Humanitarian

Nancy Waweru Humanitarian Nominee # ZuriAwards 2021 is the Founder Vijana Amani Pamoja. She uses the power and the popularity of the game of Football-based as a tool for social and economic development.VAP has grown from a small scale football-based life skills initiative to an internationally respected non-profit that aims to encourage healthy, active and economically stable lifestyles among Kenyan youth and vulnerable populations.

Katherine Silva is a dedicated advocate for community development and women’s empowerment, currently serving with Kore Support, an organization committed to improving access to essential services and psychosocial support for vulnerable populations. With a background in social work and project coordination, Katherine has played a key role in designing and implementing programs that address mental health, gender-based violence, and economic empowerment. Her work focuses on building strong community networks, providing trauma-informed care, and enhancing the capacity of local partners to deliver sustainable impact. Passionate about inclusive development, Katherine continues to champion initiatives that uplift marginalized groups and foster resilience at the grassroots level.

Big Sister was started by a group of seven ladies in 2016 that not only focuses on young people involved in crime, drugs and prostitution, but also provides a safe space for girls where girls discuss issues affecting them. Big sister in a nutshell serves as the voice of the girls. Big Sister In conjunction with DREAMS, empowers ladies on matters HIV/AIDS and sponsoring the girls through vocational training even after dropping out of school This partnership has seen about 10,000 girls’ lives changed through this program.

Big Sister has now its arms open to incorporate young men to learn and benefit from the program to see Mukuru kwa Njenga and Kenya as a whole become the land of prosperity they envision.

Founder of Pwani Faces, based in Kilifi that is aimed at tackling matters of poverty, unemployment and general hopelessness at the coast of Kenya through mentorship, entrepreneurship and innovative learning solutions.  Programs ongoing at the initiative are school and entrepreneurship mentorship and ventures that seek to fund promising ideas by the youth at the Coast.  Pwani Faces  mentored and trained over 1000 in 2018 on self-awareness career choices and building, learning skills, goal setting, life skills, self-assessment in Kilifi County

Pwani Faces envisions setting up a Leadership and innovative Centre based in Kilifi, a place where the youth can interact and network matters, community work and social enterprise.

Esther Masika is the founder of Tunu Afrika, the home of The Bold One Out Movement. It advocates for birth defects prevention, detection and early treatment in Kenya.

Dorcus Parit HSC, the founder and director of Hope Beyond Foundation. Passionate about children and women of marginalized areas. In 2013, after relocating to Kajiado County, she was dismayed by the challenges the women and children were facing in her community. Some of these challenges were and still are FGM and child marriage. She decided to do something about it and hence opened up a home to rescue girls from these vices.

Dr. Sylvia Moraa Mochabo Akinsiku is a resilient advocate, seasoned strategist, and the heart behind Andy Speaks 4 Special Needs Persons Africa, an organization she co-founded to champion the rights of neurodiverse individuals across Kenya. Drawing on her expertise as a communications specialist and board director at the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, she designs programs and policies that promote inclusion in health, education, and social protection . Her leadership extends far beyond boardrooms born of lived experience as a mother to two sons with autism (one with epilepsy, the other with ADHD). Sylvia has translated personal trials into public action, reshaping national discourse on disability rights .

Vivian Gaiko is the compassionate founder of the Empower Mama Foundation—a Nairobi‑based organization dedicated to supporting parents who’ve suffered pregnancy, infant, or child loss.

After losing her daughter Princess Amani just 16 days after birth in 2014, Vivian was plunged into deep grief, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. She bravely shared, “When I lost my child, my first reaction was shock, I was numb… I was totally blank” .

Two suicide attempts later, a tragic neighbor’s death in 2016 inspired her to speak out and help others in similar pain .

Vivian and her team offer a non-judgmental space for parents to express grief, remember their children, and learn healthy coping methods .

She’s now a mother of two, cherishing her second-born son Ivan as her “rainbow baby” and honors Amani as her firstborn.

Gertrude Chepkemoi is a visionary philanthropist dedicated to transforming menstrual health through sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. In 2023, she received presidential recognition during Mashujaa Day as a human rights champion.

As the founder and director of Beacon of Hearts, she has been at the forefront of empowering African children by advocating for education, menstrual health, and access to sanitary products. Through her efforts, over 10,000 girls have received sanitary products, ensuring they do not miss school due to menstruation and reducing the risk of early marriage.

Committed to environmental sustainability, Gertrude has pioneered the introduction of biodegradable sanitary products to combat plastic waste and promote eco-friendly menstrual care. Actively seeking partnerships with NGOs, green technology innovators, and policymakers, she is driving a movement where menstrual health empowerment and environmental conservation go hand in hand. Recognising the urgent need for sustainable solutions, she has spearheaded the distribution of biodegradable sanitary towels, reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution for a greener future.

Sharon Cheptoo Kipsaboi is a driven humanitarian leader and the proud founder of the Dawn Support Foundation. At Dawn Support Foundation, she channels her expertise and passion into initiatives that enhance health, education, and socio-economic resilience for women. She started Dawn Support as a way to remember her late son and help mothers overcome grief after loss of their little ones. Sharon continues to advance the Foundation’s mission to offer holistic support and empower young girls and women to end period shame. With a compassionate vision and strong leadership, she plays a pivotal role in deepening Dawn Foundation’s in her community.