Kenya’s Wawira Njiru has won the 2018 Global Citizen Prize for Youth Leadership at the Global Citizen Festival hosted on December 2 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The prize honours an activist or changemaker between the ages of 18 and 30 who has contributed meaningfully towards the goal of ending global poverty. Wawira won Ksh. 25,000,000 ($250,000) and will also receive networking and development opportunities to support her work. It is sponsored by Cisco.
Wawira started Food for Education in 2012 while studying for her undergraduate degree in Bachelor in Food Science and Nutrition. The organisation addresses the inequality in education which is caused by limited access to food in Ruiru. Since its inception, Food for Education has provided over 120,000 meals which has helped improve school attendance and performance.
Aside from the Global Citizen Prize for Youth Leadership, she has also received a UNISA Alumni Award in 2017, recognized as a Spark International Change maker (2012), a Transform Nutrition Champion and a Hunger free ambassador in 2013.
Wawira Njiru is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Public Health at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.