By Winston Muleba Jr, Ndola
Her Majesty The Queen of England is this month scheduled to honour Natasha Salifyanji Kaoma with a 'Young Leaders Award' at a ceremony to be held in London at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen will honour Natasha for her exemplary commitment to raising awareness about sexual health.
The Award celebrates inspiring young people from all over the Commonwealth who are dedicated to driving change in
their communities and beyond.
25-years of age, Natasha is a medical student at the University of Zambia Ridgway Campus and Co-founder of Copper Rose Zambia, an initiative that teach women about the importance of sexual and reproductive health.
25-years of age, Natasha is a medical student at the University of Zambia Ridgway Campus and Co-founder of Copper Rose Zambia, an initiative that teach women about the importance of sexual and reproductive health.
Since the launch, Copper Rose Zambia has been providing menstrual hygiene kits to girls in rural areas and through its Candid Pride Campaign and Woman4Her programmes, has educated over 5,000 teenagers about reproductive health.
Early this year when Natasha received good news that she would receive the award, she was very shocked.
Early this year when Natasha received good news that she would receive the award, she was very shocked.
“I just couldn’t believe how my team’s work on something like menstrual hygiene (which is a taboo topic) could be recognized by the Queen of England. The Queen’s Young Leaders was beyond my imagination; indeed, all things are possible if we try. Now I believe that if I can do it, anyone can do it too. I hope this will inspire young women and girls across the country that there are absolutely no limits to what we can achieve,” she said.
And High Commissioner Chikonde has urged outstanding young people in Zambia who are making a difference in their communities to apply to become the Queen’s Young Leaders.
“Any achievement by any Zambian must be celebrated because it is an achievement for all of us Zambians. Last year we had a 19-year-old girl Esther Mungalaba who came up Senior Runner-up of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and in 2015 Zambia had two youths Brighton
Kaoma and Regina Mtonga who were among the winners of the inaugural Queens Young Leaders,” he said.
On Thursday 29th June, 2017, Natasha will be representing Zambia as she joins winners from across the Commonwealth in the UK for a programme of inspiring meetings, networking opportunities, training and mentoring, all designed to help them to develop as leaders and work with ever greater impact to transform people’s lives.
The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the
Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
Winners of the Award have received a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week
residential programme in the UK. Credit: LT
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