INDIMULI ZAHA: Empowering Youth and Igniting Change

On the 6th of May 2023, the Amali Youth Community was launched into the world. Against the elegant backdrop of Workstyle Africa, brilliant youth from all over the country – and the world – agreed to work together to create solutions for national development. It was the dawn of a new era helmed by the youth, and Diana Lucy Zaha Indimuli was right at the heart of it all. She shares her journey to founding a youth organisation.

Indimuli Diana Lucy Zaha grew up knowing she would one day be a youth diplomat. As a young girl, she was exposed to Manenoworld, a youth audience marketing agency operating in schools. Manenoworld runs integrated youth-centric print & online media, members’ club, and interactive non-formal educational entertainment programs for teenagers and young adults. Thanks to her athletic prowess, Zaha was chosen as a sports ambassador for the organisation, setting the ball rolling for her future in youth diplomacy.

Years later, she joined Mount Kenya University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. Owing to the nature of her degree and her keen interest in research and social science, Zaha was constantly learning about young people from various countries around the globe. She examined their roles in their communities and was particularly challenged by how other countries leveraged their youth for national development. She felt compelled to help Kenyan youth participate in national development more directly.

To complement her studies, Zaha participated in Model United Nations (MUN), an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real-world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. In Kenya, MUN conferences are hosted at the United Nations Office in Gigiri.

“MUN opened my eyes to the potential of youth to drive and implement change through policy-making, and I promised myself that I would find a way to stay in those spaces,” shares the aspiring teacher, researcher, and policymaker.

True to her word, Zaha, ever the delusional visionary, ended up doing her internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working at the Europe and Commonwealth Directorate.

In addition, having been an outstanding student leader and the president of the Diplomats Union at her university, she landed an opportunity to work with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

“I started posting videos of what my day looked like on TikTok, coupled with videos of events and conferences that I was attending. They garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and suddenly, I was going viral on TikTok! So many young people were interested in these events, looking to connect and build networks. I am a big believer in discipline and social responsibility, and was pleased to discover that young Kenyans resonated with it. It hit me then that many youths want to work on themselves and their careers, and are interested in effecting change, but lack environments that support or enable that,” twenty-two-year-old Zaha narrates.

“So, fuelled by the massive engagement we were getting, my co-founder, Mariam Musa, and I decided to start a podcast where we would discuss issues affecting the youth. However, it wasn’t enough; we knew we could engage more directly with the youth and create more impact. We did not want to speak on issues merely but to also act on them and create solutions. So, we decided to start a youth community,” she adds.

Together, Zaha and Mariam created Amali, a youth community that brings young people who want to network and participate in national development together. The response they received was overwhelming. More than 15,000 youth tried to sign up, forcing them to close the registration. Today, Amali boasts more than 1,500 registered members from different backgrounds and regions across the world.

“Amali means ‘hope’ in Kiswahili, and ‘work’ in German. It was fitting because it clearly communicates that we are both hoping for and working towards a better future. Our vision is to establish a secure, healthy, and productive society driven by the power of youth through leadership, innovation, and technology. Our structure begins with a board, followed by an executive secretariat that is the implementing body, and ends with the numerous skill-based departments that our members belong to,” she explains.

Since its launch in May this year, Amali has held a successful outreach in honour of Mother’s Day, during which they shared food with more than 150 families living in the Nairobi CBD. They have also held a fitness & mental health wellness event to promote fitness and mental wellbeing. Moreover, Amali is now registered as a non-governmental organisation and is in the process of kickstarting a series of projects.

“In partnership with various aligned organisations, Amali has acquired land in Laikipia constituency that we intend to utilise to achieve our overall goals towards green growth and a circular economy. We want to start a feeding program for the children in Laikipia who mainly survive on school meals. We also want to promote eco-tourism in conjunction with the hotel industry in the area,” says Zaha.

She remains as unwavering in her mission today as when she first began.

“I delusionally believe in the youth. I know, deep down in my gut, that the youth will change this country for the better. And I am most grateful to God for His help this far. I always pray before making any decision,” she says.

Underlying Zaha’s fierce belief in youth is the typical desire of a loving firstborn – to make the world a better place for her younger siblings.

“The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit,” she concludes with a quote.

This article was originally published in Issue 438. Click HERE to read the full issue.

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