Global Youth Health Advisory Group

At just 14 years old, Johao is already a powerful advocate for children's health in Ecuador's Amazon region – one of the country's most remote and hard-to-reach areas. Through hands-on volunteer work in infectious disease research and community health projects, he has seen firsthand why families in isolated communities struggle to get their children vaccinated. He is part of the U-Report, GeneraciónMÁS and FixMyFood networks in Ecuador and he brings the lived reality of rural life into spaces where those realities too often go unseen. 

Francisca knows what it feels like when a young person’s voice goes unheard. She co-founded Viva Surdo, an initiative that opens doors for deaf young people through education and skills training, because she believes that the communities most often left out of conversations are the ones with the most important things to say. She works to ensure that marginalized communities are not only included, but empowered to lead. 

Her advocacy in health, rights, and youth participation is guided by one core belief: no one should be left behind simply because the world isn’t listening closely enough. 

Growing up in a small Ethiopian town and then, as a medical student, watching children die from conditions that were entirely preventable left a deep mark on Dagmawit. She responded not with despair, but with action. She founded a volunteering group focused on gender rights and women’s empowerment, serves as Vice President of the Ethiopian Medical Students Association, is a member of the Youth Sounding Board for the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia, and trains fellow students in leadership and practical life skills. Her goal is simple but profound: every child should not just survive, but truly thrive.  

For six years, Afina has been working on the ground, helping young people access the health information and services they deserve. She has been part of immunization awareness campaigns, reproductive health programmes and community responses during disease outbreaks – including the polio response in Indonesia. She also contributes annually to shaping children and youth voices for government. Her studies in communication science feed directly into her advocacy: she knows how to translate complex health messages into something communities can understand and act on. She is equally at home running a workshop in a neighbourhood as she is shaping a national campaign. 

Natalia doesn’t just talk about change – she helps design it. As a leading voice in UNICEF’s Fix My Food campaign in Jamaica, she pushed for healthier food policies, stronger warning labels on unhealthy products and a better deal for young people when it comes to what they eat. She uses digital storytelling to raise awareness on nutrition, mental health and young people’s rights. She also helped write a youth mental health call to action that was presented directly to Jamaica’s Minister of Health. She is proof that young advocates can influence the highest levels of government. 

Mohammad didn’t wait for others to address the health and environmental challenges he witnessed in his community. He founded the Mohammad Hamed Alkhatib Foundation, a youth-led organization dedicated to environmental sustainability and community awareness, and Nahya Bilshehab, a youth-led initiative focused on health awareness and community education across Jordan. He also contributed to UNICEF’s Fix My Food programme, promoting youth engagement in nutrition, sustainability, and public health, while serving as a Health Educator with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. From nutrition and mental health to environmental sustainability and public health awareness, his work connects global conversations with practical and community-driven action.

Using her experience of living in an informal settlement, Previous advocates for better sanitation, access to education and basic dignity for girls – including access to something as fundamental as sanitary pads. When she was given the role of UNICEF Country Representative for a day to mark the International Day of the Girl, she had a direct message for policymakers: “For every shilling you have to spend, please put at least a small portion of it towards activities that are led by girls.” Precious dreams of becoming a doctor and giving back to her community.

A researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Felicia has already represented Moldova at the International Science and Engineering Fair – earning a top prize for her work on cancer biomarkers. But science isn’t where her story ends. She runs hands-on science workshops in schools across Moldova, spoke at the UN General Assembly’s Science Summit in New York and delivered a TEDx talk encouraging young people to pursue what they love. Her insight for this group? A child’s health isn’t just about medicine – it’s about which systems decide who gets care, and when. 

May Min is a medical student and digital health communicator who creates youth-friendly content on mental health, menstrual health, gender equality and climate – all while navigating life in a country experiencing profound upheaval. She has represented Myanmar at major regional forums on climate and technology and, following a devastating earthquake in March 2025, she worked with UNICEF to document conditions on the ground and support affected communities. She brings both scientific knowledge and deep empathy to every conversation she enters. 

Ese entered university at 14 and graduated with a first-class degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at 18. Instead of being put off by people who told her she was “too young” for policy spaces, she turned that into fuel. She runs a weekly video series called “Oh My Gut”, making nutrition engaging and accessible to young audiences. She has led efforts to counter misinformation about the HPV vaccine in Lagos and spearheaded UNICEF Nigeria’s World Breastfeeding Week campaign. Her story is a reminder that age is not a barrier to making real change. 

Alishba published her first novel at 11 years old, making her Pakistan’s youngest novelist. But her story goes far beyond the page. Growing up in a province where polio remains a real danger to children, she became a UNICEF Champion for Polio and a Youth Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. She sits on the National Youth Council and was named 2025 Young Woman of the Year at the Women Changing the World Awards in London. She also contributes to the Yale Review of International Studies, writing on the Asia region. Her motivation is deeply personal: she has seen firsthand how a preventable disease can permanently change a child’s life.  

Sagal is a medical and surgery graduate in Somalia who has already assisted in antenatal care clinics, supported childhood vaccination programmes and delivered health education in her community. Her work in clinical settings and community outreach has shown her exactly where the gaps are – the moments when families can’t reach care, when communities lack information and when health systems fall short. She is committed to making sure those realities don’t stay invisible, but reach the global policymakers who have the power to change them.

Ziyanda is pursuing her Master’s in Politics and International Relations, bringing a bold global perspective to her work as a youth advocate and future female diplomat. Through UNICEF South Africa’s Fix My Food campaign, she led communications and research working groups, educated hundreds of students about their food rights, and helped shape youth-centred health messaging. Passionate about diplomacy, gender justice, African development, and child survival, she believes young people are not just part of the conversation on global change, they are leading it.

Kenneth is a medical student who has been working in communities across Eastern Uganda, supporting polio and HPV vaccination efforts and learning the social and cultural reasons why some families hesitate to vaccinate their children. He found that young people talking to young people can make all the difference. He has also sensitized school communities about growing kitchen gardens and the connection between food and health and presented findings from U-Report community polls at Uganda’s first National High-Level Youth Dialogue on Nutrition. He is a natural bridge-builder between local communities and high-level policy. 

Yolanda has personally trained over 100 young people in health and established community knowledge hubs to get reliable information into people’s hands. She has represented Zambia at global events – including during UNGA in New York – and uses TikTok, Instagram and Facebook just as effectively as she uses a conference stage. Her ability to move fluently between grassroots’ realities and global platforms is exactly the kind of bridge this group will form.