ShE is Empowered Project: Project Jabula by Leonah Ndlovu

ShE is Empowered is a one-year, non-residential, online development program for young African women and girls focused on leadership, soft skills development, social entrepreneurship, advocacy, African feminism, and mentorship. At the end of the program, participants emerge with a strong network of young African women leaders, mentors, a certificate of participation, newly acquired skills and the support of the AMI team for participants to run social impact programs in their communities.

At 16 years old, Leonah Ndlovu is the youngest ShE Leader in our most recent cohort. She applied the lessons from the ShE sessions to her community project: ‘Project Jabula’. Project Jabula is a community impact project which aims to address social ills in Southern Africa whilst upskilling the youth.

Leonah is well versed with the issues that Southern African youth face because she has lived in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. Her first mission was to contribute to tackling period poverty in her community. Leonah leveraged a partnership to successfully donate 106 packets of pads to 53 girls at her former school, Luvolwethu Primary School. The Cora Project, a women-led non-profit organisation that aims to support menstruators from underprivileged communities in South Africa through resource distribution and knowledge sharing was perfectly aligned with Project Jabula’s mission.

Since Leonah started Project Jabula in August, she has started a Period Ambassadors program which has already had over 30 participants. Africa Matters celebrates with Project Jabula which has won Crew 2030's Enlight Accelerator grant.

Leonah’s leadership journey as a ShE Leader inspires us and members of her community and continues to prove that ShE is Empowered to change the African narrative.