Our Mission
To nurture adolescent girls and young women in all their diversities through advocacy, strengthened feminist leadership and feminist movements that drive change and justice. Guided by their voice, power, urgency and influence, we work to dismantle barriers, amplify lived experiences and create transformative change in communities and systems.
Our Vision
An inclusive and just society where adolescent girls and young women in all their diversities thrive with dignity and freedom
Our Goal
To establish an inclusive hub for young feminists’ organising and young feminists’ leadership in Kenya; We are committed to ensure the continuity and evolution of feminist principles for future generations by nurturing and amplifying diverse voices and perspectives within the feminist movement and the communities we live in. By creating a supportive environment, raising and sharing resources, and opportunities for collaboration, aiming at fostering the growth of feminist ideals and activism among younger generations; we seek to empower young feminists to become catalysts for change and take up leadership in their communities and beyond through knowledge sharing, mentorship, community organizing, partnerships, campaigns and policy advocacy.
Founded in 1999, YWLI is a feminist center of excellence for nurturing the leadership of adolescent girls and young women/feminists. The founding of YWLI revolved around the lack of space for young women to participate in the women’s movement, the assumptions that young women had no knowledge and were therefore not interested in the women’s rights agenda and the lack of representation and participation of young women in public spaces. All of these were based on the assumed lack of leadership capacity for young women to lead women’s organisations and/ or define an agenda for the women’s movement in Kenya. Thus, YWLI’s founding came out of an embryonic process that provided a life-determining link between personal empowerment and feminist leadership development.
Our Partners
