Aviwe Funani

For Aviwe Funani, 34, advocacy for equality and representation has always been part of her DNA. She is a leading voice for global youth mental health. As senior policy and advocacy officer at United for Global Mental Health, she heads the Being initiative. It is one of the world’s largest youth mental health projects, spanning 12 countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Her work ensures that young people’s mental health is prioritised through advocacy, policy development and capacity building, reaching global platforms like the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. She has contributed to the World Economic Forum’s Women’s Health Initiative, led the Global Shapers Cape Town Hub, and co-founded the Emergent Girls Business and Coding Academy, empowering unemployed young women in the Cape Flats. Named one of CoCreate South Africa’s Top 50 Inspiring Women, Aviwe remains rooted in her community, volunteering through Sisters for Mental Health, awareness drives and an advocacy for mental health in communities of colour.

• Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Information Systems, University of the Western Cape,
• Additional courses and training completed: Business Writing, Richfield College, 2024 – Mental Health First Aider, Mental Health First Aid England, 2023 – Strategic Business Management Certificate, University of Cape Town – GetSmarter Online Learning, 2020 – Fellowship for Organisational Innovation, Fellow, Douglas and Eleanor Murray Trust, 2019 – Keeping Children Safe Coalition International, Module 1, Certificate, 2019 – Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner Certificate, Tristan Soa

• Led an organisational event at the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly, in partnership with the South African Health Representative to the United Nations
• Contributed to the development of the World Economic Forum’s Women’s Health Initiative
• Named one of CoCreate South Africa’s Top 50 Inspiring Women in 2019
• Led the Cape Town hub of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, a youth-led initiative focused on social impact
• Co-designed and launched the Dream Factory Foundation’s Emergent Girls Business and Coding Academy, which equips unemployed post-matric girls in the Cape Flats with business and digital skills

My parents were the first advocates I knew. Their ability to put their minds together and help develop young people left a lasting impression on me. They also influenced me to always think big and, through love, help make the world better. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela — her life and the tenacity she maintained as a woman in our country’s liberation — deeply inspire me. Her passion for this country has fuelled my own love for South Africa and the continent. In everything I do, I believe South Africa will become better with each day and each action. My nanny, Auntie Mbele, raised my brothers and me. She protected me when I faced bullying at school, helped build my confidence and taught me not to hide in the shadows for fear of standing out.