Kenyan food activist Wawira Njiru has been feted among the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leaders class of 2021.
The annual list celebrates influential individuals under the age of 40 making an impact around the world; in governance, media, sports, business technology or humanitarian work.
Njiru is the founder of Food for Education-a non-profit organisation that delivers affordable nutritious meals to school-going children in counties such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Kiambu.
"Wawira is a trained nutritionist, who deploys cutting-edge technology and innovation to feed the future of Africa, unlocking the potential for hundreds of millions of young people. For Wawira, leadership means service," part of the statement released by WEF stated.
Njiru featured on the list alongside globally-recognized stars such as Jessica Mauboy who is an Australian pop star and renowned actress, Sinead Burke, who is the founder of Tilting the Lens, an organisation for creating equitable opportunities for disabled people.
Others include Catherine Lenson, the Chief Human Resource Officer and social Impact Lead at SoftBank Investment Advisors in the United Kingdom. Lenson is the first woman to become a managing partner at the multi-billion company.
Njiru became a household name after she became the youngest recipient of the University of South Australia's alumni award in 2017. Further, she also won multiple awards in 2018 such as the Rainer Arnhold Fellow, Builders of Africa Award and the Global Citizen Youth Leadership Award.
All the accolades, Njiru admitted, are a step closer to realise her goal of reaching 1,000,000 school-going children with nutritious meals.
Currently, she has supported over 500,000 children and hopes to elevate her cause in the world by highlighting the poor state of hunger among children.
"We are working hard to feed 1,000,000 kids by 2025. Our vision is that no Kenyan child will have to learn while hungry and are working hard to ensure that at least 1 million kids have access to nutritious meals every day," Njiru stated in a past interview.
Kenyans who have been feted in the past by WEF include former NTV news anchor and BBC correspondent Larry Madowo.
The celebrated journalist was honoured for his work in expanding the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) footprint in Africa.
"The BBC Africa Business Editor launched six new business TV shows for African audiences in English, French and Swahili. Madowo is also an on-air correspondent on BBC radio and television and has reported from more than 40 countries," WEF noted.
