N’zani Kassim Zani has more than six years of experience in grassroots activism. N’zani is founder and president of the Hijabi Mentorship Program, where she focuses on advancing gender equality in underserved communities. She was recently appointed Kwale County coordinator to the United Nations Youth Association of Kenya. N'zani holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism. She is committed to championing Sustainable Development Goal 5 (on gender equality and empowerment of women and young people in underserved communities), with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, violent extremism, and economic empowerment. A 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumna, N'zani credits the Fellowship with empowering her with skills and knowledge that have helped her strengthen her organization and with providing a platform to forge new alliances that cut across the globe. The Fellowship's network has become invaluable to the success of her work in advocating for young people and women.