Aweqawe Mda

Aweqawe Mda (she/her) is the AGAC Fellow and Social Media Consultant at Global Fund for Women.

Born and raised in South Africa, Aweqawe spent her formative years around politicians, policymakers, judges, and senior advocates which parachuted her into the activist she is today. Exposed to both urban and rural communities her passion for grassroot social justice grew, leading her to advocate for young people, women, girls, and people of color.

Her strong commitment to being the change she wants to see in the world led her to partner with and volunteer for many organizations. She has shared stages with global figures in the quest to end social and gender injustice.

As the former Women Deliver Young Leader class of 2020 and Global Fund for Women Adolescent Girl Advisory Council member she collaborated with young people, girls, women and the LGBTQIA+ community. She has collaborated with the Nelson Mandela Foundation through the Caring4Girls initiative which supplied over 150,000 girls in marginalized communities with sanitary pads, resulting in an 83% retention rate in school. This initiative ensured that girls have continued access to education with no impediments.

She has supported grantmaking processes through the AGAC granting over $600,000 to girl-led organizations and awarded over $117 million to 10 finalists through the LEGO Foundation as an expert reviewer on a panel for the “Build A World for Play” challenge. She was hosted by GUCCI Podcast alongside former Global Fund for Women President and CEO, Latanya Mapp Frett.

Aweqawe is deeply passionate about an intersectional lens to justice in all that she does, she continues to drive changes as a creatvist that engages different social, gender and climate justice actors globally. She supports advocacy that disrupts capitalist, patriarchal, and colonial principles.