VALERIE LOLOJU

Valerie has played a key role in youth led advocacy campaigns, including the expansion of the Youth Anti-FGM Network across multiple chapters. She has supported the mentorship and training of hundreds of young advocates, equipping them with leadership skills and the confidence to engage in SRHR and community transformation. Her work has contributed to policy engagement processes, including advocacy around the Prohibition of FGM Act, where she and her peers successfully pushed for stronger youth inclusion in governance structures. Through combined digital and community based programming, her efforts have reached thousands of people, amplifying awareness and action on SRHR issues.

At the community level, Valerie works closely with young people, organizations, and institutions to create safe spaces for dialogue, learning, and leadership development. She focuses on ensuring that youth voices are not only heard but meaningfully integrated into policy and program design. Her approach blends research, lived experience, and collaboration, allowing her to bridge the gap between grassroots realities and institutional decision making. One of the defining moments of her work was her involvement in the advocacy process that ensured the inclusion of a youth representative within the governance structure of the Anti-FGM Board. Through sustained engagement, evidence based arguments, and strategic alliances, Valerie contributed to a significant policy shift that strengthened youth representation in national decision making spaces.