Pretoria, South Africa, 9-13 June 2025 – When a young READY leader from Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, received a USD 2,000 seed grant from READY Academy 2.0 in 2024, he knew exactly how he would use it to uplift his community. His winning proposal aimed to empower twenty young people living with disabilities by providing life skills training, mental health support, sexual health education, and entrepreneurship development. The project supported young people in this community in starting their own small businesses, providing income and life skills training that are often inaccessible to young people.
Stories like these show what is possible when young people are trusted to lead. Building on such successes, READY Academy 3.0 convened over 30 young leaders from East and Southern Africa in Pretoria, equipping them with the tools and confidence to hold governments accountable and protect progress on HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at a time when funding cuts and rising inequalities threaten to reverse gains.
Organised by Y+ Global and Frontline AIDS, with support from Aidsfonds, Save the Children, UNDP, UNFPA, and Young Africa, READY Academy 3.0 centred on the theme ‘Beyond the funding crises: Empowering young leaders to hold national governments to account.’ The academy focused on turning passion into practical action, bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds, including young people living with and affected by HIV, young LGBTIQ+ leaders, and young people from marginalised groups and backgrounds. All were united in their commitment to advancing health and rights in their communities.
“In a time when funding cuts and shifting priorities threaten hard-won gains, empowering young leaders to hold governments to account is not just important, it is urgent. READY Academy 3.0 is about equipping young people with the tools to defend their rights, influence policies, and ensure their communities are not left behind in the HIV and SRHR response.”Modester Mangilani
Senior Programmes Officer: READY Program at Y+ Global
[From left to right: Facilitators Tumie and Yummnah taking participants through sessions.]
Throughout the week, participants learned how to navigate policy environments and advocate for youth inclusion in health governance, guided by Saruh Rusike, Programme Manager at Y+ Global. They explored how youth-led organisations can shift public discourse and influence decision-making with Tumie Komanyane from Unitaid, and received hands-on training in resource mobilisation and proposal development with Ronald Tibiita from Frontline AIDS, gaining skills to frame evidence-based, community-rooted ideas that attract funding and drive change.
Sessions led by Modester Mangilani and Priscilla Ama Addo of Y+ Global focused on ethical and meaningful youth engagement, empowering participants to recognise the value they bring to advocacy spaces and ensuring that youth-led efforts remain ethical, grounded, and impactful. Using the ‘We Matter, Value Us’ resource, participants explored practical ways to apply the principles of meaningful youth engagement in their work, gaining the tools and confidence to understand what genuine, effective youth participation looks like in practice.
The academy moved beyond traditional lectures, using role-play simulations to practise advocacy with decision-makers and negotiations with stakeholders, building confidence to speak truth to power. Daily energisers and reflective discussions fostered a collaborative environment that encouraged peer learning and solidarity among young leaders.
[Photo on the left: Participants given a tour of the Sisonke Office]
As part of the programme, participants had the opportunity to take part in a site visit to Sisonke, an organisation of sex workers in South Africa, to learn directly from civil society leaders about their advocacy strategies and the realities of community-led action. The site visit provided valuable insights into how Sisonke amplifies the voices of sex workers, creates a unified community, promotes the recognition of human rights, and fosters positive change within the community, even while navigating the complex and often controversial issues surrounding sex work. These lessons offered READY Academy participants practical inspiration for leading their own advocacy efforts on sensitive issues in their countries, equipping them to address stigma while centring community voices in their campaigns.
Building on the success of last year’s initiative, READY Academy 3.0 encouraged participants to transform their learning into action by submitting proposals for USD 2,000 seed grants to implement youth-led projects in their communities. This opportunity motivated young leaders to turn their ideas into tangible action, ensuring the knowledge and skills gained at the academy translate into real-world impact.
Winning proposals include projects supporting children of sex workers in Zimbabwe and empowering sex workers in Zambia through education and psychosocial care. Other initiatives focus on integrating young fathers into sexuality education in Eswatini and strengthening HIV and SRHR services for youth in Mozambique and Malawi. These youth-led projects aim to advance health rights, reduce stigma, and improve access to care for marginalised communities across the region.
[From left: READY Project Lead, Modester presenting a certificate to a READY participant, and a group photo with seed grant winner Chifuniro Misomali and Prisca Kasewe from Malawi.]
“READY Academy doesn’t just teach us skills; it gives us the confidence to take action. Winning the seed grant showed me that my ideas matter, and I now feel ready to lead, challenge, and change the systems that affect my community,”Andile
READY Academy seed grant winner from Zimbabwe
As global funding crises threaten progress on HIV and SRHR, READY Academy 3.0 demonstrated that young people are not only ready to participate in development but are prepared to lead it.
“READY Academy continues to be recognised as an essential platform for building the capacity of young people, even as we navigate a challenging funding landscape. It demonstrates that investing in young leaders is not a luxury but a necessity for sustaining progress on HIV and SRHR. We are committed to continuing this work so young people can lead the response and hold decision-makers accountable.”Maximina Jokonya
Executive Director at Y+ Global
The academy was made possible through the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Maputo and Frontline AIDS. Building on the significant impact READY+ has made over the years, Y+ Global remains committed to advancing the movement and ensuring young people continue to lead and shape the HIV and SRHR response in their communities.
