Youth Steering Committee

Youth leaders from across SADC who co-plan and execute SARSYC VI, champion post-conference implementation, and ensure continuity and accountability.

Botswana

Trevor Oahile

Country Coordinator

SAYWHAT Botswana

Trevor Oahile is a data scientist, human rights advocate, and youth leader with extensive experience in SRHR, youth development, and governance in Botswana. He currently serves as the Country Coordinator for SAYWHAT Botswana, where he leads youth focused programmes, national engagement, and initiatives that strengthen young people's access to information and participation in policy processes. Trevor also chairs the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN) and serves as a Youth Delegate for the Commonwealth Youth Council. His experience includes work with UNFPA, UNICEF, AMREF Health Africa, and SRHR Africa Trust. He is a former co host of the SRHR radio show Don't Get It Twisted and a Board Member of the Botswana National Youth Council.

Madagascar

ANDRIANTSEHENO Nomenjanahary Larisa

Committee Member

Unis Vers Vintsy Tana, Madagascar

ANDRIANTSEHENO Nomenjanahary Larissa is a passionate young leader and education advocate from Madagascar. She earned a Master's degree in Domestic and International Public Law in 2024 from the University of Antananarivo and is currently pursuing a Master's in Sustainable Development Economics and Project Management at the University of Itasy, in partnership with the University of Antananarivo. Actively involved in social work, Larissa promotes education for all and currently leads Unis Vers Vintsy Tana, a university-based organization advancing youth environmental education and a member of the National Coalition for Education for All (CONAMEPT).

ANDRIANTSEHENO Nomenjanahary Larisa

Committee Member

Unis Vers Vintsy Tana, Madagascar

Malawi

Sylvester G Chiweza

Country Coordinator

SAYWHAT Malawi

Sylvester G. Chiweza is a dedicated youth leadership and SRHR advocate with over 11 years of experience advancing health access, community development, and meaningful youth participation in Malawi. He currently serves as the Country Coordinator for SAYWHAT Malawi, leading strategic coordination, stakeholder engagement, and youth focused policy initiatives that strengthen access to quality health information and services. Sylvester has professional training from Kasungu Teachers Training College and the Malawi College of Health Sciences, and also studied Business Management at Mubarack Complex College. He is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Malawi and applies strong skills in climate resilience and community based adaptation.

Mozambique

Jamilla Hafura Brites Calú

Committee Member

Rural Inclusion Lab, Mozambique

Jamaíla Hafura Brites Calú is a Mozambican anthropologist, feminist researcher, and Monitoring and Evaluation specialist based in Maputo. She works at the intersection of climate justice, rural inclusion, gender equality, youth empowerment, and community-centered development. Currently, she supports Rural Inclusion Lab's climate resilience work with smallholder farmers in Mozambique, contributing to research, field coordination, baseline systems, and evidence-based programme design. A cohort member of the Nairobi Summer School for Climate Justice, Jamaíla has represented Mozambique through MULEIDE in regional and African Union platforms. She is committed to youth-led, feminist, and decolonial approaches to sustainable development across Africa and beyond today.

Namibia

Fadzai Nyamarebvu

Country Coordinator

SAYWHAT Namibia

Fadzai Nyamarebvu is a lawyer and seasoned project manager with strong expertise in business and human rights, regional integration, and youth empowerment. She has coordinated international and regional initiatives, contributing legal insight, strategic support, and high level reporting as a facilitator and professional rapporteur in global policy processes. She currently serves as the SAYWHAT Country Coordinator for Namibia, where she leads national level planning, stakeholder engagement, and youth focused programmes that advance meaningful participation and access to opportunities. Fadzai is recognised for her ability to bridge legal analysis, project leadership, and rights based advocacy across diverse regional platforms.

Victorino Tiaggo

Committee Member

University of Namibia

Victorino Tiaggo is a passionate and driven youth leader and advocate dedicated to advancing youth development and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across Namibia and the wider SADC region. A former Student Representative Committee (SRC) member at the University of Namibia, Tiago champions student welfare, inclusive policy engagement, and academic excellence. He is currently serving as a UNESCO 03 Plus Ambassador in Namibia and he also the founder of Young Justice, a youth-led initiative that empowers young people through the arts, environmental sustainability, and sports development. Actively engaged in community work, peer education, and youth advocacy platforms, Tiago collaborates with diverse stakeholders to amplify young voices and promote meaningful change.

South Africa

Risha Sungkoora

Committee Member

University of Pretoria (CSA&G)

Risha Michaela Sungkoora is a dedicated researcher in the Just Leaders Programme at the University of Pretoria Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G), where her work advances critical, justice-oriented scholarship aimed at challenging exclusionary institutional practices and fostering more equitable higher education environments and socially just communities. She holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Johannesburg and completed her postgraduate studies in Sociology at the University of Pretoria. Her Master's research explored mixed racial identity formation and belonging within a racially saturated society. Grounded in feminist and intersectional scholarship, Risha's work intentionally centers Colored voices and lived experiences, contributing to activist knowledge production that seeks to disrupt dominant narratives and imagine more just social futures.

Zambia

Wankumbu Simukonda

Country Coordinator

SAYWHAT Zambia

Wankumbu Simukonda is a Zambian advocacy and health promotion specialist with over eight years' experience advancing adolescent sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention, and social and behaviour change. He serves as Country Coordinator for SAYWHAT Zambia and Field Technical Advisor for PATA, leading youth focused policy engagement, quality improvement in health services, and community-driven SRHR initiatives. Wankumbu also mentors young advocates through PATA's Youth Advisory Panel and lectures communication skills at Greenfield College. He holds a BA in Mass Communication and an MA in Development Studies from the University of Zambia and is currently pursuing a Master of Mass Communication.

Maryner Lungu

Committee Member

Youth Advisory Board

Maryner Lungu is a Development Studies student and a youth advocate from Zambia, currently serving as a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) member. She is passionate about advancing youth health, education, and community development, with a strong focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and youth participation in decision-making processes. Through her engagement in community initiatives and regional platforms, she advocates for the meaningful inclusion of young people in policy and development spaces, while promoting access to information, education, and opportunities for adolescents and youth. Maryner is committed to fostering inclusive and sustainable development that empowers communities and creates lasting social change.

Mathias Sakala

Committee Member

SHE SOARS Project

Mathias Sakala is a dedicated youth leader, SRHR activist, and policy influencer with extensive experience in youth engagement and advocacy. He currently serves as a Youth Advisory Board Member for the SHE SOARS Project, a Youth Advisory Panel member for Plan International, and a Youth Connector championing meaningful youth participation. As a YSLA Lead Facilitator, he has supported young people in leadership and development initiatives. Mathias has received multiple awards for his contributions to SRHR advocacy and has successfully amplified youth voices, influencing policies and driving positive change at community, national, and regional levels.

Zimbabwe

Leniel Tapiwa Gava

Committee Member

SAYWHAT Zimbabwe

Leniel Tapiwa Gava is a passionate and dynamic youth leader currently serving on the 2026 SAYWHAT Advisory Board having been the Chairperson of the 2025 SAYWHAT Youth Sounding Board (National Coordinating Committee) in Zimbabwe. A recent graduate of Public Management and Governance at Midlands State University (MSU), Leniel has steadily risen through SAYWHAT's leadership ranks, starting as Vice Chairperson of the Local Coordinating Committee (LCC) at MSU, then leading as Chairperson of the Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) for Midlands Province and now the Structures Coordinator alongside his governance duties. He is a committed peer educator, peer counsellor, and SRHR advocate, known for championing gender equality and amplifying youth voices in his community. Leniel's leadership is driven by a strong belief in collaboration, student rights, and social justice. His dedication to youth empowerment and advocacy continues to inspire positive change within student communities across Zimbabwe.

Chidadiso Francisca Mbazo

Committee Member

Young People's Network on Health and Wellbeing

Chidadiso Francisca Mbazo is a Youth Health and Advocacy Leader, Social Scientist, and Multimedia Personality from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A fourth-year student at Lupane State University, she serves as Deputy National Facilitator – Southern Region for the Young People's Network on Health and Wellbeing, convened by the National AIDS Council, and sits on the Pangaea Zimbabwe Youth Advisory Board. She also participates in the Amplifying Girls' Voices Through Digital Arts project. A seasoned speaker, MC, talk show host, and freelance writer, she is committed to advancing meaningful representation and inclusion for young women and people with disabilities.

Other SADC Countries

Angola

Eswatini

Lesotho