Africa Rising | Worldwide Climate Ed

Africa Rising: Youth & Climate Justice A Virtual Convening presented by HBCU Green Fund, Terra40, & Solve Climate by 2030, a project of Bard College.

A new generation of African climate leaders is doing extraordinary work — and the world needs to hear from them. Students. Artists. Scientists. Organizers. Farmers. Founders. They are ready to be decision-makers, and they are already leading the way.

Africa Rising: Youth & Climate Justice on June 4th at 11am EDT is a free, 90-minute, moderated virtual convening that brings young African climate leaders into direct dialogue with a global community. A bridge between African on-the-ground expertise and the broader global community of climate advocates, this event challenges the dominant narrative — centering Africa not as a region defined by vulnerability, but as a source of youth-led innovation, lessons, and hope.

If you care about climate justice, environmental advocacy, or the future of our planet, Africa Rising offers a front-row connection to the movement you should know about — and be supporting.

Africa Rising is not a moment. It is a movement.

Join the Movement

Moderator

Denise Ayebare, Uganda

Denise Ayebare is a Ugandan climate justice advocate, lawyer, and youth leader working at the intersection of climate action, sustainable agriculture, and community resilience. She is the Founder and Executive Director of BetterLife International Organization, a youth-led initiative operating across several African countries to empower rural communities, refugees, and young people through climate-smart agriculture, environmental education, and sustainable livelihood programs. Denise currently serves as Secretary for External Relations at the National Youth Council of
Uganda and as a Youth Presidential Advisor, contributing to national youth engagement and development discussions. She also serves as the HBCU Green Fund Coordinator for Uganda, strengthening partnerships that advance youth leadership in climate and
environmental solutions across Africa.

Denise has been actively involved in global climate diplomacy, participating in major international climate forums and delivering keynote addresses in over 67 countries and other global platforms advancing climate justice. Her work has been internationally
recognized through several honors, including the Diana Award, the Moonshot Award for Global Impact, and recognition as Most Influential Climate Activist of the Year at the African Women Awards, Kenya Awards and EU in Uganda awards. Through her work and advocacy, Denise champions locally driven solutions, youth leadership, and climate justice to build a more sustainable and equitable future.

Find Denise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-ayebare-7a593521b/

Vanessa Ngunjiri, Kenya

Vanessa Ngunjiri is the Team Lead at GAIA Waste Innovators, a women-led organization working in the plastic circular economy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Find her on X: van_njiri

Speakers

Bashiru Koroma, Sierra Leone

Bashiru Koroma is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone (KAB-SL), a national environmental protection and climate advocacy youth-led organization in Sierra Leone. Bashiru is a Mandela Washington Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and a United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) MENTOR PACE Fellow. Bashiru is an environmentalist, climate advocate, and conservation executive with over 15 years of progressive experience in environmental protection, natural resource management, sustainable tourism development, and climate change advocacy. Bashiru has demonstrated leadership in public policy, operations management, and stakeholder engagement. Passionate about contributing to a sustainable planet where people and nature thrive together.

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bashiru-koroma-mph-mba-4830a4229/

Johnson Ong’any, Kenya

Johnson Ong’any is the Founder of Saabiko Group of Friends, a youth-led community-based organization working to create a generation of self-sustaining youth. Based in the informal settlements of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, his work focuses on empowering children and young people through access to quality education, climate action and peacebuilding. As a youth and children strategist, his work sits at the intersection of community development, youth empowerment and sustainable change, advancing locally driven solutions that strengthen resilience and opportunity for underserved communities.