Inspiring
Leaders

Aspiring
ActionAbout the World YWCA
We are a global women’s rights organisation engaging
millions of women, young women and girls around the world
each year, across cultures and beliefs, to transform lives andthe world for the better. With a presence in over a hundred
countries, our work is grassroots-driven, grounded in local
communities and rooted in the transformational power ofwomen. We provide support and opportunities for women,
young women and girls to become leaders and changemakers who not only protect their rights and impact theircommunities but inspire their peers to do the same. We arefocused on building a strong, intergenerational network of
women and young women leaders, with programmes led by
and for women and young women in response to the uniqueneeds they see in their communities.
The World YWCA approaches leadership from a feminist,
community-based and intergenerational perspective thatprioritizes the grassroots process to support the mostmarignalized communities. Designing programs made forand led by young women challenges traditional conceptionsof leadership and allows women to rise up in leadership,challenge gender-based stereotypes, and create the change
they want to see in the world. Through building safe spaces
with peer leaders, young women are empowered to speak
up and engage their communities to challenge preconceived
notions about leadership. The World YWCA focuses oncollective, collaborative, and transformative young women’s
leadership to give women the power to rise up and reach
their goals.

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2This is a compilation of seven (7) stories of young womenfrom Asia and the Pacific region who have gone through a
RiseUp! Leadership in their respective countries and have
now progressed to further challenge their leadership in
different capacities. They remain the RiseUp! Alumna and
YWCALeaders, contributing to young women leadership in
their unique ways.
World YWCA thanks the #YWCALeaders :Anu Gurung (Nepal) , Durga K.C (Nepal), Fusi Masina Tietie(Samoa), Jeanette Ila (Papua New Guinea), Nisha Sharma(India), Samiksha R.C (Nepal) and Yadanar (Myanmar).
The stories in this publication were developed through acollaborative process undertaken by World YWCA. WorldYWCA would like to thank Naomi Woyengu (Papua New
Guinea) for leading the first draft of the interviews andstorytelling and Serelle Carr (USA) for finalising the stories
beautifully. These stories are part of the RiseUp Young
Women Leadership and Advocacy Initiative funded by the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Governmentof Australia. This work is part of a grant from 2020-2024.
The RiseUp! Mobilising Young Women’s Leadership and
Advocacy Program (‘RiseUp! Program’) empowers young
women in Asia and the Pacific to build their skills, knowledge,
and networks to be confident leaders, claim their rights andact together to create positive social change.

Action driven leadership ofyoung women:
An introduction

When you invest in developing the leadership of young
women and women, you can transform entire communities—
and the world—for the better. When women rise to
become leaders and change-makers in their lives and theircommunities, they can become an influential force coming
up with solutions and championing social change far beyond
their immediate surroundings.
An inclusive and intergenerational approach that centers
young women’s leadership is vital to sustaining a bold,progressive women’s movement and world. Fostering
connections, shared learning, and mutual exchange
between leaders of all ages and backgrounds creates
better, more impactful leadership models and strengthens
our movement. In our work amplifying young women’svoices and centering their leadership and advocacy, we
are intentionally collaborative and intergenerational in our
approach.
We know that when young women and girls lead, they havethe power to change their lives and the world around themfor the better. Critically, we support and provide tools sothat they can connect with young women and girls in othercommunities and inspire them to become leaders. And, inorder to make meaningful, lasting change towards genderequality and women’s rights, we must focus on centering
the most marginalised and advocate around issues that
impact the most vulnerable and under-represented
communities. This looks different in every community or
country—but young women, especially young women ofcolor or who hold intersecting identities, are among thosediscriminated against. That is the only way to achieve ourvision of a better world, where all women, young women, andgirls are empowered, safe, and free from discrimination andviolence.
Through the RiseUp! Program in Asia-Pacific in its
Phase III reached 2,200+ young women in Asia and thePacific engaging them in activism and advocacy throughstrengthening their leadership skills. These are stories of afew of these RiseUp! Leaders as they progressed as Alumnaof the program. In Phase IV, the program aims to engage morethan 6000 young women in nine countries in the AsiaPacific region to build their skills, knowledge, and networks
to be confident leaders, claim their rights and advocate
together to create positive social change.

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07

Stories

Durga K.C
Nepal

09

4

11

Jeanette Ila

Nisha Sharma

Papua New Guinea

India

13

15

Fusi Masina Tietie

Anu Gurung

Samoa

Nepal

17

19

YadanarSamiksha R.C

Myanmar

Nepal

5

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Durga K.C, 31
Nepal
Durga KC began her activism as an educator for familyplanning and contraception for colleges and communities
in 2016. Her teachings were labeled as “dirty” and she wasteased by male students who asked sensitive questions tomake her uncomfortable. She was invited to participate in
the Rise Up! Training in Kathmandu, where she realized thedifferent levels of descirimination that young women and girls
face. The training not only provided her with the confidence
to become a young woman leader, but also expanded her
knowledge of the reality of the oppression of women andgirls in various communities. She came to understand thatthe information she had been sharing was not “dirty”, but
incredibly important, and the same students who used totease her now come to ask for further information andavailable services

This confidence has helped her to do her work more
effectively and comfortably.
Durga believes that advocacy is crucial; not just for others;
but for ourselves as well. She has learnt to advocate for her
work through the Rise Up! Program. She thanks Rise Up! andYWCA Nepal for the empowering program that changed herlife and her way of working. Getting to know other young
women like herself from diverse communities helped Durga
to realize the importance of using the voice and platform shehas. Many young women and girls do not have the opportunity
to share and learn in a comfortable environment like Rise Up!
and Durga believes Rise Up! should be available everywhere
so no young women and girls are left behind. Durga is still
active within her community and has continued her work in
the area of family planning and contraceptives.

Now Durga is confident in her work and keeps advocating
for SRHR, especially family planning and contraceptives.

“Rise Up! helped me to realize I have my voice and helped
me to get back my confidence. Now, I do the similar work
but with more confidence and I tackle the issues like teasing
and false accusation with more understanding”-Durga7

8Jeanette Ila, 31
Papua New Guinea
Jeanette grew up in a community where sexual harassment
is seen as a norm.
Women are put in systematic danger and young people,
Women are put in systematic danger and young people,
especially women, are discouraged from speaking up andespecially women, are discouraged from speaking up andrealizing their full potential.
realizing their full potential.
`
Although she has always cared about social issues, Jeanette
never expected to become an activist because she felt she
lacked the information and confidence to make a difference.
The Rise Up! program set Jennette up for success in the
The Rise Up! program set Jeanette up for success in theworld of activism and showed her the change she can makeworld of activism and showed her the change she canin her community by positively influencing her young womenmake in her community by positively influencing her young
peers.
women peers.
Jeanette learned to lead with confidence and grace,
beginning to take on every YWCA opportunity. She was soona peer educator, advocate, and promoter of young women’s
leadership and gender equality in Papua New Guinea
communities through the Rise Up! program.

young women and girls. The knowledge she gained in the
Rise Up! Program helped her train other young people andshare key messages about promoting safer public space.
At the national level, Jeanette is a strong advocate against
sexual harassment and all forms of violence that threatens
the safety of women and girls in public spaces and public
transport. Her advocacy has been strengthened by peerto-peer mentoring and working with other women who
provided consistent advice and encouragement. She has
played a significant role in allowing young women to feel safe
to open up and share opinions, ideas, challenges and stories
to uplift and help each other grow.
Jeanette is proud to be the product of the Rise Up! programthat built her knowledge and skills, as well as giving her
opportunities to advocate beyond her community. She
continues to share and inspire other young people because
she believes that sharing one’s leadership inspires otheryoung people to follow suit and create their own leadershipstory.

Jeanette integrates various components and practices of theRise Up! Program in her work leading the Sanap Wantaim(Stand Together) Campaign at the UN Women’s Country
Office. She is working to eliminate all forms of violence,
especially working to make public spaces safe for women,

910Nisha Sharma, 34
India
Before joining the YWCA of India and becoming the Young
Women’s Coordinator, Nisha had little experience in thesocial and developmental sectors. The Rise Up! Program
ignited a passion to work with young women in Sexual
Reproductive Health and Menstrual Health education.
Rise Up! showed Nisha that she was incredibly capable as ayoung woman to drive the change needed in the community.
The program provided her with the skills and confidence sheneeded to address the issues of young women both within andoutside the YWCA movement at the community, national,
regional, and global level. Rise Up! paved the way for Nisha’s
newfound confidence that was prevalent throughout her
well-articulated and empowering advocacy work.
Today, Nisha is the Program Manager at the PiramalFoundation, where she still benefits from her time in the Rise
Up! Program. She works directly with students to provide
career opportunities where they are able to contributeto society and facilitate self-development. The Rise Up!
Program gave Nisha a strong foundational knowledge on
Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and has provided her
with the ability to contextualize and help these young womenissues within India, such as the current labor laws and theDomestic Violence Act.

“I recall seeing other young women in the region that I
have worked with through the program grow and evolve“I recallseeingotherinspired
young womenin the region
thatandI haveand thishas reallyand motivatedme to give
workedand evolve
do mywithbestthroughas well inthe
theprogram
work I dogrow
with these
womenandandthishasyoung
reallywomeninspiredwith
andthemotivated
metheyto give
doout
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best
hope that
can andcome
as wellthespeakwork up,I doclaim
with these
women
young
women
theirinfear,
their rightand andbecomeleaderswithhopethat homes
they canout of their fear, speakof thechangein theirandcomecommunities.”
up,-Nishaclaim their right and become leaders of change in theirhomes and communities.” -Nisha
Nisha holds close to her heart her experiences working
in the remote communities in India. She believes her
work empowering young women and being part of theirindividual growth has helped a lot of women escape abusive
relationships and other forms of violence. Nisha has not only
watched the young women she teaches grow and develop,
but she has experienced her own development through the
Rise Up! Program that has given her the ability to lead in a
myriad of settings and situations.

Nisha uses her empathy, listening skills, and understanding toconnect with the young women she works with and she brings
her own experiences into her teachings. She remembers an
instance in a remote village where she met a young woman
who did not speak the same language as she did. She sat
with her and allowed her to express herself and Nisha could
feel the pain and struggle of her story about growing up in
an abusive household. This young woman was grateful thatsomeone was there to listen to her story and increase her
knowledge on the subject, despite a language barrier. This
moment solidified for Nisha that she could handle thesesituations and make a difference in the lives of these young
women.

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Fusi Masina Tietie, 31
Samoa
Fusi Masina Tietie began her activism journey as a young
woman who was too shy and uncomfortable to speak infront of a crowd, even a crowd of her peers. She vividly
remembers a time when she was asked to facilitate a session
in her own village in Samoa. Although she knew most of theyoung women, she was extremely nervous. Joining the Rise
Up! Program trained her to speak with confidence and takeownership of her knowledge. She remembered the womenat Rise Up! who effortlessly shared their knowledge andexperiences in a group setting and this assured and motivated
her that she too could accomplish this goal.
“[Rise Up!] has also empowered me to realize and advocate
for my rights and that of young women in private andpublic spaces”-MasinaWith newfound confidence, Masina delivered a speech
about the Rise Up! Program and the progress in Samoa at the
61st Commission on the Status of Women in New York. She
embraced her capabilities and her transition into a confident
young woman.
The highlight of her journey has been meeting other young
women and sharing stories and knowledge. She continues
to volunteer for YWCA of Samoa and through the HerVoiceproject. She aims to empower any young woman to overcome
their challenges and move forward in life. She believes thatwork is not difficult if you are passionate about it and she
has found her passion in helping young women achieve theirown passions.
“I am a product of the Rise Up Program.”-Masina

Rise Up! gave Masina the boost of confidence and public
speaking skills that shine throughout her work today. She has
represented the YWCA on various regional and international
platforms and has amplified the voices of young women
through her work in the government ministry representing
the people of Samoa.
Masina has innovated through art and social media to better
advocate for the young women who have suffered abuse andhave been silenced by their perpetrators and community
norms. She fights for the message that no form of violence
should ever be normalized. Masina has also innovated byco-founding the HerVoice project which was inspired byher experience with RiseUp! and the YWCA. This project
highlights the story of a different woman each month,
amplifying the voices of young women in Samoa, and gives
young women in the arts a platform to collaborate.

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Anu Gurung, 29
Nepal
Anu is an optimistic and passionate young woman living in
Kathmandu, Nepal. She is passionate about activism for
women’s rights and recently completed her degree in social
work, which contributes to her love of sharing her learnings
with others.
As a shy girl who struggled to talk to others, she faced her fear
and joined Rise Up! to gain more confidence, help improve
her interactions with the people around her, and growknowledge on different topics. The Rise Up! Program helped
Anu to realize the value of sharing what is in her heart andmind rather than suppressing her thoughts and feelings. She
was introduced to new topics including Sexual Reproductive
Health Rights, young women’s leadership and human rights.
The Rise Up! Program facilitated building her confidence andhelped her to use her newfound understanding of her rights
to share her thoughts and learnings with others. She uses
these skills in volunteering in different communities to raiseawareness on Menstruation Hygiene Management, Family
Planning and Adolescent changes. She has made a difference
within her community as an active peer educator of YWCA
Nepal and Nimble Creation Concern Nepal (NCCN), as
well as working as a youth implementer for Beyond Beijing
Committee (BBC), Nepal.

Through her work as a Rise Up! Peer Educator, Anu is able towatch young women find their own voices just as she foundhers.
SheSheworks
withwiththesetheseyoungyoung
women
to gaintonewgain
perspectives
works
women
new
andperspectives
see the bigger
on bigger
Sexual picture
Reproductive
Healthandpicture
see theon Sexual
Rights.
Reproductive Health Rights.
Through the program, these young women are able to open
up and share more about their personal experiences and life
goals.
AnuAnuunderstands
thetheimportance
ofof
this
process
understands
importance
this
processand
andtakes
takesthesame
gives
others:to not give
upgiveany challenge
theadvicesame sheadviceshetogives
to others:
to notup anyandchallenge
to speakand
outtoagainst
anyagainst
kind ofhappeningspeak out
anyinjusticekind of injusticearoundher. around her.
happening

Anu has reached beyond her YWCA network to share her
knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights with thelarger Nepal community traveling to churches, schools,
colleges, carpet factories, and working with young womenand visually impaired people.

15

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Yadanar, 31
MyanmarDr. Yadanar works in the Adolescent and Youth Team of
the UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Region. In this role, sheworks passionately to promote adolescent and youth Sexual
Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), promotion ofComprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and and advocate
for the meaningful engagement of young people in Asia andthe Pacific Region.
Rise Up! allowed her to realize her true potential to becomea powerful SRHR advocate. Working in capacity building andleadership training in Bangkok, Thailand, Yadanar’s mentor
boosted her confidence and encouraged her to speak up.
The training gave her a deeper understanding of leadership,
management and her rights as a young woman, as well as
showing her the power of young women’s leadership. She
also learned innovative and contextualized approaches to
SRHR advocacy and promoting women’s leadership.
Yadanar has been inspired by stories shared by young
Yadanar has been inspired by stories shared by young women
women in Lusaka, Zambia during a capacity-buildingin Lusaka, Zambia during a capacity-building workshop. She
workshop. She saw first-hand the value of the girls’ safe
saw first-hand the value of the girls’ safe space and createdspace and created the Young Women’s Training Institutethe Young Women’s Training Institute back home to design
back home to design a safe space tailored to the needs ofa safe space tailored to the needs of young women and girls
young women and girls throughout Myanmar.
throughout Myanmar.

of SRHR, human trafficking and the prevention of violenceagainst women, and an understanding of the Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Agaisnt
Women (CEDAW).
The Rise Up! Program inspired Yadanar to join the UN toreach more women on a larger scale through advocacy
and policy making. She works at UNFPA, supporting bothgovernmental and non-governmental partners to deliver
quality Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) youthfriendly health services. Additionally, she works with the
Myanmar government to ensure the inclusion of CSE within
the school curriculum and has assisted in the developmentof a new National Youth Policy Strategic Plan.
Yadanar continues to mentor young women via the YWCA
movement and beyond.
She shares with others, listens, believes in their potential,
encourages and supports them to pursue their dreams,
celebrates with them, and is there for them during toughtimes, lending a helping hand, and most importantly, sharing
her love and kindness to all.

Using her skills as a medical doctor and her technicalknowledge of SRHR, she created a training program tailoredto the needs of young women living in conflict-affected
and post-conflict areas in Myanmar. This program was able
to reach hundreds of young women beyond the YWCA
movement, equipping them with the skills and knowledge

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Samiksha R.C, 31
Nepal
Samiksha grew up in a remote district in Nepal where
domestic abuse is common. Wives are being physically andmentally abused for not being able to deliver or provide
the things demanded by their husbands. These women arescared to speak up in fear of being resented by their own
families for not handling their relationships well. They suffer
in silence.

“I did not know much about Human Rights then but doknow that here in Nepal the women are considered as dirt
and unwanted, as such I never loved myself”-Samiksha

Samiksha also works to educate young women on menstrual
health and hygiene and economic empowerment. As a peer
educator of the YWCA Nepal, she currently runs workshops
and trainings to change behavior on menstrual hygiene
management as well as other areas for women’s rights shelearned in Rise Up!
Rise Up! sparked Samiksha’s passion for women’s
empowerment and informed her on women’s rights issues
that she could connect back to her community. Her legal
education has built upon this awareness and strengthened
her knowledge. She enjoys being around other young womenand girls in the program and the YWCA. She learns from theother young women and shares her own story to inspireothers too.

Living in this community where women are not automaticallytaught about their rights, Samiksha learned what it meant
to be a woman and have rights as an equal when she joined
the Rise Up! Program. Rise Up! increased her awareness of
Human Rights abuse and the importance of education, which
inspired her to enroll in university to study law. Her classes
taught her how young women suffer greatly as a result of
not knowing their rights. She now knows the constitution of
Nepal, the inequalities within her community and the law. She
is now able to stand up and speak up against the injustices
women face.
Samiksha encouraged women to speak up against theviolence they were facing. The women were scared at first,
but Samiksha educated them on their legal rights as womenand they began to share their stories of domesting violence.
Samiksha says “through this, husbands are now aware andcautious not to beat or abuse their wives”. She has used her
education to give legal advice to women whose husbands
have participate in polygamy, which is restricted in Nepal.

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