Tinaye Chiketa was raised in the high-density suburb of Mbare and has a first hand understanding of how the young are forgotten, and left out in decision-making and governance processes.

” A lack of interest in politics, and voter apathy, are some of the notable downsides – marginalizing the youth causes them to withdraw from public life. The applicant comes from a community where citizens, particularly young people, are at the periphery of the decision-making matrix. Members of parliament that represent these communities are imposed by political parties, and in some cases, they are not even from that constituency!”

Chiketa believes that engaging with marginalized communities requires both boldness and creativity. His initiative will tackle young people’s apathy around governance and local development processes. He notes that young people distrust institutions of governance, and feel that the battle is lost Chiketa’s initiative, PaDen Network, hopes to change the narrative by educating young people and using art as a tool to hold the government accountable. Implementing in Mbare