We are excited to announce the 2023 Youth in Development Fellowship cohort. The Youth in Development Fellowship is a global program that empowers emerging leaders to create positive social change in their communities. This year, we have selected seven inspiring fellows from seven countries whose venture ideas focus on health, education and psychosocial supports, agriculture, and environment and climate protection. The Fellows were chosen from a pool of about 1500 applicants based on the quality of their prototypes and their demonstrated potential capacity to implement them.

We are proud to introduce our 2023 Youth in Development Fellows. Below are short descriptions of their experience and social change initiatives.

Agatha Tyas | Program manager, Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI)

Agatha Tyas is a medical doctor and Indonesian development and public health practitioner currently serving as a program manager at the non-governmental Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI). She has led three flagship health projects and currently manages four high-performing units. Agatha’s expertise is in inclusive community health, people empowerment, and gender equality. She is a 2020 Chevening scholar. Her vision is to empower her community by improving the capacity of community health workers (CHWs)/volunteers through training and mentorship programs. She is exploring ideas to empower CHWs to help improve the health and well-being of Indonesians and contribute to creating a better health system.

Justin Langan | Executive Director, O’KANATA

Justin Langan is a 24-year-old Indigenous activist from Swan River, Manitoba, Canada, and a political science student at the University of Manitoba. He is passionate about creating social change through innovation, advocacy, and empathy. He recently founded O’KANATA, a federal non-profit aiming to ensure the success of every young Indigenous person in Canada. The organization aims to promote reconciliation by empowering indigenous youths to succeed in the pursuit of their passions and career goals. Justin was recognized as the 2021 Metis Youth Inspire Awardee, Top 25 Environmentalists under 25, and National Champion of Mental Health for Youth.

Amidu Mohammed | Founder, PlastiBuild Creative Solutions

Amidu Mohammed is an environmentalist and social impact entrepreneur who is developing a new venture called PlastiBuild Creative Solutions. The startup aims to transform waste into affordable, sustainable products such as green furniture, eco footwear, and eco interior products. Amidu has already demonstrated a strong passion for becoming a leading waste-to-wealth entrepreneur and advocate by successfully training over 1000 young persons in sustainable waste management practices through the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. He is also a green business manager certified by the Nigeria climate innovation center. Amidu is developing proficiency in managing environmentally sustainable businesses, ardently advocates for good climate governance, and increased youth participation in environmental sustainability.

Bronson Eran’ogwa | Founder, The Source Plus

Bronson Eran’ogwa is a Kenyan-based researcher, entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable agriculture and food security in Africa. His research focuses on developing integrated systems for food safety, promoting the use of clean energy, and reducing post-harvest losses. As the founder of The Source Plus, Bronson aims to contribute to a sustainable and resilient food system in Africa by developing innovative solutions for smallholder farmers, beekeepers, and other agribusinesses. 

Komlan Abalo Braly | Executive Director, Right-Level-Teaching Venture

Komlan Abalo Braly has a decade of teaching experience in northern rural Togo. In response to the Togolese-Republic-Sectorial-Education-Plan, he designed a multi-faceted project to improve primary grade literacy and numeracy while providing social, mental, and emotional well-being training for secondary school teachers in Tchitchao-village high school. He also launched the Right-Level-Teaching venture with the support of the D-Prize grant to equip rural students with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to shape sustainable and prosperous communities. After participating in the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, he saw the need to pursue the Youth in Development Fellowship to explore social entrepreneurship to scale these initiatives.

Meghana Prakash | Co-founder, Edgame

Meghana Prakash is an innovative entrepreneur and product consultant based in India with almost five years of experience as Head of Product at a startup. She has an Electronics Engineering background and has received six gold medals for being the top student in her entire university. She has also completed certifications in Psychology and has counselled over 60 students. Meghana’s passion for improving education in developing countries led her to co-found “Edgame,” an ed-tech startup that aims to empower students and decentralize the education system by providing skill-based education at a low cost using immersive technology. Her business model targets training, hiring, and empowering women to become educational leaders in India, contributing to improving the overall literacy rate in the country. Meghana’s vision is to create a futuristic education system in India and expand to other developing and underdeveloped countries.

Marian Kutsoati | Founder, Teskof Limited

Marian Kutsoati is a skilled software engineer and public health practitioner dedicated to helping people reach their full potential. She founded Teskof Limited, an organization promoting health and youth employability in Ghana. She has successfully led more than 150 educational campaigns. Her work concentrates on developing life skills, promoting intercultural exchange, facilitating outdoor education, and exchanging knowledge. She is also passionate about youth employment, public speaking, and media reporting. Marian is an accomplished writer and an inspiring leader with over 25 published works. Currently, she is developing a healthcare appointment booking platform that aims to increase accessibility to healthcare and create opportunities for healthcare professionals in Africa and the Middle East.

The Youth in Development Fellowship equips fellows with the skills and knowledge to lead effective social change initiatives. Previous fellows have gone on to create successful social ventures and lead programs that have transformed their communities’ social and economic landscapes. Through the fellowship, they will engage in a transformative learning experience, honing their leadership skills and learning to lead sustainable social change.