YIELD Hub
Sonali Silva, Director
To me, being a SheDecides Champion means embodying courage, truth-telling, and radical solidarity. It means standing unapologetically for the right of every person, especially young people, women, and gender-diverse communities, to make decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures without fear, shame, or coercion. As a Champion, I use my platform to speak to both power and possibility amplifying grassroots movements, challenging restrictive norms, and holding institutions accountable. It is also deeply personal: I carry the lived realities of my community, my country, and my own body into this work. Being a SheDecides Champion is not just a title; it is a daily commitment to dismantle stigma, shift power, and co-create a world where everyone can truly decide.
At YIELD Hub, bodily autonomy is central to everything we do. As a youth serving global initiative, we know that autonomy over one's body is the foundation for meaningful partnership, health, and justice. Without it, young people cannot thrive, let alone lead. We prioritise bodily autonomy not just as a right, but as a strategy for transformation. It informs our advocacy, our funding principles, and our partnerships. Whether we are working to unlock resources for youth focused SRHR work, strengthening youth partnership in policy, or amplifying feminist voices in global forums, bodily autonomy remains our north star. It is a moral imperative and a practical necessity if we are to build systems that are equitable, inclusive, and free.
Richard Mawutor Dzikunu
Action Learning Groups Lead
To me, being a SheDecides Champion means using my voice, platforms, and partnerships to push against systems that limit agency, access, and equity, and to affirm that bodily autonomy is a non-negotiable foundation for dignity, health, and justice. In my work with YIELD Hub and other institutions, including the Global Health Council and youth-led organisations, I’ve seen how the denial of bodily autonomy fuels inequality and silences leadership. We prioritise it because when young people have control over their bodies and choices, they lead movements that transform communities and systems.
Somila Mjekula
Content and Communications Lead
I was raised in a rural, matriarchal community where women carried so much of life and held the social fabric together, yet had so little say over their own bodies or choices. Their strength shaped me, and their silences taught me what happens when decisions are made on your behalf. Being a Champion is a way of breaking that silence. It’s about honouring the women who came before me while standing alongside young people who are reclaiming space, voice, and agency. It means showing up, consistently.
Dina Chaerani
Community and Partnership Officer
Being a SheDecides Champion is a continuation of my healing and resistance. I am a survivor of sexual violence. I grew up in a conservative society where speaking up about my body was met with shame, where girls like me were expected to stay silent. Reclaiming my voice took years. Now I use it to fight for others who are still silenced. At YIELD Hub, I work daily to ensure young people, especially those pushed to the margins, are heard, trusted, supported, and given real space to lead. We prioritise bodily autonomy because we know what happens when it’s denied. This fight is not abstract for me. It is about survival, dignity, and building a world where every young person can feel safe in their own body and powerful in their decisions.
How we are working so SheDecides
At YIELD Hub, we strengthen global youth leadership through collective action learning and strategic collaboration. Our Action Learning Cycles and Online Community support young people to co-create solutions on youth partnership and SRHR. We generate tools, share lived experiences, and promote emerging practices that centre youth agency. Through partnerships with youth-led groups, funders, and allies, we challenge systemic barriers and drive institutional change, grounded in the belief that all young people have the right to decide freely and fully.
YIELD Hub’s Action Learning Groups
YIELD Hub’s Action Learning Groups are time-bound communities of practice that bring together youth-led organisations, NGOs, donors, researchers, and other stakeholders to tackle key barriers to AYSRHR. Each group focuses on a specific theme, such as compensating youth work, sustainable financing, climate and SRHR, or organisational strengthening, through structured peer learning, collective problem-solving, and the development of practical outputs. Over 6–8 months, members engage in workshops, coaching, and peer exchange. The process centres youth leadership, shared accountability, and context-driven innovation to co-create solutions to systemic challenges in the AYSRHR field.
Read MoreAction Learning Online Community (ALOC)
Action Learning Online Community (ALOC) is a seven-month online learning journey to support individuals and organisations working in youth-focused and Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) initiatives.
Hosted on the Mighty Platform, the programme offers technical training courses, practical tools, and expert insights to help participants strengthen their individual capacity and organisational work.
The learning experience is flexible and self-paced, allowing participants to engage with curated resources that address real-world challenges in their work. Through interactive modules, community discussions, and hands-on assignments, participants will develop essential skills to enhance their projects and initiatives.
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The Youth Partnership in AYSRHR Theory of Change
The Youth Partnership in AYSRHR Theory of Change acknowledges that young people’s contributions to AYSRHR are strengthened by partnerships with both peers and adult allies, and that adult partners help build youth capabilities and encourage youth agency.
The ToC is a tool for the adolescent and youth SRHR field to consider adopting in their strategies, work plans, and programmes. It is conceptualised beyond the functions of the YIELD Hub to reflect the most relevant actions and outcomes of all actors concerned with youth partnership in the AYSRHR field.
Read MoreAbout YIELD Hub
YIELD Hub (Youth Investment, Engagement, and Leadership Development) is a global initiative aimed at transforming the way institutions, donors, and movements engage with young people, particularly in the field of Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR).
We’re an independent team with international experience in youth leadership, action learning, and intergenerational collaboration. Instead of treating young people as just participants, we help ensure they are equal partners in shaping policies, programmes, and decisions.
Our mission is to put youth partnership and leadership at the centre of institutional and programmatic change. We connect youth organisations, funders, researchers, and programme implementers to build strong partnerships based on co-creation, inclusion, and shared accountability. Whether through workshops, peer learning, or applied research, we support those serious about making meaningful youth engagement a reality.
