Kenya : Vivian Onano promotes girls’access to education

Passionate about youth, Vivian Onano advocates for girls’access to education as well as women economic empowerment, and leadership. The youth activist, social entrepreneur and humanitarian is the founder of « Leading Light Initiatives ». In 2015, she received Michelle Obama’s « Let girls learn » Award for her commitment towards girls’education.  

Vivian Onano has been advocating for girls’education and the end of child marriage since years. Her mission is to create an inclusive world for youth and women allowing them to play a leading role in society. Her commitment was born out of her personal experience. As a child, she grew up in a rural area where she witnessed several early marriages of her cousins, neighbours…who were denied education. She managed to escape that « fate » after getting a scholarship to attend Starehe Girls’Centre, a boarding school for girls who are academically gifted, but who originate from disadvantaged backgrounds. Now, she advocates to offer african girls the same opportunity to access education and guarantee their future.

After graduating from high school, she joined Carthage College, in 2010, where she studied business administration and management, biology and economics and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 2014. In 2019, she did a master in  Public Affairs in Science Po in France.

Supporting disadvantaged communities to access education…

From 2014 until 2016, she was appointed Youth advisor to UN Women global civil society advisory group, while holding several positions in different organizations, namely the African Leadership Academy as the external relations fellow  and Africa 2.0 as the community and partnerships manager. In addition, she also advocated with WaterAid, an organization promoting people’s access to clean water and sanitation. The NGO also launched a national platform to sensitize on the importance of menstrual hygiene.

Vivian Onano was also a strategic advisor to different leaders, philanthropists, in the public and private sectors. She led several other initiatives, such as « Poverty is sexist » campaign by ONE Campaign, to promote girls’education in Africa. She looked at the correlations between girls’access to education and the access to clean water and sanitation.

In 2018, she was appointed as Youth advisor to Global education monitoring for UNESCO. In 2019, she founded « Leading Light Initiatives », an organization working with disadvantaged communities in South Africa to offer youth, women and disabled people opportunities to end poverty.

Vivian Onano frequently speaks on topics related to education, women economic empowerment, Youth, leadership…

In 2014, Forbes Woman Africa tagged her as « One to Watch ». In 2015, she received from Forbes Woman Africa Michelle Obama’s « Let girls Lean » Award. In 2017, she obtained the « New African Woman on the Rise Award ». In 2016, the New African Woman Magazine featured her as « one of the 30 under 30 : Faces changing Africa Now ».