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Kapwani kavenuke

@kapwanikav

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Just a Girl with a Voice & a Story to Share ✨
Expert on Youth & Gender in Development Sector
UN Youth Delegate 🇹🇿🇺🇳
Founder @mojafam_organization

POSTS STORIES REELS

In 2023, I applied for the 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 for Young African Leaders #YALI. I made it through the interviews and was very hopeful that I would be chosen. 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱. Naturally, I was a bit sad, but I didn’t give up🤞🏾

I decided to take time to analyze my application and reflect on what I could improve. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. I also reached out to some of the alumni for advice and realized that I could have approached the application differently, with more clarity and intention.

One of the things that really helped my application this time, and led to me 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁; was gaining clarity about who I am, who I want to become, and what I truly love.

And what I love is community engagement, governance, diplomacy and being a leader who serves their community 🫶🏽

So here I am in 2025, writing this from 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅, 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗮, officially a Mandela Washington Fellow in the Public Management track! 🇹🇿✈️🇺🇸

It has 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸, and what a week it’s been! Full of learning, deep conversations, cultural exchange, meeting other brilliant African leaders, building friendships, and shaping ideas that will positively impact our continent.

I’m incredibly grateful to God for this opportunity, and I’ll be sharing more reflections and lessons as the journey unfolds.

To those considering applying: you’ve got this and always remember to look at your setbacks as lessons learned. Your time is coming. 🌟

And remember things don’t always come easy but they eventually come 😊

#MandelaWashingtonFellowship #YALI2025

Swipe for some week one highlights by @kapwanikav

#GenZ protests, 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱 ? 📡 Reporting live from 𝗕𝗕𝗖 Swahili

I had the honor of sharing my two cents and personal reflections on what these movements mean for Africa and the wider world.

𝘐 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺.

I highlighted the following:

🔹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀: With nearly 70% of Africa’s population between 15–35, the frustrations of this age group naturally shape the direction of our societies.

🔹 𝗗𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: While protests can push governments to act, they also come with a cost, it is saddening that young people, who make up the largest share of our populations, must spend their time on the streets instead of in classrooms, workplaces, or innovation spaces. This disruption affects not only individual livelihoods but also the economy at large not to mention how they escalate into forceful dismissal.

🔹 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:
Most African constitutions already enshrine freedom of expression and peaceful assembly under the law . There are also other constructive ways for young people to be heard, such as structured consultations, community dialogues, sectoral meet-ups, and intergenerational exchanges.

🔹 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: While governance must be transparent and inclusive, we as young people also have a duty to show up. In meetings, consultations, and dialogues etc

🔹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱: governance must be transparent, participatory, and empathetic. Young people should be able to express frustrations openly without fear, and leaders should view these concerns not as opposition, but as opportunities to engage, clarify, and improve.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀?

Catch the whole session here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/iRnxKDEHTgQ?si=M2a2t_3iuP1BPyLQ by @kapwanikav

Here for 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 and the #YouthLed Festival at 𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗔𝟴𝟬 🇺🇳 in New York and day1 started with a bang 🥳

I was honored to be invited to the @au_ecosocc Engagement spotlighting diaspora and civil society leadership in 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 within the UN reform process.

So many revelations came out of this, but the highlight for me was Mr. Brian Kagoro’s (𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀) presentation. He spoke about shifting the narrative, honoring our past as a continent, and embracing servant leadership.
My personal favorite moment was his emphasis on the quote:

“You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness. In this case, it comes from nonconformity, the courage to turn your back on the old formulas, the courage to invent the future.” ~ Thomas Sankara

I also had the privilege of connecting with inspiring Tanzanian leaders here at the United Nations:

Amb. Liberata Mulamula, 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗼𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
Hon. Amb. Noel Kaganda, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Dr. Ntuli Kapologwe, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

#UNGA80 #YouthLead #AUNYD by @kapwanikav

✨ Celebrating the Girl Child! 💙

As part of the Girls Takeover 2026 initiative with @plan_tanzania , EU Youth Sounding Board Tanzania members @paulsiniga and @kapwanikav joined @vitiglowwith_b ,a young advocate for vitiligo awareness and skin positivity, for a day of learning, exchange and advocacy.

Together, they worked on turning Bianca’s passion into action, helping her develop a clear advocacy roadmap, strengthen her message and shape a concrete proposal to challenge stigma and promote inclusion.

Here’s a glimpse of their day! 🎥 by @kapwanikav

LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD!!
How to Get Your Dress:
1. A yes to the Dress — Screenshot the dress you love.
2. DM it to @theoceanindar — Each dress has a starting price, but you’re welcome to offer more for the cause.
3. Claim your Dress! — The dress goes to the person who offers the highest amount, provided you comment first at that price.

All proceeds go towards our church fundraising. Click link for more information; theoceanindar.org/its-time
Choose your favourite dress, make your offer, and help us build a Home for All Nations! ❤️
-
#nyumbayababa #buildingproject #allnations by @kapwanikav

I’m honestly so glad Mom and Dad decided not to make me the last born and instead gave that position to you 😂. Probably for the best because I don’t think I would have made a suitable last born anyway.

You are definitely one of the best parts of my life, and I’m so thankful to God, and to Mom and Dad, because now I have not just a sister, but a best friend. 💕

I’m so proud of everything you keep doing, the woman you are becoming, and most importantly, your good heart. I pray that God continues to do a good work in you. May His favour always be upon you, and may His grace continue to shine upon you.

And yeah, you know… I… what’s that word again? Starts with an L and ends with an E. 😂 Yeah. I Wav Youuuuu

Happy 26th birthday, Tweenie. 🥹❤️ Enjoy your day. You deserve it all.

Let’s make more memories together 🥳
#Blessed by @kapwanikav

𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰 that development partners are coming directly to the people they are designing for.

Had the honor of speaking with 𝗠𝗿. 𝗡𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗼𝗽, 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 for Eastern and Southern Africa, who oversees the World Bank Group’s work 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 in the region.

To be honest, I take delight in such sessions as an opportunity to help push forward conversations not only for Tanzanian youth, but for East Africa and Africa at large, particularly around job creation, livelihoods, economic opportunity and the realities young people are facing today 📍

Some of the questions we explored:
• Who are the young people? Different young people have different needs. How do we ensure our definitions, especially around age, actually reflect who we are trying to reach and the progress we want to measure?

• Sustainable economic growth: It is not only about creating jobs. Can young people maintain those jobs? And when they build businesses, are the sectors sustainable enough for them to continue growing?

• Digital infrastructure: What about access to electricity ? What about reliable connectivity and internet access? We cannot talk about digital opportunity without talking about the infrastructure that makes it possible.

• Implementation: We are still having many of the same conversations while implementation remains slow. How do we move from consultation to genuinely co creating solutions that are diverse, inclusive and responsive?

One piece of advice from Mr. Diop that stayed with me: 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.

Because what we care about matters, but ultimately, we have to connect it to the bigger picture of development and the change we want to see.

Thoughts? 🤔 by @kapwanikav

Fun fact alert 🚨 this was my first Marathon experience and it was great 🥳 But I’m even more excited about the engagements that our coming up during the Tanzania Youth Development Forum through out this week.

#TYDF2026
@tydf_official
@savethechildrentz
@euysbtanzania
@mojafam_organization by @kapwanikav

Women are studying, working, leading, voting, innovating, and shaping our societies.

This International Women’s Day, UN Youth Delegates from across the globe come together with a powerful message: women’s rights cannot remain symbolic. They must be reflected in our systems, policies, and opportunities.

Because she studies, we must ensure equal access.
Because she works, we must close the pay gap.
Because she leads, we must open decision-making spaces.

Progress is already happening. Now our systems must keep up.

#internationalwomensday #forallwomenandgirls #iwd2026 #unyouthdelegates
with @unwomen by @kapwanikav

Read all about it 🥳
I Had a very interesting conversation with Franck KUWONU, 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 at 𝗨𝗡 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹, surrounding the need for young African voices to be actively involved in shaping global and Regional discussions.

Acknowledging that Not every young person can sit in these global and regional spaces, as representatives and as young people who are actively involved, it is our role to bridge the gap, Creating platforms to inform, consult, and amplify information across.

We spoke of my advocacy journey and the outcomes as well as my engagements with @mojafam_organization

One thing that drives my ambition and work is knowing that 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Dive deeper into this conversation here and 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 in the comment section 👇

https://africarenewal.un.org/en/magazine/kapwani-kavenuke-turning-african-youth-voices-global-power

Link also in the Bio

#MeaningfulYouthParticipation
#YOUTHLEAD #AfricaDevelopment
#YouthInclusion #Agenda2063
@africanunyouthdelegatess
@unitednations_tz @undptz @unyouthaffairs
@africanunion_official by @kapwanikav

🇪🇺 Umoja wa Ulaya unaunganisha mataifa 27 kwa misingi ya Haki, Demokrasia, na Kuheshimu utofauti, ili kujenga jamii zenye amani, ustawi, na ushirikiano wa kweli.

Safari hii inaangazia jinsi thamani hizi zinavyotafsiriwa katika vitendo kutoka kwa miradi ya maendeleo hadi ushirikiano wa kimataifa unaogusa maisha ya watu. ✨

#KidoleKimojaHakivunjiChawa

———

🇪🇺 The European Union brings together 27 nations on the foundations of justice, democracy, and respect for diversity — building peaceful, prosperous, and united communities.

This episode explores how these values come to life — through development projects and international partnerships that make a real difference in people’s lives. ✨

#KidoleKimojaHakivunjiChawa by @kapwanikav

Ukosekanaji wa taarifa imekuwa ni kikwazo kwa vijana wengi wa Tanzania kuweza kuzifahamu fursa zinazopatikana nje ya nchi. Hizi ndizo hatua alizochukua Kapwani Kavenuke [@kapwanikav ] kutoka Bodi ya Sauti ya Vijana wa Umoja wa Ulaya (EU-YSB) ili vijana wengi zaidi wasipishane na fursa zinazojitokeza pamoja na kushiriki majukwaa ya kimataifa.

Fuatilia ukurasa wa @euintanzania kwa updates zaidi. by @kapwanikav