Meet Our 2026 Cohort of Indigenous Youth Fellows from Africa and Asia

Anisha Buda (Kaike Magar), Nepal

Thematic area: Indigenous Women’s Rights, Climate Justice

Anisha Buda (Kaike Magar) is an Indigenous youth from Nepal. She currently works as a program officer at the National Indigenous Women Forum (NIWF), where she supports initiatives focused on the social, cultural, and environmental rights of Indigenous and marginalized women and girls in Nepal. Her work brings together climate justice, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, capacity building, and the economic empowerment of women and girls.

Beyond her work with NIWF, Anisha serves as an interim committee member of the International Indigenous-Led Fire Adaptation Network under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She is an active member of the Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders, where she raises awareness about the challenges faced by Indigenous environmental defenders in Nepal. She is serving as a member of the Secretariat Committee at Indigenous Peoples and Community Conserved Areas - ICCA Network Nepal, where she will focus on biocultural conservation projects from an Indigenous youth perspective. She also presented a paper, “Rungma, a Ritual of Reinforcing Ecological Awareness: A Case of Tarali Magars in Dolpa District," at a youth conference organized by ICCA Network Nepal.

Through Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellowship Program, Anisha will implement a project titled “Climate Week New York City 2026”. The project will support her participation in Climate Week NYC, where she will document and share the perspectives of an Indigenous youth working on climate change at local and national levels in Nepal, bringing lived experiences, knowledge, and leadership into global climate conversations.

Sucia Lisdamara Yulmanda Taufik (Kasepuhan Bayah), Indonesia

Thematic area: Natural Disaster Preparedness Education

Sucia Lisdamara Yulmanda Taufik (Kasepuhan Bayah) is from Lebak Regency, Banten Province, Indonesia. Born and raised in a culture deeply connected to nature, ancestral traditions, and local wisdom, her lived experience has shaped her strong commitment to protecting Indigenous knowledge systems and community autonomy. Since 2021, she has been actively involved with Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara, an Indigenous youth organization that works to defend customary territories, strengthen Indigenous youth leadership, and promote meaningful participation in decision-making processes related to Indigenous land rights and governance. She also serves as a facilitator of Indigenous education at Sekolah Adat Banten Kidul, where she supports community-based learning rooted in Indigenous language, culture, and values. Her work is driven by concern over the accelerating loss of Traditional Knowledge as environmental degradation increasingly affects Indigenous territories, particularly due to extractive industries such as mining and large-scale corporate projects.

Sucia will implement a project titled “Indigenous School for Disaster Preparedness: Strengthening Local Knowledge in Facing Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Kasepuhan Bayah.” The project aims to integrate Indigenous knowledge of natural signs and traditional practices into disaster preparedness education, ensuring that local wisdom becomes part of both formal and informal learning processes. Using a participatory approach, the project will develop community-based disaster risk maps to strengthen traditional evacuation routes. It also seeks to preserve ancestral stories related to earthquakes and tsunamis as intergenerational learning resources while enhancing the capacity of Indigenous youth to serve as key facilitators in disaster education and preparedness simulations within their communities.

Cynthia Nurse Shadi Soso (San), Botswana

Thematic area: Indigenous Knowledge Revitalization and Community Development

Cynthia Nurse Shadi Soso (San/Naro) is a young woman from Botswana. A passionate student at the University of Botswana, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Lifelong Learning and Community Development. She is also an active member of the San Youth Network, navigating the complex realities of development work where cultural preservation, donor accountability, and youth agency often intersect. Her journey is driven by a strong commitment to inclusive education, social justice, the preservation of Indigenous knowledge, and sustainable community empowerment. She is particularly interested in designing and implementing community-based interventions that address participatory development, social inequalities, Indigenous methodologies, and support for vulnerable populations in Botswana. Through her studies, she has developed knowledge and skills in adult education, participatory development, monitoring and evaluation, and community engagement. Her academic work has focused on empowering marginalized groups, with particular attention to peacebuilding and substance abuse prevention. She believes that education is a transformative tool that can empower individuals, strengthen communities, and promote social cohesion.

During the fellowship, Cynthia will implement a project that aims to revitalize and strengthen the use of the Naro language and cultural knowledge among Naro youth in Botswana, particularly in the village of D’Kar, where Naro language use is declining rapidly. Through intergenerational learning, storytelling, and cultural mentorship, the project seeks to reconnect young San people with their mother tongue, oral traditions, and cultural identity.

Gofaone Tsaae (Ju/’hoansi), Botswana

Thematic area: Indigenous Knowledge Transfer, Intergenerational Dialogue

Gofaone Tsaae (Ju/’hoansi) is a youth leader, cultural advocate, and community organizer from Qangwa, Botswana. Passionate about preserving Indigenous knowledge systems, he is committed to protecting and promoting the cultural heritage, identity, and Traditional Knowledge of the Ju/’hoansi people.

Through this fellowship, Gofaone is implementing a project titled “Indigenous Knowledge Systems.” The project focuses on supporting the transfer of knowledge from Knowledge Keepers to youth and children, ensuring that Ju/’hoansi cultural practices, oral histories, environmental knowledge, and traditional skills are passed on to future generations. The project will document oral histories, environmental knowledge, traditional tracking skills, and cultural practices through interviews with Elders and digital archiving. By creating spaces for dialogue and knowledge exchange between youth and Elders, the project seeks to strengthen cultural identity, bridge generational gaps, and promote intergenerational learning.

Nana Faizatou Ibrahim (Mbororo), Cameroon

Thematic area: Indigenous Girls Empowerment, Climate Change Awareness and Advocacy

Nana Faizatou Ibrahim (Mbororo) is from the Fulani pastoralist community of Cameroon. Growing up in her community instilled in her a deep appreciation for Traditional Ecological Knowledge, traditional medicine, and biodiversity conservation. As a communication volunteer with the REPALEAC Youth Women’s Movement, she has contributed to community-based initiatives focused on gender equality, health education, and climate resilience. Her work includes community sensitization on sustainable resource use, advocacy for reproductive rights, and fostering dialogue between traditional healers and health professionals. She has also participated in national and regional trainings on Indigenous rights, biodiversity policy, and youth leadership. Nana is currently developing a community-centered initiative to document Mbororo women’s ecological knowledge, aiming to preserve plant biodiversity and transmit knowledge to younger generations.

Nana’s project, “Indigenous Mbororo Girls Building Resilience for Climate Action,” aims to empower Mbororo girls with knowledge and practical tools to become climate change advocates and solution providers within their pastoralist communities and increase awareness on climate resilience, promote sustainable environmental practices, and build leadership among Mbororo girls to lead grassroots environmental actions.

Mommon Makko (Maasai), Tanzania

Thematic area: Climate Change and Land Restoration

Mommon Makko (Maasai) is an environmentalist specializing in dryland agriculture and rangeland restoration. Currently serving as project coordinator for the Nyangulo Environmental Conservation Alliance in Northern Tanzania, he has more than five years of leadership experience in this role. His work focuses on evidence-based, community-driven solutions to address desertification and climate change.

Mommon will implement a project titled “Restoration of Degraded Rangelands in Northern Tanzania." The objective is to rehabilitate degraded lands through community-led conservation and sustainable land management practices. By promoting sustainable grazing, reforestation, and soil restoration, the project aims to enhance ecosystem resilience and improve the livelihoods of pastoralist communities, with a specific focus on empowering women and youth.

Louivenzia Komases (Nama), Namibia

Thematic area: Land Restoration and Livelihoods

Louivenzia Komases (Nama) works at the intersection of youth leadership, civic engagement, and public management. Trained in political science and international relations, her work is grounded in both academic governance frameworks and the lived realities of marginalized rural and Indigenous communities. Her professional experience includes policy-oriented research on media integrity and democratic participation with the Institute for Public Policy Research, where she contributed to work addressing misinformation and democratic accountability. She has also held advisory and coordinating roles within the Nama Traditional Leaders Association Youth Forum, engaging directly with Indigenous governance structures, intergenerational dialogue, and community-based advocacy.

Louivenzia’s fellowship project, “Indigenous Economies for Resilient Futures: Youth Training in Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Livelihoods,” focuses on the practical revitalization of Indigenous economies as a pathway to youth resilience and self-determination. The project equips Indigenous youth with hands-on skills to transform ancestral knowledge, land-based practices, and cultural resources into sustainable social enterprises. Emphasis is placed on value addition rooted in Nama relationships to land, environmentally responsible resource use, and culturally grounded economic models. By linking remembrance, land stewardship, and livelihood creation, Louivenzia’s work seeks to ensure that Indigenous youth are not only custodians of memory, but also active agents shaping resilient, dignified, and self-determined futures for their communities.

Evesty Afrikaner (Nama), Namibia

Thematic area: Indigenous Rights and Youth Leadership

Evesty Afrikaner (Nama) is a cultural preservationist from the Kai||khaun (ǁAes), also known as the Red Nation. Her work is centered on the protection and revitalization of the Nama language, history, and cultural heritage, with a strong emphasis on intergenerational knowledge transfer and community-based cultural education. She has contributed to youth development through her involvement with the Hoachanas Children’s Fund, where she supported initiatives aimed at mentoring and empowering Nama children within culturally-grounded learning environments. Her work reflects a consistent commitment to sustaining Indigenous identity through early education and community engagement.

Through her participation in the Indigenous Youth Fellowship, Evesty is launching a project titled “Nama Youth Voices: Reclaiming Our Heritage, Shaping Our Future Tour.” This initiative is designed to empower young people across all 13 Nama clans by deepening their understanding of Indigenous rights, ancestral heritage, and pathways for socio-economic growth. By strengthening these foundations, the project seeks to cultivate active leadership in community-led development and promote transparent, accountable governance within the NTLA Youth Forum.