidence with HIV
Kampala, Uganda – Shakira was born HIV positive, but she didn’t find out about her status until she was 16 years old. Growing up with daily medication, Shakira had always thought she…
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Impact stories from Addis Ketema, Ethiopia: Improving the health and wellbeing of young women in Addis Ababa
Despite rapid economic growth over the last decade, Ethiopia still ranks in the bottom 20 countries worldwide in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Our belief is that this challenging…