Mahika

Rather than assuming how to solve other people’s problems, Mahika actively listens to other young people’s ideas and solutions. She grew up valuing community service and giving as a responsibility, but was curious why so much of foreign aid fails to uplift communities. Through research, she learned that many initiatives fail because they are not by the community or for the community. Mahika founded AYANA International, a youth innovation lab, to support other young people (ages 12-22) in identifying problems in their communities and co-designing innovative solutions for sustainable change. The most compelling ideas are subsequently funded by external partners. In less than a year, AYANA incubated ten groups of young changemakers across Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Rwanda.