The 2023 Speak Your Mind Challenge

This year’s theme, “Here. Now. Using Our Voices, Shaping the World,” was co-created by the Scholars themselves. It celebrates the power of individual and collective action in making a positive impact. From spoken word to speeches, from dance to videos, each submission is poignant, compelling and deeply personal.

Here are this year’s winners of the Speak Your Mind Challenge and their incredible work.

As the former Public Relations Manager, a role I served for 2 years, I reached out to students and teachers and convinced them to donate books and other didactic materials which would help the students in the areas affected by the conflict to study when classes are interrupted.

After stepping down from my role at EduMail, I continued looking for opportunities to help those affected by the crisis in any way I could and this is how I was introduced to the Mastercard Foundation transition program at McGill University which offered me an opportunity to volunteer for an NGO called Hope for Cameroon (HfC). Hope for Cameroon is an NGO that provides assistance to IDPs in Cameroon by advancing children’s education, empowering women through business and entrepreneurship development and providing basic humanitarian relief to internally displaced women and children. I quickly realized this was a chance for me to leverage my ability to tell stories in a compelling in order to drive people into action or rally to cause. That is why since September 2022, I am volunteering as the social media manager for HfC in order to use my voice to tell the stories of IDPs from the world’s most neglected crisis.

Through my experiences with EduMail and now as the social media manager for Hope for Cameroon, I have learned the power of using my voice to make a change in my community. I understand that my words have the ability to inspire and motivate others to take action. Currently, I use my voice to raise awareness about the socio-political crisis affecting the North and Southwestern regions of Cameroon and the plight of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Through compelling storytelling on social media platforms, I share the stories of IDPs, highlighting their struggles, resilience, and the urgent need for assistance. By amplifying their voices and bringing attention to their situation, I aim to mobilize individuals, organizations, and governments to support Hope for Cameroon’s efforts in providing education, empowerment, and humanitarian relief to IDPs.

Youth voice is crucial for making change happen because young people bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and boundless energy to address societal challenges. As a young person myself, I understand the unique concerns and aspirations of my generation. By using my voice, I not only represent the voices of the affected communities, but I also engage and empower other young people to join the cause. I encourage them to share their opinions, take action, and become active participants in shaping a better future. Youth voice fosters inclusivity, diversity, and the opportunity for collaborative problem-solving, ensuring that the solutions proposed are comprehensive and sustainable.

The change I want to see in my world is a society where education is accessible to all, regardless of their circumstances or geographical location. I believe that education is the key to unlocking opportunities and transforming lives. To contribute to this change, I utilize my talents in storytelling and leadership. Through social media, I leverage the power of words, images, and videos to create awareness about educational challenges and advocate for equal access to quality education. By sharing the stories of those affected by
the crisis and demonstrating the impact of educational initiatives, I aim to inspire others to support and invest in education, ultimately creating a more equitable society.

In addition, I utilize my leadership skills to mobilize resources, engage volunteers, and collaborate with like-minded organizations. By bringing people together, we can pool our talents, knowledge, and
resources to make a greater impact. Whether it is organizing book donation campaigns or implementing education programs, I strive to create sustainable solutions that address the root causes of educational inequalities.

Learn more about Etian

Etian is a final-year Mastercard Foundation Scholar and Electrical Power Systems Engineering Student at the African Leadership College in Mauritius. Hailing from Cameroon, he is passionate about technology, data analysis and consulting.

Etian has been equally involved in 2 major projects to assist the victims of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon. His role as a social media and public relations manager at EduMail and Hope for Cameroon, enables Etian to leverage his ability to tell compelling stories that drive people into action or rally to a cause. His actions have impacted over 400 IDP students to date.

Most of the time, underprivileged children are equated to being poor. However, being underprivileged is more than just coming from a low-income background. Such children often lack access to quality education, shelter, healthy food, and medical care. There are many brilliant but underprivileged children in Eduafo, a small village in the Central Region of Ghana where I grew up. Most of the inhabitants in the community are into farming, and the kids in the village have fewer privileges and opportunities than most children in towns and cities in Ghana. I currently do not have the adequate financial muscle to support all these less privileged kids to have a normal, comfortable childhood, yet I have been using my voice in diverse ways to change the Eduafo community and Ghanaian society.

I grew up under the auspices of one of my primary school teachers, who motivated me, gave me hope, and strengthened me to overcome almost every life impediment that came my way. When I completed junior high school in 2015 and was waiting for my Basic Education Certificate Examination results and school placement to be released, an unfortunate thing happened. My grandmother, who was my caretaker, since my mother passed on in 2004, also departed this life. A family member bluntly told me to restart my fish-mongering business because no one would fund my education. Although I had no sponsor then, I was determined to make a difference in the family. I wanted to be the first among six children to have senior high school (SHS) and tertiary education. I did everything in my capacity: fish-mongering, head-pottering oranges, bags of charcoal, and watermelons to raise funds for my SHS education. I now work as a private equity investment analyst and have vowed to bring hope to every underprivileged child I encounter.

I believe in the power of the voices of young people to effect tremendous change in the world. Using my voice as a young changemaker means giving back to my community seamlessly to bring monumental development in my community and the world. I firmly believe that the only robber of one’s dreams is the mindset, so I am on the journey of reforming my society by embarking on four projects.

I started a community transformation journey in 2016 at Nkwanta Catholic Basic School, where I had my elementary education. Being the first student to attend a Category A School on a full Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, I decided to mentor young girls in my community. I trained twenty girls on various topics purposely to reshape their mindsets and ignite a can-do spirit in them, of which three are currently in the tertiary while the rest are in high school. Again, I got a Mastercard Foundation scholarship to study at Ashesi University in 2018 and within a few weeks in school, I joined the Bowney Initiative as a mentor. I mentored ten young girls who are now in high school taking STEM and Business courses. I brought them hope that they could achieve their dreams regardless of their background.

In 2020, I started an Initiative called Precious Scholars at Nkwanta Catholic Basic School to shape the mindset of students with similar backgrounds as me. I collaborated with a team of ten to mentor, coach, train and supply them with learning and sanitary materials. We trained them in computer literacy, financial literacy, reading, writing, and many others. As of March 2023, twenty-one out of the thirty-three mentees had gained admission into the high school, and they are very enthusiastic about the future because they are confident about achieving their dreams.

I am an early childhood education and development advocate, so I utilize every opportunity to support children, especially girls, to access basic education. Aside from my personal projects, I volunteer with Future of Africa to teach and mentor street residents, of which two are in school while one is working as a hairdresser. I also worked with the Akua Kuenyehia Foundation to train and share my success tips with five young ladies prior to attending tertiary.

I dream of having a world where quality education is accessible to every child, regardless of the background. Hence, I am leveraging my teaching, coaching, and mentoring skills to support underprivileged kids. Until every child on earth gets access to basic life necessities to realize his or her valid dreams, I am not stopping.

Learn more about Margaret

Margaret Andoh is an Enterprise Support and SME Investment practitioner with a passion for assistingAfrican SMEs in achieving their social and financial objectives. 

In her free time, she enjoys mentoring and coaching young individuals, particularly girls, to reach their life goals. 

Margaret has volunteered with organizations such as Future of Africa, Bowney Initiative, and Akua KuenyehiaFoundation, where she has offered mentorship, education, and learning materials to those in need. 

Chabi Soubo Faridatou, c’est mon nom. Je suis honorée d’être, ici, aujourd’hui, dans le cadre de ce sommet qui regroupe plusieurs jeunes venus de divers horizons et qui nous permet, une fois de plus, de prendre conscience de nos responsabilités, en tant que jeunes.

Originaire d’un petit village du Bénin où les opportunités éducatives sont limitées, j’ai pu réaliser mon rêve d’obtenir une formation supérieure, grâce à la Fondation Mastercard.

Je viens, aujourd’hui, à travers ma voix, sensibiliser la jeunesse africaine, en particulier et le monde entier, en général, sur les problèmes de santé mentale de plus en plus récurrents.

J’utilise ma voix, actuellement, surtout, pour encourager la discussion ouverte et honnête, sur le sujet. En effet, j’ai moi-même lutté contre les problèmes de santé mentale. Oui ! j’en ai souffert et je sais combien nous sommes stigmatisés. Peut-être même qu’après ce discours, certains, dans la salle, me regarderont, bizarrement, à cause des préjugés. Je ne vous en tiendrai pas rigueur. Car, n’eut-été la chaleur humaine, l’amour et le soutien dont ma famille a fait montre en ces moments, je n’aurais pas eu cette chance d’assister au sommet Baobab 2023.

En utilisant ma voix pour en parler, je veux aider à briser les stigmates entourant la santé mentale et à encourager et inciter les autres à chercher de l’aide.

En tant que jeunes, notre voix est importante pour que le changement se produise.

En tant que jeunes, notre voix est importante, pour qu’enfin, le changement s’opère au sein de nos communautés. Nous sommes la prochaine génération de leaders et nous avons le pouvoir et le devoir de façonner un avenir meilleur.

En tant que jeunes, nous apportons une nouvelle perspective, une nouvelle énergie et une nouvelle créativité à la table car nous sommes directement touchés par les problèmes de la société. Nous pouvons mobiliser les autres jeunes, nos jeunes sœurs, nos jeunes frères et les sensibiliser aux enjeux, afin de faire avancer les projets qui comptent pour nous. Nous représentons une source de diversité qui est essentielle pour des politiques et programmes inclusifs et durables. Nous ne devons plus être spectateurs du changement de notre communauté, mais nous devons en être les acteurs.

Je participe à plusieurs projets qui ont un impact positif sur ma communauté. Je travaille avec des organisations qui se consacrent à la protection de l’environnement, de la santé mentale et de l’inclusion. Nous organisons des évènements de sensibilisation, des ateliers de formation et des campagnes de collecte de fonds pour soutenir les personnes dans le besoin. Un montant total de 556.000F a pu être récolté dans la période de février à avril. Des centaines de familles dont des femmes et des hommes souffrant de dépression ont pu bénéficier d’une prise en charge psychologique et d’une alimentation équilibrée. Cette initiative a également contribué à sensibiliser davantage la communauté aux problems d’insécurité alimentaire et a suscité une solidarité accrue envers les personnes dans le besoin.

SOYONS LE CHANGEMENT QUE NOUS SOUHAITONS VOIR.

Le changement que je veux voir dans mon monde est un monde où tout le monde a une chance égale de réussir et où l’injustice, la discrimination et l’inégalité sont choses du passé. Je veux voir un monde où la planète est protégée, pour les générations futures. Je veux voir une société où la santé mentale est prise au sérieux, où l’on se préoccupe davantage des autres et où l’éducation et la justice sociale sont accessibles à tous, indépendamment de leur situation financière ou de leur origine. Je veux vivre dans un monde où nous sommes, tous, en mesure de vivre heureux et en bonne santé.

Pour y arriver, j’utilise mes talents et mes compétences acquises en leadership transformationnel, au cours de ma formation, pour encourager les autres à agir. J’utilise également les réseaux sociaux, pour partager mes idées et mes opinions sur les enjeux qui me tiennent à cœur.

Je suis reconnaissante, pour cette bourse d’étude qui, non seulement, me permet de suivre une formation supérieure, tout en me facilitant les conditions d’étude mais qui m’a aussi donné une opportunité, incroyable, de développer mes compétences en leadership transformationnel et de faire une différence dans ma communauté.

Je suis fière de pouvoir utiliser ma voix pour sensibiliser et mobiliser les gens à agir. Associer les jeunes aux actions de développement permet d’avoir une vision plus actuelle.

Chacun de nous a un rôle à jouer, dans la réalisation du changement et nous devons tous, travailler ensemble pour y parvenir. Merci.

Learn more about Chabi

Chabi Soubo Faridatou is committed to breaking down biases, raising awareness and creating safe spaces to support people who are in need. She is a mental health advocate and aims to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Chabi is on a quest to make the world more compassionate and mentally balanced.  

After the assault, I was scared to speak out. I was afraid of what people might think of me and how they might treat me if I revealed the truth. However, my grandmother, who was the only one who knew about the assault, chose to remain silent. It was a taboo topic in our family and community, and she didn’t want to bring shame to our family. Growing up with this trauma was not easy. I felt like I was carrying a burden that nobody could understand. As I got older, I began to realize that what happened to me was not my fault.

I decided to break the silence and speak out about my experience though silenced and ignored, and sometimes blamed on multiple occasions. It wasn’t easy, but I knew it was necessary. This birthed my desire to advocate for the rights of other young women and girls in my community. For years, I have used my voice to create awareness and bring attention to issues that affect young women and girls, such as sexual reproductive health, gender-based violence, and human trafficking.

One of the ways I use my voice to make change in my community is by volunteering with Ask Without Shame, a non-profit organization that provides sex education and services to young people in Uganda.

Through my work with Ask Without Shame, I have had the opportunity to educate young people on sexual reproductive health and rights, empowering them to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives. By providing access to information and resources, we can prevent young people from engaging in risky sexual behaviour that can lead to unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and other consequences.

I believe youth voice is essential for making change happen because young people have a unique perspective and can offer fresh insights and ideas. We are the future leaders, and our input is critical in shaping policies and programs that affect our lives.

The change I want to see in the world is a world where young women and girls are empowered to reach their full potential. I want to live in a world where all young people have access to education, healthcare, and the resources they need to thrive. I believe that education is the key to creating this change, and I am using my talents and leadership to make this happen.

Through my work with Ask Without Shame, I have been able to make a significant impact on the lives of young people in Uganda. By providing them with access to information and resources, we can help them make informed decisions about their bodies and lives. We can also help them break the cycle of poverty and improve their economic prospects by empowering them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

As someone who has experienced firsthand the challenges of growing up without access to sexual education and services, I know just how important it is to provide these resources to young people. By using my voice and my experiences to advocate for change, I am making a real difference in the lives of young people in my community.

I also volunteer at Dahila’s Hope, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing back hope and purpose to human and sex trafficking victims. My work in this organization as a counsellor and mentor equips women with knowledge on how to survive sex traffickers and facilitating a sex slave recovery program has also been a crucial part of my work. By educating them on the warning signs and risks associated with trafficking, we can empower them to protect themselves and their peers. We can also help them recover from the trauma and abuse they have experienced.

In conclusion, my work with Ask Without Shame and other organizations has allowed me to use my voice to make a difference in the lives of young people in my community. By empowering them with information, resources, and skills, we can help them reach their full potential and create a better future for themselves and their families. I am committed to continuing this work and using my talents and leadership to make a positive impact on the world.

Learn more about Ritah

Hailing from Uganda, Ritah Arishaba’s journey is profoundly inspiring. 

In 2019, she earned a Mastercard Foundation scholarship to study Medical Sciences with a focus on Public Health. In 2017, Ritah founded “Strong Women Strong Love,” an NGO dedicated to health equity and providing feminine hygiene products to homeless women. From 2020 to 2022, she pursued her passion for technology and education, earning a master’s degree in Computer Science and Information Technology through the prestigious PEO scholarship at Austin Peay State University. 

Today, Ritah thrives at Goldman Sachs, a global leader in investment banking, in her role as a Data Engineer. She possesses remarkable programming and coding skills, establishing her as a formidable force in the tech industry.

In collaboration with talented scholars and program facilitators, Ritah played a visionary role in co-founding Baobab and Baobab Cycle, a platform that has evolved into an education and opportunity hub.

Ritah’s journey encapsulates unwavering determination, advocacy, and excellence, demonstrating her commitment to driving positive change and nurturing future leaders. She is a powerful source of inspiration and a catalyst for transformation.

A realm for the optimistic, a path for the wise,
Where the underprivileged hustle and royalty are duly rewarded,
This is my take on the world.
A world where love and hate are preached with parity,

If it were my turn to take centre stage,
I’d sing out loud and clear about justice,
Preach the grace of being human,
I’d be a journalist who presents the truth without embellishment,
I’d be a queen without entitlement or vanity,
I’d listen to the voiceless and remain available,
Making decisions that benefit the greater good,
Coming together with fellow ambitious youths,
Leaving behind the “I” and celebrating the “we”
What an invaluable and honourable world it would be.

A world where equality reigns, with no divide between small or big,
Where benevolence trumps pride,
Where the rich and the poor share from the same plate,
A world without racism or discrimination to divide,
This is the world I yearn to see and create.

A world where the doors of war slam shut instantly,
Where listening leads to peace and justice,
Where valuable knowledge supersedes the worthless,
This is what my voice sings.

This ideal world is etched in my heart,
I preach about it tirelessly,
The solution they ask?
It’s the change that starts within each of us,
Otherwise, our goal is nothing but amiss,
If we take wise steps to create change,
If we’ve charted a vision in our life journey,
If we hold hands with our peers to lead with passion,
If we empathize and listen to those who err,
If we put ourselves in their shoes while passing judgments,
If we cut out the senseless chatter,
We can make countries, continents, and the world – ONE.
I replied without hesitation,

For I hold all the possibilities in my hands,
I’ll be the first woman to blaze the trail for this change,
This is the bright future I envisioned,
Where boundless unity has illuminated the world.

When our enlightened minds generate ideas,
When it reconciles wisely,
In the world of technology, the fountain of knowledge,
Where its people harness their unique skills,
Where unity is praised, and hope is preached,
This is our time, we the youth!

We’ll promote justice and be a voice for the voiceless,
Lend ourselves to others and innovate solutions,
Amplify the voices of those who need megaphones,
Share our skills selflessly with the community,
Unleash the hidden talents,
Advocate for others beyond ourselves,
To blaze the trail for those who come after us.

Let’s preach peace instead of war,
Let’s be inquisitive instead of rushing to judgment,
If leaders decide together with those they represent,
While conveying their message with respect,
We’ll strive for change driven by action,
If we use technology for the greater good,
And equity leads to unity,
If we walk wisely, side by side,
If we bridge gaps and disparities,
We hold the keys to unlock the door to a utopian world.

We are the magic keys to unlock the utopian world.

Learn more about Roza

Roza Abrham Abate, visually impaired from birth, began her educational journey at a boarding school for the blind in Shashemene, Ethiopia. Later, she completed her high school at an integrated school in Addis Ababa. Currently a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Gondar, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is set to graduate in 2024.

Her love for poetry, theatre, and singing started at a young age which led to her determination to use her education and her voice to empower marginalized communities. Roza actively participates in campus clubs, volunteering her time and providing counselling services to those in need. Her ultimate goal is to establish an organization that supports individuals with disabilities, cancer patients, underserved children, and the elderly in achieving their dreams, and is committed to making a positive impact on the world.