United States Marlo has a long history of community mobilization and advocacy work around reproductive justice and rights. A New Orleans native, Marlo has taken an active role in community organizing and advocacy at the local and state levels. Marlo plans to create a youth-led and managed hotline focusing on sex, healthy relationships, and sexual health for young people – … Read More
Arely Westley
United States Originally from Honduras, Arely Westley is a trans-Latinx woman who moved to Louisiana with her mother many years ago and began working in Louisiana as a youth organizer, engaging young people to end the criminalization of LGBTQ youth. Arely is dedicated to ensuring her state’s Latinx and immigrant communities have a voice. With the support of the Youth … Read More
Arekia Bennett
United States Arekia Bennett is dedicated to providing platforms for marginalized youth to share their voices, including the LGBTQ community and women and girls of color. She co-founded a collective dedicated to educating black college women about reproductive health and black women’s history. Arekia is a powerful advocate for LGBTQ rights, comprehensive sex education in Mississippi schools, and reproductive justice. … Read More
Naureen Lalani
Pakistan Naureen is a powerful leader and sexual and reproductive health trainer who has dedicated her life to safe abortion and working with marginalized communities. She has a strong interest in policymaking and how religion in Pakistan shapes the policy landscape. Naureen plans to work with youth to create digital stories and comic strips to describe puberty, menstruation, and safe … Read More
Tizzita Mengesha Tefera
Ethiopia Born in Ethiopia and raised in Kenya, Tizzita co-founded and runs a social enterprise that provides pregnant women with maternal and infant care information using an SMS application. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship, mobile technologies, and using innovation to think differently about problem-solving. Tizzita is committed to the inclusion of the women and girls she serves to find … Read More
Shubham Choudhary
India A sexual and reproductive health consultant and trainer, Shubham works tirelessly for comprehensive sexuality education for youth. As a Gandhi Fellow, he helped rural women of India break down myths surrounding menstruation hygiene through grassroots awareness. He is passionate about creating safe, inclusive, non-judgmental spaces for youth and the LGBTQ community to access treatment and prevention services for sexually … Read More
Meet Guatemalan Girl Leader, Rita
Girl leader: Rita, 17 years old, Guatemala Rita is a girl leader in Rise Up’s Let Girls Lead Municipal Girl Network, a girls’ advocacy and leadership program in her town to improve girls’ access to education, healthcare and safety. Rise Up empowers girl leaders and local organizations to guarantee girls’ rights through girl-centered advocacy. Rita believes in the power of … Read More
Sadaf Taimur
Pakistan Sadaf’s passion for girls’ and women’s empowerment traces to her own experience as a young woman without information about health and rights. She is particularly interested in advocacy, addressing gender discrimination and the right to education, and plans to continue her work with girls and women in rural areas of Pakistan. Rise Up Together Cohort: Youth Champion 2017
Tanzila Khan
Pakistan Tanzila’s life experiences have uniquely shaped her course as an advocate and leader in the health field. She is passionate about working with people with disabilities on sexual and reproductive health, preventing unsafe abortions, openly discussing these issues, and using theater as a problem-solving technique. Tanzila is a women’s rights advocate, motivational speaker, and writer who has published two … Read More
Muneeb Arshad
Pakistan An accomplished advocate and musician, Muneeb is committed to activating youth networks, initiating youth campaigns, and addressing taboo topics of sexuality and HIV/AIDS in Pakistan. His unique talents have allowed him to build a robust social media platform and fan base which he intends to use to raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights-related issues. Muneeb has … Read More
