Our Story

Meet our Founder: Amaya Wangeshi Nyamweru

From a young age, I was fiercely frustrated with how small I felt in the world. I was a little girl looking at a world with adult problems that needed adult solutions and I felt oh-so small.

Everyone I asked told me that there was nothing for me to do, that I was too young; what they really meant was that I was too small.

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Being the stubborn child I was, I never listened to them and so instead of waiting to get older, I decided to become bolder. 

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In seventh grade, I developed a color run focused on bringing awareness to teen suicide prevention. The following year, I created a safe space for young girls in my area to discuss rape culture, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. As I entered high school, my eagerness to create change naturally grew even larger and eventually led me to the world of politics.

After working for countless issue-based organisations, progressive campaigns and legislators, as well as leading a grassroots youth organisation myself, I realised I longed for an avenue to help people which did not require me to play the game which is politics. And so, Amaya Wangeshi Foundation was born!

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Aiming to develop sustainable and meaningful change across the world, AWF heeds that underserved communities know both their needs and barriers the best. Accordingly, AWF works on empowering and supporting youth leaders to better serve their own communities. 

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Although we are a small organisation, I am ineffably proud to work closely with such inspiring young people and hope to continue to do so for as long as I can. 

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Forever embracing the radical belief that ordinary people can create extraordinary change and that together, we can face the world's greatest challenges, 

​Amaya <3